Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Jo-mo-glang-ma(Mountain)Tibetan Possibly means "holy mother", "mother of the universe" or "goddess mother of the world" in Tibetan. This is the Tibetan name for Mount Everest.
Jórvík(Settlement)Old Norse, Icelandic Icelandic and Old Norse form of York. It is believed to be derived from Old English Eoforwic, itself believed to be derived from Latin Eboracum possibly meaning "place of the yew trees".
Joseonminjusminmingonghwaguk(Country)Korean Korean form of North Korea, meaning "Democratic People's Republic of Korea", the official name of North Korea. 북한 (bukhan) is the informal eqivalent, meaning "North Korea" in Korean, from 북쪽 (bukjjok) meaning "north" and 한국 (hanguk) meaning "korea".
Jukkasjärvi(Settlement)Swedish, Finnish Originally from Northern Sami Čohkkirasjávri meaning "lake of assembly". It was later changed to the much more Finnish-sounding name Jukkasjärvi. This probably changed the meaning of the name as the first element jukkas is of uncertain origin (but it coincides with the Finnish given name Jukka)... [more]
Kagawa(Political Subdivision)Japanese Means "river incense" in Japanese.
Kagawa(Political Subdivision)Japanese From Japanese 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". This is the name of a prefecture of Japan.
Kaiyō(Settlement)Japanese This is the name of a town in Japan's Tokushima Prefecture.... [more]
Kalaallit Nunaat(Country)Greenlandic Means "land of the Kalaallit". This is the Greenlandic endonym for Greenland. Kalaallit is the name of the dominant ethnic group on the island.
Kalasin(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai กาฬ (kala) meaning "black, dark" and สินธุ์ (sin) meaning "river, stream", believed to be taken from the name of the nearby Nam Kam river. This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Kalispell(Other)Salishan (Rare) The name Kalispell is a Salishan (Salish) word meaning "flat land above the lake". Kalispell is also the gateway to Glacier National Park.
Kalmakstan(Political Subdivision)Kyrgyz From калмак (kalmak), the Kyrgyz name for the Kalmyk people, combined with the Persian suffix -ستان (-stan) meaning "land of". This is the Kyrgyz name for Kalmykia.
Kamchatka(Region)Ainu named for a native people, the Kamchadal, from Koryak (Chukotko-Kamchatkan) konchachal, which is said to mean "men of the far end"
Kampong Cham(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “port of the chams” in Khmer.
Kampong Cham(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means "port of the Chams" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ចាម (cham) referring to the Cham people. This is the name of a province of Cambodia.
Kampong Chhnang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "port of pottery" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ឆ្នាំង (chhnang) meaning "pot". This is the name of a province of and city in Cambodia.
Kampong Speu(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “port of starfruit” in Khmer.
Kampong Speu(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means "port of starfruit" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ស្ពឺ (speu) meaning "starfruit". This is the name of a province of Cambodia.
Kanagawa(Political Subdivision)Japanese From Japanese 神 (kan) meaning "god", 奈 (na), a phonetic character, and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream"... [more]
Kanagawa(Political Subdivision)Japanese Means "god's kara pear river" in Japanese.
Kanazawa(Settlement)Japanese Means "marsh of gold" in Japanese; derived from a local legend, according to which a peasant who found flakes of gold while digging for potatoes. The kanji that make up the name are 金 (kana), meaning "metal, gold", and 沢 (sawa), meaning "marsh"... [more]
Kandahar(Settlement)Afghan "Kandahar" is a city in southern Afghanistan. The name "Kandahar" likely originates from the Sanskrit word "Gandhara," which referred to a region in ancient India that included parts of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan... [more]
Karakalpakstan(Political Subdivision)English, Russian From Karakalpak Қарақалпақстан (Qaraqalpaqstan), itself from the name of the Karakalpak people combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of"... [more]
Karamea(Settlement)Maori, English Means "speargrass" in Maori, peobably from a corruption of kakara taramea meaning "sweet-scented gum (of speargrass leaves)". This is the name of a town in New Zealand.
Karasjok(Settlement)Norwegian Norwegianized form of the Northern Sami language name Kárášjohka. The meaning of the first element could be káráš from Northern Sami which could mean "food plate of wood", or from Finnish, kara, "something that sticks"... [more]
Kargil(Settlement)English, Urdu Most likely derived from Tibetan དཀར (dkar) meaning "white, pure, bright" and སྐྱིལ (skyil) meaning "expanse" or འཁྱིལ ('khyil) meaning "mountainous amphitheater, place where water flows"... [more]
Kashmir(Region)Hindi, Urdu, Dogri, Persian, English Derived from Sanskrit कश्मीर (kashmira) of uncertain meaning. It could be derived from the name of the sage Kashyapa combined with Sanskrit मीर (mira) meaning "ocean, sea" or मेरु (meru) referring to the legendary Mount Meru in Hindu and Buddhist tradition... [more]
Kawaguchi(Settlement)Japanese Means "estuary, mouth of a river" in Japanese, from 川 (kawa), meaning "river", and 口 (kuchi), meaning "mouth-like opening"... [more]
Kawasaki(Settlement)Japanese Means "river bank" in Japanese. The kanji that make up the name are 川 (kawa), meaning "river, stream, brook", and 崎 (saki), meaning "peninsula, promontory, cape, spit"... [more]
Kelantan(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Meaning uncertain, possibly from Malay gelam hutam meaning "cajeput" (a type of tree), kilatan meaning "lightning, flash" or kolam tanah meaning "dirt pool". Alternatively, it may be from Tamil கோலம் (kolam) referring to an art form from the Indian subcontinent consisting of stylised designs made of powder... [more]
Kerala(Political Subdivision)English From Malayalam കേരളം (Keralam) of uncertain meaning. One theory suggests that it means "land of coconuts", derived from Malayalam കേരം (keram) meaning "coconut" and അളം (alam) meaning "place"... [more]
Kiên Giang(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 堅 (kiên) meaning "firm" and 江 (giang) meaning "river".
Kiên Giang(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 堅 (kiên) meaning "enduring, persistent, firm" and 江 (giang) meaning "river". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Kildare(Region)Irish, English From Irish Cill Dara meaning "church of the oak".
Kilkenny(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. Means "church of Cainnech". Saint Cainnech was the man who converted the county to Christianity in 597.
Killough(Settlement)Irish Killough, derived from Irish Cill Locha "church of the loch", is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland.
King's Lynn(Settlement)English Derived from the Celtic lin meaning "lake" or "pool", referring to the tidal pool on the River Ouse. It became known at Bishop's Lynn in the 12th Century, when Bishop Herbert de Losinga of Thetford began the first Medieval town there... [more]
Klondike(Region)Indigenous American tributary of the Yukon River in northwestern Canada, from Kutchin (Athabaskan) throndiuk, said to mean "hammer-water" and to be a reference to the practice of driving stakes into the riverbed to support fish traps... [more]
Kochi(Settlement)Malayalam, English, Hindi Possibly from Malayalam കൊച്ച് (kochu) meaning "small" and അഴി (azhi) meaning "lagoon, pond". This is the name of a city in India, formerly known as Cochin.
Kōfu(Settlement)Japanese Means "capital of Kai Province" in Japanese. The kanji that make up the name are 甲 (kō), originally an abbreviation of 甲斐 (kai), of uncertain meaning, and 府 (fu), meaning "government office"... [more]
Kon Tum(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Bahnar kon meaning "village" and tum meaning "pool".
Kon Tum(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese Derived from Bahnar Kon Tum meaning "lake village", from kon meaning "village" and tum meaning "pool, lake". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Kópavogur(Settlement)Icelandic Combination of Icelandic kópur "seal" and vogur "bay". Kópavogur is the second largest city in Iceland.
Kōtō(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 江 (kō) meaning "river" and 東 (tō) meaning "east". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Krung Thep(Settlement)Thai, English Means "city of gods" from Thai กรุง (krung) meaning "city" and เทพ (thep) meaning "god, deity". This is a Thai name for Bangkok, used as a shortened form of Krung Thep Maha Nakhon... [more]
Krung Thep(Settlement)Thai Means "the city of gods" in Thai.
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon(Settlement)Thai Means "city of gods, great city" from Thai กรุง (krung) meaning "city", เทพ (thep) meaning "god, deity", มหา (maha) meaning "grand, great" and นคร (nakhon) meaning "city"... [more]
Läänemeri(Body of Water)Estonian Means "west sea" in Estonian. This is the Estonian name for the Baltic Sea.
Laayoune(Settlement)English, Slovene From French Laâyoune derived from Arabic اَلْعَيُون (al-ʿayūn) meaning "the springs". This is the name of the capital city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, though it is administered by Morocco.
Ladakh(Region & Political Subdivision)English, Persian From Persian لداخ (ladakh), itself derived from Tibetan ལ་དྭགས (la dwags) meaning "land of high passes", from the words ལ (la) meaning "hillside, mountain pass" and དྭགས (dwags) meaning "open place"... [more]
Lagos(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Western African, Hausa, Igbo, English From Portuguese lagos meaning "lakes". This is the name of a city in Nigeria as well as a state of the same name.
Laguna(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)English, Filipino Means "lake" or "lagoon" in Spanish. In the Philippines, it refers to a lake (Laguna de Bay) or a province which is adjacent to the lake.
Lahestan(Country)Persian From Persian له (Lah) referring to the Lechites, a group of West Slavic tribes who are the ancestors of modern-day Poles, combined with the suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of"... [more]
Lahti(Settlement)Finnish Taken directly from Finnish lahti "bay". Lahti is the name of several places in Finland, including the 8th largest city.
Lakeside(Settlement)English Lakeside means "at the side of the lake". Multiple cities have this name in the United States.
Lakewood(Settlement)English This place name meaning "lake by the wood" is a very common city name in the United States.
Lanao(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Maranao ranaw meaning "lake, body of water". This is the name of a lake and two provinces in the southern Philippines.
Lannstevan(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Cornish Lannstevan (Launceston in English) is a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the middle stage of the River Tamar, which constitutes almost the entire border between Cornwall and Devon... [more]
Laois(Political Subdivision)Irish County in Ireland. Named after the Gaelic territory of Uí Laoighis, meaning "people of Lugaid Laígne".
Lhasa(Settlement)Tibetan, English Probably from Tibetan ལྷ་ས (lha sa) meaning "land of gods", derived from ལྷ (lha) meaning "deity, god" and ས (sa) meaning "land, earth". Alternatively, it may have been an alteration of Old Tibetan ར་ས (ra sa) meaning "land of goats" or "fortified land" from ར (ra) meaning "goat" or "enclosure" and ས (sa) meaning "land, earth"... [more]
Liaoning(Political Subdivision)Chinese (Cantonese) From Cantonese 辽 (liao) “the Liao River” and 宁 (ning) “pacification”. Put together, the name means “pacification of the Liao River”.
Lihou(Island)Norman, Breton Island in the Channel Islands in England. From the Breton words 'lydd' or 'ligg', meaning "in or near water", and the Norman suffix -'hou', meaning "island". The island and reef in Australia named after this island.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch(Settlement)Welsh Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a large village and local government community on the island of Anglesey, Wales, on the Menai Strait next to the Britannia Bridge and across the strait from Bangor... [more]
Luang Namtha(Political Subdivision)Lao Means "royal sugar palm" or "royal green river" in Lao.
Lucknow(Settlement)English Anglicised form of Hindi लखनऊ (Lakhnau) of uncertain meaning, perhaps from Sanskrit लक्ष्मणपुरी (lakshmanapuri) meaning "city of Lakshmana" or लक्ष्मणवती (lakshmanavati) meaning "fortunate"... [more]
Lule Älv(River)Swedish Combination of Lule Sami lulij "the people living in the east" (referring to forest Sami people), and Swedish älv "river".
Lumhalghs(Settlement)Medieval English The name of a lost place in the historic county of Lancashire; the hamlet of Lumhalghs was located east of the river Roch. Allegedly, it was derived from the Old English elements lum "pool" and halh "nook, recess".... [more]
Lyd(River)English The name of a river in Devon, England, perhaps derived from a Celtic source such as Lludd, though the usual derivation is Old English hlȳde "noisy stream" - which the Saxons may have assumed was the river's name.
Lydbrook(Settlement)English This is a village in the Forest of Dean, Old English for "dwell by the river"
Mae Hong Son(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai, Northern Thai Possibly from a Lanna or Shan name meaning "valley of the Son stream", referring to a local body of water. This is the name of a province and city in Thailand.
Maguindanao(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Spanish Maguindanao, a corruption of Magindanaw, the endonym of the Maguindanao people. The ethnic name means "people of the flood plains" or "people of the lake" from the word danao meaning "lake"... [more]
Magway(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (Magwe) derived from a corruption of မြစ် (myit) meaning "river" and ကွေ့ (gwe) meaning "turn, curve, bend", referring to the city's location along a bend of the Irrawaddy River... [more]
Magwe(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (Magwe) derived from a corruption of မြစ် (myit) meaning "river" and ကွေ့ (gwe) meaning "turn, curve, bend", referring to the city's location along a bend of the Irrawaddy River... [more]
Makassar(Settlement)Indonesian, Buginese From the Makassarese phrase akkasaraki nabbiya meaning "appearance of the prophet", taken from a legend in which a 16th-century king was supposedly approached by Muhammad himself... [more]
Malabon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino The City of Malabon was founded on May 21, 1599. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 15.71 km2 and has 365,525 people living in it as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Maldives(Country)Catalan, English, French, Greek, Malay Uncertain, possibly means "Malé islands" from Dhivehi މާލެ (māle) referring to Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, combined with Sanskrit द्वीप (dvīpá) meaning "island"... [more]
Manama(Settlement)Arabic, English Means "place of sleep, place of rest" in Arabic. This is the name of the capital city of Bahrain, usually written with the definite article: المنامة (al-Manama) in Arabic.
Maniitsoq(Settlement)Greenlandic Means "place of rugged terrain" in Greenlandic. Maniitsoq is a city and ice cap in Greenland.
Manitoba(Political Subdivision)English Name of a province in Canada, from Cree manitou-wapow or Ojibwa manidoobaa, both meaning "straits of Manitou, the Great Spirit",
Maranhão(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) Of uncertain origin: it may come from Tupi mar'anhan ("running sea"), a name for the Amazon River. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Marseille(Settlement)French, English From the name of the ancient Greek colony and city of Μασσαλία (Massalia), of uncertain meaning. It may have been derived from Ligurian mas meaning "spring" or from Greek meaning "(city) on the far end of the sea", derived from μάσσων (masson) meaning "further" and ἅλς (hals) meaning "sea"... [more]
Mashhad(Settlement)Persian, Tajik, Arabic Derived from Arabic مشهد (mashhad) meaning "place of martyrdom", named for the shrine of imam Ali al-Rida in Twelver Shia tradition. This is the name of a city in Iran.
Mashhad(Settlement)Persian Derived from Arabic مشهد (mashhad) meaning "place of martyrdom", so named for the shrine of imam Ali al-Rida in Twelver Shia tradition. This is the name of a city in Iran.
Mashriq(Region)Arabic, English From Arabic المشرق (al-Mashriq) meaning "the place of the sunrise, the east". This is the name used for the eastern part of the Arab world west of Egypt and Sudan. In Arabic the name is usually written with the definite article: المشرق (al-Mashriq).
Matsue(Settlement)Japanese The kanji that make up the name are 松 (matsu), meaning "pine tree", and 江 (e), meaning "creek, inlet, bay"... [more]
Maykop(Settlement)Russian From Adyghe Мыекъуапэ (Myeqwapa) meaning "cape of apples", from мые (mye) meaning "apple" and къуапэ (qwapa) meaning "cape, gorge, height". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Adygea.
Mayo(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. Means "plain of the yew".
Mazharcho(Country)Chechen From Chechen мажарий (mazhariy) meaning "Hungarian" and the suffix -чоь (-cho) meaning "land of". This is the Chechen name for Hungary.
Medelhavet(Body of Water)Swedish Combination of Swedish medel "middle, centre, medium" and havet "the sea". This is the Swedish name of the Mediterranean Sea.
Mediterranean(Region & Body of Water)English, Ganda, Scots From the Latin term Mediterrāneum meaning "in the middle of land", composed of Latin medius "middle", terra "land, earth" and āneus "having the nature of". The Mediterranean Sea is located between Europe, Africa and a small part of Asia... [more]
Meghalaya(Political Subdivision)Indian Means "abode of clouds" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a state in northeastern India.
Meguro(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 目 (me) meaning "eye, look, appearance" and 黒 (kuro) meaning "black", so named for a black-eyed statue that was placed on the outskirts of Edo for protection... [more]
Meije(Mountain)French From Occitan meija meaning "middle, centre, half," taken from its original name l'Agulha de la Meija meaning "the needle of the Meije."... [more]
Meikong(River)Khmer From Khmer មេ (me) meaning "mother" and គង្គ (kuangkea) meaning "river", used for the Mekong.
Mekong(River)English From Thai แม่โขง (Mae Khong), a contraction of แม่น้ำโขง (Mae Nam Khong) from แม่น้ำ (mae nam) meaning "river" (literally "mother of waters") and โขง (khong) derived from Proto-Austroasiatic ruŋ meaning "river"... [more]
Miami(Settlement)English Name of a city in Florida. The name was first mentioned by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a captive of Indians in southern Florida for 17 years, when he referred to what is now Lake Okeechobee as the "Lake of Mayaimi, which is called Mayaimi because it is very large"... [more]
Michigan(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally applied to Lake Michigan, perhaps from Old Ojibwa (Algonquian) meshi-gami "big lake".
Michoacán(Political Subdivision)Mexican Spanish form of Nahuatl Michhuahcan meaning "place of the fishermen" with michhuah being "possessor of fish" and -cān being "place of".
Mindanao(Island)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From a Spanish corruption of Magindanaw, the endonym of the Maguindanao people. The ethnic name means "people of the flood plains" or "people of the lake" from Maguindanao danao meaning "lake"... [more]
Minneapolis(Political Subdivision)English Name of a city in Minnesota, from Dakota mni "river, stream" + Ancient Greek polis "city".
Minnesota(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally the name of a river, from Dakota (Siouan) mnisota, literally "cloudy water", "milky water", from mni "river, stream" + sota "slightly clouded".
Minnetonka(Settlement)English Name of a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, means "great water" from Dakota mni "river, stream" and tanka "freat".
Mississauga(Region)Ojibwe (Anglicized) From the Anishinaabe word misi-zaagiing, meaning "Those at the Great River Mouth". Name of the Mississauga tribe, and now a name of a Toronto suburb. Closely related to the Ojibwe word misswezahging, mean "river of many outlets".
Mississippi(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally the name of a river, from Ojibwe misi-ziibi "Great river".
Miðjarðarhafið(Body of Water)Icelandic Combination of Icelandic mið/ur "middle", jarðar (the genitive singular form of jörð) "earth" and haf "sea". This is the Icelandic name for the Mediterranean Sea.
Mito(Settlement)Japanese The kanji that make up the name are 水 (mizu), meaning "water", and 戸 (to), meaning "door". This is the name of the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
Mittelmeer(Body of Water)German Combination of German mittel "middle, medium" and Meer "sea". This is the German name for the Mediterranean Sea.
Mizoram(Region)Mizo The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "land." Thus "Mizo-ram" means "land of the Mizos".
Mogholestan(Country, Political Subdivision & Region)Persian From Persian مغول (moğul) meaning "Mongol, Mongolian" combined with the suffix ستان (stân) meaning "land of". This is the Persian name for Mongolia.
Monaghan(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. Means "land of little hills", "bushy field", or "hilly field".
Mondulkiri(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “center of mountains” in Khmer.
Mondulkiri(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means "center of mountains" from Khmer មណ្ឌល (mondol) meaning "center, circle" and គិរី (kiri) meaning "mountain, hill". This is the name of a province of Cambodia.
Mörön(Settlement)Mongolian Means "river" in Mongolian. This is the name of a city in Mongolia.
Morvah(Settlement)Cornish From Cornish Morvedh, derived from mor "sea" and bedh "grave". This is the name of a small Cornish village.
Mtsho Sngon(Body of Water & Political Subdivision)Tibetan From Tibetan མཚོ (mtsho) meaning "lake, ocean" and སྔོན (sngon) meaning "blue". This is the Tibetan name for Qinghai Lake as well as the Chinese province of Qinghai.
Muara(Settlement)Malay Means "river mouth, estuary" in Malay. This is the name of a town in Brunei.
Mukdahan(Political Subdivision)Thai Derived from Sanskrit मुक्ताहार (muktahara) meaning "garland of pearls", from मुक्ता (mukta) meaning "pearl" and हार (hara) meaning "garland, necklace"... [more]
Myitkyina(Settlement)Burmese Means "near the big river" from Burmese မြစ် (myit) meaning "river", ကြီး (kyi) meaning "big, large, great" and နား (na) meaning "near", referencing the city's location on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River... [more]
Mỹ Tho(Settlement & River)Vietnamese Most likely means "land of white girls", derived from Khmer ស្រុក (srok) meaning "land, inhabited area" (this element was dropped at some point), មេ (me) meaning "girl" and ស (sa) meaning "white"... [more]
Naas(Settlement)Irish (Anglicized) From Irish An Nás, meaning "the place of assembly". This is a contraction of several names for Naas, each beginning with Nás.... [more]
Nahanni(River & Other)Chipewyan River and national park in Northwest Territories, Canada. From the Dene name for the area, 'Nahʔa Dehé', which means "river of the land of the Nahʔa people".
Najaf(Settlement)Arabic, English Means "elevated place not reached by water, hill, dike" in Arabic. This is the name of a city in Iraq, considered one of the holiest cities of Shia Islam. It is reportedly the burial place of Ali ibn Abi Talib... [more]
Nakhon Nayok(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of exempted rice fields" from Thai นคร (nakhon) meaning "city", นา (na) meaning "rice field, paddy field" and ยก (yok) meaning "dismiss, exempt", so named because the rice fields in this region were exempted from taxes during the Ayutthaya period... [more]
Nakhon Sawan(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of heaven" from Thai นคร (nakhon) meaning "city" and สวรรค์ (sawan) meaning "heaven". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and city in, Thailand.
Nan'yō(Region)Japanese This is the shorter version of the name Nan'yō Guntō. It's an abbreviation. It in English means the "South Seas" and "Micronesia." It was used lots of times by Okinawans during the Japanese administration era... [more]
Nara(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese This is the name of a city which is the capital of Nara Prefecture in western Japan. The kanji used are 奈 (dai, na, nai, ikan, karanashi) meaning "Nara, what?" and 良 (ryou, i.i, yo.i, ra) meaning "good, pleasing, skilled."... [more]
Nástrǫnd(Other)Norse Mythology Means "shore of death" or "corpse shore". In Norse mythology this is the name of the afterlife for people guilty of murder, adultery and oath-breaking. It is a hall far from the sun with its gate facing north, poison dripping from its roof, and snakes curled in it... [more]
Naypyidaw(Settlement)English From Burmese နေပြည်တော် (Nepyidaw) meaning "abode of the king" or "royal abode", from နေပြည် (ne pyi) meaning "abode" and တော် (taw) meaning "royal, sacred"... [more]
Nha Trang(Settlement)Vietnamese Possibly from Eastern Cham YjaTran, Ea Trang or Ea Dran (literally meaning "reed river"), all names for the Cái River. This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
Niagara(Body of Water, Settlement & Region)Iroquois Name of a popular waterfall, a town, and region, in Canada. Derived from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra, meaning either "the strait", or "bisected bottom lands"
Niamey(Settlement)English, Armenian, Danish, Finnish, French, Italian, Slovak, Spanish Of uncertain origin; there are several theories on the origin of the name. It may be derived from a combination of Zarma words nia ("tree") and me ("shore where water is drawn"), or from the phrase "Wa niammané" ("take this city"), reportedly said by a Kalle clan chief... [more]
Nidelva(River)Norwegian The name of a river that runs through Trondheim, and the name of a river in southern Norway. The name is a combination of the words elv "river" and nid (of unknown meaning).
Nipigon(River & Settlement)Ojibwe Town and river in Ontario, Canada. From the Ojibwe word Alimipigon, possibly meaning "where the water begins".
Nipissing(Body of Water & Settlement)Algonquin Lake and town in Ontario, Canada. From the Algonquin word meaning "big water"
Nokhchiycho(Political Subdivision)Chechen From Chechen нохчий (nokhchiy), the plural of the endonym нохчо (nokhcho), combined with the suffix -чоь (-cho) meaning "place of". The ethnic name is believed to be derived from Nakh нах (nakh) meaning "people" or "man, person"... [more]
Nolita(Other)English A neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Derived from "NOrth of Little ITAly". Nolita is bounded on the north by Houston Street, on the east by the Bowery, on the south roughly by Broome Street, and on the west by Lafayette Street... [more]
Nord-Pas-de-Calais(Political Subdivision & Region)French A combination of the names of the constituent departments of Nord, meaning "North" (the northernmost department of France) and Pas-de-Calais "Strait of Calais", the French name of the Dover Strait.... [more]
Nottingham(Settlement)English Dervied from its Old English name "homestead of Snot's people"; the initial S was lost in the 12th century, due to the influence of Anglo-Norman French (the combination of sn- is alien to French). Name of a city in Nottinghamshire, from which the county gets its name.
Nouakchott(Settlement)French, English From Arabic نواكشوط (Nuwakshut), itself from Tamazight Nawākšūṭ meaning "place of the winds" or inua u-kshut meaning "made of wood, made of sticks". This is the name of the capital of Mauritania.
Oenotria(Region)History Latinized form of Greek Οἰνωτρία (Oinotria), the name applied to southern Italy by Greek colonists when they arrived to the region in around the 8th century BC. It is possibly a derivative of Greek οἶνος (oinos) meaning "wine" (perhaps via the related word οἴνωτρον (oinotron), which referred to a kind of vine stake) and may mean "wine land" or "land of vineyards"... [more]
Ohio(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally used of the river, from Seneca ohi:yo "good river".
Okhotsk(Political Subdivision)Russian from an Even word окат (okat) meaning "river"
Okinawa(Political Subdivision)Japanese Means "island in the far-away sea" in Japanese.
Okinawa(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island)Japanese From Japanese 沖 (oki) meaning "open sea" and 縄 (nawa) meaning "rope, cord", possibly from an archaic word for a type of rope used to catch fish. This is the name of a prefecture and city in Japan, as well as the name of a group of islands (along with the main island within that group).
Okoboji(Body of Water)Sioux Legend tells the lake was named for Chief Okoboji; meaning either ‘place of rest’ or ‘reeds or rushes,’-preferred.... [more]
Øksfjord(Settlement)Norwegian Øksfjord is a small settlement in Norway. Founded in 1941... [more]
Omeyocan(Settlement)Aztec, Aztec and Toltec Mythology It means "the place of duality." The word is composed of ōme ('two') and -yō (suffix for abstractions), which gives ōmeyōtl or duality; and -cān (place).
Onslow(Settlement)English Meaning, "a place within the liberty of Shrewsbury, in Salop', the original and still confusingly used, name for the county of Shropshire.
Örebro(Settlement)Swedish Combination of Swedish ör, an archaic word meaning "gravel", and Bro "bridge. ... [more]
Østersjøen(Body of Water)Norwegian Means "the eastern sea" in Norwegian. This is the Norwegian bokmål name for the Baltic Sea.
Östersjön(Body of Water)Swedish Means "the eastern sea" in Swedish. This is the Swedish name for the Baltic Sea.
Østfold(Political Subdivision)Norwegian From the old name of the Olsofjord fold and the Norwegian word øst. The name means, "the region east of the fold."... [more]
Oulu(Settlement)Finnish From the name of the Oulu River (Finnish: Oulujoki). Oulu is probably taken directly from the Finnish dialectal word oulu meaning "flood water". Oulu is the capital city of Northern Ostrobothnia.
Overbrook(Settlement)English This place name meaning "over the brook" is the name of a city in Kansas.
Oviedo(Settlement)Spanish, Asturian One of the best-known theories suggests that the term Oviedo comes from the union of urbs and vetus, which in Latin means "old city." Other theories relate it to "ovem" (sheep), and possibly meaning "place full of sheep"
Oymyakon(Political Subdivision & River)Russian Named after the Oymyakon River, whose name reportedly comes from the Even word kheium meaning "unfrozen patch of water; place where fish spend the winter" ... or the Even word heyum (hэjум) (kheium being a possible misspelling) means "frozen lake".
Pakse(Settlement)Lao, Thai Means "mouth of the river" from Lao ປາກ (pak) meaning "mouth" and ເຊ (se) meaning "river". This is the name of a city in Laos.
Palana(Settlement & Body of Water)Russian "having a Waterfall"
Palembang(Settlement)Indonesian Meaning unclear, possibly from the prefix pa- denoting location combined with Malay limbang meaning "to pan gold, to wash rice" or lembang meaning "to cause (water) to flow" or "lowland basin, valley" (a reference to the area's geography as a wetland)... [more]
Palestine(Country & Region)English, Biblical, French From Hebrew Pelesheth, which probably means "land of the Philistines". This is the name of a historical/geographic region in Western Asia. It is also the name of a sovereign state in Western Asia (officially the State of Palestine).
Palestine(Region & Country)English, French From Ancient Greek (via Latin) Παλαιστίνη (Palaistine), itself most likely derived from Hebrew פלשת (peleshet) meaning "Philistia, land of the Philistines". This is the name of a region and country in western Asia.
Pangasinan(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Pangasinan, Ilocano, Tagalog, English From the name of the Pangasinan people meaning "place of salt" or "land of salt", derived from Pangasinan pang- meaning "for", asin meaning "salt" and the place marker suffix -an... [more]
Pará(Political Subdivision & River)Portuguese From Tupi pará, meaning "sea" or "large river". This is the name of a river and a state of Brazil.
Parahyangan(Region)Indonesian, Sundanese Means "abode of hyangs", from hyang referring to a type of supernatural spirit or deity in Indonesian mythology. This is the name of a mountainous region in the western part of Java.
Paraíba(Political Subdivision & River)Portuguese (Brazilian) From Tupi pa'ra ("river") and a'íba ("difficult to invade/navigate"), referring to the narrow mouth of the Paraíba River. This is the name of a river and a state of Brazil.
Paraná(Political Subdivision & River)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese From Geral paraná, meaning "river". Some sources claim that the name comes from Guaraní para ("sea") and anã "resembling", owing to the width of the river Paraná. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
Parañaque(Settlement & River)Filipino The City of Parañaque was founded on November 30th, 1572. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 47.69 km2 and has 665,822 people living in it as of the 2015 census... [more]
Parskastan(Country)Armenian From Armenian պարսիկ (parsik) meaning "Persian" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the Armenian name of Persia, colloquially used to refer to modern-day Iran as well.
Pasadena(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, from Ojibwe pa-sa-de-na, meaning "valley of the valley" "crown of the valley" "key of the valley" or "hill of the valley"... [more]
Pasig(Settlement & River)Filipino The City of Pasig was founded in 1573. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has an area of 31.00 km2 and has 755,300 people living in it as of the 2015 census. The city shares its name with the Pasig River... [more]
Pathein(Settlement)Burmese Most likely derived from Mon ဖာသီ (pha sem) meaning "big sea" or "great sea". This is the name of a city in Myanmar, formerly known as Bassein in English.
Pathum Thani(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of lotuses" from Thai ปทุม (pathum) meaning "lotus" and ธานี (thani) meaning "city". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Pattaya(Settlement)English From Thai พัทยา (Phattaya) itself from a shortened form of ทัพพระยา (thap Phraya) meaning "army of the Phraya", referring to King Taksin... [more]
Paxson(Settlement)English This is the name of 3 places, two being in America and one being in Canada.... [more]
Pays De La Loire(Region & Political Subdivision)French Meaning "lands of the Loire", describing the river that flows through the area.... [more]
Pennant(River)Welsh Means "the Head of the Ravine or Brook" (Welsh pen "head" + nant "glen, stream") from Middle English, Old French penant (Latin pœnitentia "penitence").
Pernambuco(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese Four theories exist over the origin of the name. The first theory is that it may come from Tupi para'nã ("great river" or "sea") and buka, meaning "hole", thus meaning "hole in the sea", perhaps indicating the Canal de Santa Cruz, which separates the island of Itamaracá from mainland Brazil.... [more]
Peshawar(Settlement)English From Pashto پېښور (Pekhawar) ultimately derived from Sanskrit पुरुषपुर (purushapura) meaning "city of men", from पुरुष (purusha) meaning "man, person" combined with पुर (pura) meaning "city"... [more]
Phetchabun(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "full of diamonds" from Thai เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond" and บูรณ์ (bun) meaning "full, perfect, complete". It is believed to be a corruption of the original name เพชรบุระ (Phetchabura) meaning "city of diamonds", from เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond" and บุระ (bura) meaning "city"... [more]
Phetchaburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of diamonds" from Thai เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Piauí(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) From Piagoí, through the earlier name Piagüí, which is an early rendition of Tupi piauí, which means "river of the piabas" (piaba being a term used to indicate several types of fish)... [more]
Piedmont(Political Subdivision & Region)English From Italian piemonte, itself derived from Medieval Latin Pedemontium, ultimately from Latin ad pedem montium, literally "at the foot of the mountains".... [more]
Pindoráma(Country)Guarani From Tupi-Guarani pindó-rama meaning "land of palm trees", from pindo meaning "palm tree" and ráma meaning "land, section". This is the Guarani name of Brazil.
Plovdiv(Settlement)Bulgarian From a Thracian translation of the Latin name Pulpudeva, which was possibly derived from the given name Phillip combined with Dacian dava meaning "city, town, fortress"... [more]
Pokhara(Settlement)Nepali Means "pool, pond" in Nepali, ultimately from Sanskrit पौष्कर (paushkara) or पुष्कर (pushkara) meaning "lotus". This is the name of a city in Nepal.
Posyolok Central'noj Usad'by` Sovxoza Imeni Sorok-letiya Velikogo Oktyabrya(Settlement)Russian Posyolok Central'noj usad'by` sovxoza imeni 40-letiya Velikogo Oktyabrya is a settlement in Russia. It translates to "A settlement of The Central Farmstead of the Sovkhoz named after the 40-years Anniversary of the Great October" from Russian.
Preah Sihanouk(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “province of the holy Sihanouk (former king)” in Khmer.
Pristina(Settlement)Kosovar City in Kosovo. Possibly from the Proto-Slavic '*pryščina', meaning "spring of water".
Pudsey(Settlement)English This name is of Anglo - Saxian origin.... [more]
Pukaskwa(Other & River)Ojibwe National park and river in Ontario, Canada. May be from the Ojibwe word 'pukasu', meaning "to cook the marrow in the bones of animals", or "eaters of fish"... [more]
Puncak Jaya(Mountain)Indonesian Means "summit of victory" from Indonesian puncak meaning "top, summit, peak" and jaya meaning "victory". This is the name of a mountain located on the island of New Guinea, sometimes referred to as the Carstensz Pyramid.
Punjab(Political Subdivision & Region)English From Punjabi پنجاب or ਪੰਜਾਬ (Panjab) from Persian پنجاب (panjab) meaning "five rivers" or "five waters", derived from پنج (panj) meaning "five" and آب (ab) meaning "water, river"... [more]
Punxsutawney(Settlement)Lenape the name (for the base-city of the Groundhog Day woodchuck Punxsutawney Phil) comes from the indigenous word for "Town of the Sandflies"
Qalmaqstan(Political Subdivision)Kazakh From қалмақ (qalmaq), the Kazakh name for the Kalmyk people, combined with the Persian suffix -ستان (-stan) meaning "land of". This is the Kazakh name for Kalmykia.
Qiantadi(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 前 (qián) meaning "front," 塔 (tǎ) meaning "tower," and 底 (dǐ) meaning "base" (literally "base of the front tower")... [more]
Qinghai(Body of Water & Political Subdivision)Chinese, English From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green" and 海 (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean". This is the name of a lake in as well as a province of China (the province is directly named after the lake).
Quanzhou(Settlement)Chinese Literally means "spring prefecture" from Chinese 泉 (quán) meaning "spring, fountain" (also referring to the ancient prefecture of Quan) and 州 (zhōu) meaning "province, prefecture"... [more]
Quttinirpaaq(Other)Inuit National park in Nunavut, Canada. Means "the top of the world" in Inuktitut, as it is the northernmost national park in Canada, and the second in the world.
Rabat(Settlement)English, French, Spanish From Arabic الرباط (ar-Ribat) meaning "the ribat", referring to a type of fortification used during the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. It is also used as a shortened form of the city's Arabic nickname, رباط الفتح (ribatu l-fath), which means "fortification of conquest, fortification of victory"... [more]
Rabka-Zdrój(Settlement)Polish Named after the river Raba with the diminutive suffix -ka, and zdrój meaning "spring, source". It is the name of a town in southern Poland.
Rakhine(Political Subdivision)English From Arakanese ရခိုင် (rahkaing), the name of the Rakhine (or Arakanese) people, which is believed to be derived from Pali Rakkhapura or Rakkhita meaning "land of the Rakshasas" (the name of a legendary creature in Hindu mythology)... [more]
Ranong(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Most likely a corruption of the original name แร่นอง (Raenong) meaning "full of minerals", from แร่ (rae) meaning "mineral, ore" and นอง (nong) meaning "flood, overflow"... [more]
Ratanakiri(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means "mountain of gems" from Khmer រតន (rotan) meaning "gem, jewel, crystal" and គិរី (kiri) meaning "mountain". This is the name of a province of Cambodia.
Ratnapura(Settlement)Sinhalese Means "city of gems" from Sanskrit रत्न (ratna) meaning "jewel, treasure" and पुर (pura) meaning "city"... [more]
Rawalpindi(Settlement)English From Punjabi راولپنڈی (Ravalpindi) meaning "village of rawals", derived from راول (raval), a variant of Sanskrit title राज (raja) meaning "king", and پنڈ (pind) meaning "village"... [more]
Rebun(Island)Japanese This is the name of an island which is off the north-western tip of Hokkaidō in the far north of Japan.... [more]
Reykjavík(Settlement)Icelandic Means "bay of smokes", from Old Norse reykir, plural of reykr “smoke” and vík "bay". Steam from hot springs in the region is said to have inspired Reykjavík's name.
Riau(Political Subdivision)Indonesian Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Portuguese rio meaning "river" or Malay riuh meaning "thunderous, frenzied, blaring". This is the name of two provinces in Indonesia (Riau and Riau Islands) as well as an archipelago in the same region.
Rijeka(Settlement)Croatian Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia... [more]
Rimac(River)Spanish (Latin American) Rimac River, Rimac derives from quechua "Rimay" which means "to speak", Rimac River is called "the speaking river", "the river that babbles/chatters/speaks a lot", in some sense "the roaring river" or "the noisy river".
Rio de Janeiro(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Portuguese, English The name of a state and city in Brazil, meaning "river of January" in Portuguese. The city was named after the nearby Guanabara Bay, which was first discovered by Europeans on January 1, 1502.
Rio Grande do Norte(Political Subdivision)Portuguese, English Literally "Great River of the North" in Portuguese, referring to the mouth of the Potenji River. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Rio Grande Do Sul(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, English Literally "Great River of the South" in Portuguese. This name comes from the Lagoa dos Patos, which was thought to be the mouth of the Rio Grande by Dutch explorers. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
Riverside(Settlement)English This place name meaning "by the side of the river", this the name of multiple cities in the United States.
Riverton(Settlement)English Riverton means "river town", and several cities in the United States have this name.
Rrusastan(Country)Armenian Derived from the Armenian form of Kievan Rus', Kiyevyan Rrusia (Կիևյան Ռուսիա), the name of ancient Russia, and the Persian suffix "ستان (stan)", meaning "land of".
Rumoi(River & Settlement)Japanese Possibly derived from Ainu ルㇽモオッペ (rur-mo-ot-pe) meaning "river with quiet tides" or "river where the tide is deep". This is the name of a river and city in Japan.
Rusastan(Country)Armenian Armenian form of Russia using the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of".
Sagarmatha(Mountain)Nepali From Nepali सागर (sagar) meaning "ocean" and माथा (matha) meaning "head, top". This is the Nepali name for Mount Everest, coined by the Nepali government in the 1960s.
Saint Kitts and Nevis(Country)English Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country in the West Indies. Located in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population... [more]
Sa Kaeo(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "crystal pond" from Thai สระ (sa) meaning "pond, pool" and แก้ว (kaeo) meaning "crystal, glass". This is the name of a province of, as well as a town in, Thailand.
Sakhalin(Political Subdivision & Island)Russian, English Derived from Manchu ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ (sahaliyan) meaning "black", itself most likely from the expression ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ ᡠᠯᠠ ᠠᡢᡤᠠ ᡥᠠᡩ᠋ᠠ (sahaliyan ula angga hada) meaning "island (peak) at the mouth of the Amur River"... [more]
Sandhurst(Settlement)English Old English, meaning "sandy thicket of trees." A place name. In England, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (named after the village it is located) is the prestigious British Army officer training centre.
Santa Catarina(Political Subdivision & Island)Portuguese Portuguese form of "Saint Catherine (of Alexandria)", through Santa Catarina Island. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Santerre(Region)French From Latin sanguinis terra ("land of blood") referring to battles that took place in the region in 451 CE, or from sana terra ("healthy land") referring to its fertile soils. It is the name of a plateau region in central Picardy between the Somme, Luce, and Avre rivers.
Sápmi(Region)Sami, Swedish, English Perhaps ultimately derived from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źemē meaning "earth". Suomi, the Finnish name for Finland, is believed to be derived from the same root... [more]
Sapporo(Settlement)Japanese From Ainu サッ・ポロ・ペッ (sat poro pet) meaning "dry, great river", referring to the Toyohira River. This is the name of the capital city of Hokkaido prefecture, Japan.
Satporopet(Political Subdivision, Region, Settlement & River)Ainu The source of Sapporo, meaning “Dry, Great River” in reference to the Toyohira river.
Saugeen(River & Political Subdivision)Ojibwe (Anglicized) Town and river in Ontario, Canada. From the Ojibwe 'zaagiing', and means "at the river's outlet" or "at the mouth of the river".
Sauquoit(Settlement & Body of Water)English, Oneida From the Oneida word sa-da-quoit, meaning "smooth pebbles in a stream."
Sejong(Settlement)Korean In honor of King Sejong the Great (1397–1450), creator of the Hangul alphabet. Combination of 世 (세, se, "life, age, generation") and 宗 (종, jong, "school, sect, purpose"), thus "kind river"... [more]
Serbestan(Country)Persian From Persian صرب (serb) meaning "Serb, Serbian" combined with the suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the Persian name for Serbia.
Sergipe(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) Union of the Tupi words siri (the local name for the Callinectes genus of crabs) 'y ("river") and pe ("in"), thus "in the river of the siri". This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Seton(Settlement)English A Scottish place, Seaton near Longniddry, "is so named because it was held from the 12th century by a Norman family de Sey, from Say in Indre. Other places of this name, for example those in Cumbria, Devon, County Durham, Northumbria, and Yorkshire, are mostly named with Old English sæ "sea, lake" and tun "enclosure, settlement"... [more]
Shangrila(Body of Water)Pakistani, Tibetan Shangrila is a name of Tibetan origin. The name means "heaven on earth". The name is mainly known in northern Pakistan. The "Shangrila Lake" in northern Pakistan is very famous among the country.
Shanxi(Political Subdivision)Chinese (Cantonese) From Cantonese 山 (shan) “mountain”, and 西 (xi) “west”. The name put together means “west of the mountains”. More specifically, the Taihang Mountains.
Shenyang(Settlement)Chinese Means "sunny side of the Shen River", from Chinese 沈 (shěn) referring to the Hun River (previously known as the Shen) and 阳 (yáng) meaning "light, sun"... [more]
Shinagawa(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 品 (shina) meaning "goods, articles, stock" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Shiretoko(Other)Japanese This is the name of a peninsula (declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005) in north-eastern Hokkaidō in northern Japan. The kanji that make up Shiretoko are 知 (chi, shi.raseru, shi.ru, shire) meaning "know, wisdom" and 床 (shou, toko, yuka) meaning "bed, floor, padding, tatami."... [more]
Siam(Country)English, Khmer From Portuguese Sciam, which was derived from Thai สยาม (sayam) of contested origin. It may have come from Pali suvaṇṇabhūmi meaning "land of gold", from Sanskrit श्याम (shyama) meaning "dark, black, blue" or from Mon ရာမည (ramanya) meaning "stranger"... [more]
Sichuan(Political Subdivision)Chinese Means "four rivers" in Chinese, from 四 (sì) meaning "four" and 川 (chuān) meaning "river, stream"... [more]
Siem Reap(Settlement)Khmer, English Means "submission of Siam", from Khmer សៀម (Siem) referring to Siam (or Thailand) and រាប (reap) meaning "submissive, obedient, tame"... [more]
Siloam(Body of Water)Biblical Hellenized form of Hebrew שִׁלֻּחָה (Shiloach), derived from שילח (shileach) "to send out" and interpreted as meaning "a sending out, gushing forth (of water)". According to the Gospel of John in the New Testament, the Pool of Siloam was a spring in the southeast corner of Jerusalem where Jesus sent the "man born blind" to wash and receive sight... [more]
Sindh(Political Subdivision)Sindhi, Urdu, English Derived from Sanskrit सिन्धु (sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". This is the name of a province of Pakistan.
Skellefteå(Settlement)Swedish Combination of an unexplained first element, though it's believed to be of Sami origin, and the place name suffix -eå "river".
Snezhnaya(River)Russian The name of a river in Russia. Снежная means "snowy" in Russian, thus the river name literally means "snowy river".
Socotra(Island)English Scholars don't agree about the origin of the name of the island. After that the name Socotra may derive from:... [more]
Sóc Trăng(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Khmer ស្រក្ (srôk) meaning "depository" and Sino-Vietnamese 江 (giang) meaning "river".
Södermanland(Political Subdivision)Swedish Södermanland is a Swedish county and province meaning "land of the southern people". The southern people referred to people living south of Mälaren... [more]
Sollefteå(Settlement)Swedish Possibly a combination of Swedish sol "sun" and the place name suffix -eå "river". The river Ångermanälven runs through the town.
Solzha-Ghala(Settlement)Chechen Means "city (on the) Sunzha River" from Chechen Соьлжа (Solzha) referring to the Sunzha River and гӏала (ghala) meaning "town". This is the Chechen name for Grozny.
Songkhla(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Derived from Malay Singgora, itself from Sanskrit सिंहपुर (sinhapura) meaning "city of lions", from सिंह (sinha) meaning "lion" and पुर (pura) meaning "city, town"... [more]
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte(Settlement)English From Sinhalese ශ්රී ජයවර්ධනපුර කෝට්ටේ (shri jayawardhanapura kotte) meaning "blessed fortress city of growing victory" or "fortified city of victory"... [more]
Starbeck(Settlement)Old Norse The name **Starbeck** has an interesting origin! It is derived from the Old Norse term **"Stor-Bokki"**, which means **"Great River"**. The village of Starbeck, near Harrogate in Yorkshire, was formerly spelled as **"Starbok"** and appears in the 1086 Domesday Book... [more]
Stilla Havet(Body of Water)Swedish Means "the calm sea" in Swedish, from stilla "still, calm" and havet "the sea". This is the Swedish name for the Pacific Ocean.
Storsjön(Body of Water)Swedish Means "the great lake" in Swedish (from stor "big, great, large" and sjön "the lake"). Storsjön is the 5th largest lake in Sweden, but it's also known for being the supposed home of Storsjöodjuret ("The Great-Lake monster"), a lake monster similar to the one in Loch Ness.
Stung Treng(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “river of reeds” in Khmer.
Stung Treng(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "river of reeds" from Khmer ស្ទឹង (stung) meaning "stream, small river" and ត្រែង (traeng) meaning "reed". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Cambodia.
Sukhothai(Political Subdivision, Country & Settlement)Thai Most likely means "rise of happiness" from Thai สุข (suk) meaning "joy, happiness" and อุทัย (uthai) meaning "sunrise, dawn, emergence, rise". This is the name of a province of Thailand... [more]
Sulu(Political Subdivision, Region & Body of Water)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Suluk, the Malay name for the Tausug people, in turn derived from Tausug Tau Sūg meaning "people of the current", from tau meaning "man, person" and sūg meaning "(sea) current, flow of water"... [more]
Sumatra(Political Subdivision & Island)Indonesian, Acehnese, Minangkabau, Malay, English From Sanskrit समुद्र (samudra) meaning "sea, ocean". This is the name of an island in Indonesia as well as three Indonesian provinces.
Suwon(Settlement)Korean Combination of 水 (수, su, "water") and 原 (원, won, "meadow"). This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Svealand(Region)Swedish Means "land of the Swedes" (see Svea). The Swedes were a North Germanic tribe inhabiting present-day Sweden. ... [more]
Tajikistan(Country)English, Indonesian, Malay, Filipino, Tagalog From Tajik Тоҷикистон (Tojikiston), which is derived from the name of the Tajik people combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of"... [more]
Takamizu(Mountain)Japanese The name of a mountain in the rural city of Ome in Tokyo. The name is from 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" and 水 (mizu) meaning "water".