Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Riyadh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Arabic, English Means "meadows, gardens", from the plural of Arabic روضة (rawdah). This is the name of the capital city of Saudi Arabia and a province of the same name. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: الرياض (ar-Riyadh).
Rogaland(Political Subdivision)Norwegian From the Old Norse rygir (probably the name of a Germanic tribe) and and lǫnd meaning "lands." ... [more]
Roncesvalles(Settlement)Spanish Derived from Latin roscida vallis meaning "dewy valley". Alternatively, it may be derived from Basque *Erozabal meaning "the plain of the Erro valley", which may have later mutated into Rozavalles, a form first recorded in 1050... [more]
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".
Rusastan(Country)Armenian Armenian form of Russia using the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of".
Rusivilat(Country)Dhivehi From Dhivehi ރޫސީ (rusi) referring to Russia and ވިލާތް (vilat) meaning "region, country". This is the Dhivehi name for Russia.
Sagamihara(Settlement)Japanese Means "Sagami meadow" in Japanese; "Sagami", perhaps referring to Sagami Bay, is of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Sahara(Region)English, French, Italian, Spanish Derived from Arabic صحارى (sahara) meaning "deserts", the plural of صحراء (sahra') meaning "desert". This is the name of a desert in Northern Africa.
Sahra(Region)Arabic, Turkish Arabic and Turkish form of Sahara. In Arabic it is properly known as الصحراء الكبرى (as-Sahra' al-Kubra) meaning "the greatest desert".
Saigon(Settlement & River)English From Vietnamese Sài Gòn of unclear origin. It may have come from Khmer ព្រៃនគរ (Prey Nokor), the Khmer Empire-era name that was used to refer to the region before it was annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century (the name itself comes from Khmer ព្រៃ (prey) meaning "jungle, forest, woods" and នគរ (nokor) meaning "kingdom, city")... [more]
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]
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]
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.
Sanya(Settlement)Chinese Meaning unclear, perhaps derived from a Hlai name meaning "field with crows", from dax meaning "field, farmland" and eek meaning "crow". This is the name of a Chinese city on the island of Hainan.
Sarajevo(Settlement)Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, English From Turkish saray meaning "palace, mansion, house" and ova meaning "plain, lowland" or the Slavic suffix -evo used to indicate place names. This is the name of the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sassuolo(Settlement)Italian Of uncertain origin: possibly from the presence of petroleum in the area, at the time called olio di sasso ("rock oil"), or from Latin saxum solum ("rocky ground").... [more]
Scandinavia(Region)English Likely derived from the Germanic root *Skaðin-awjō, a combination of the reconstructed elements *skaðan- "danger, damage" and *awjō "island". Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe and usually refers to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
Serang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian Means "rice field" in Sundanese. This is the name of a city in Indonesia as well as a regency of the Indonesian province of Banten.
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.
Serkland(Region)Old Norse Old Norse name for a region around the Caspian Sea in the Middle East. The name is composed of Old Norse serkr "gown" and land "country". Serkland does not correspond with any modern country or region.
Setagaya(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 世 (se) meaning "world, generation, era", 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley"... [more]
Seville(Settlement)English From Spanish Sevilla, ultimately derived (via Arabic and Latin) from Phoenician 𐤔𐤐𐤋𐤄 (shplh) meaning "plain, valley, lowland". This is the name of a city in Spain.
Shamtwyla(Country)Abkhaz From Abkhaz ашьам (asham) meaning "Syrian", ultimately from Arabic الشام (ash-Sham), and атәыла (atwyla) meaning "country". This is the Abkhaz name for Syria.
Shimane(Political Subdivision)Japanese Means "island root" in Japanese.
Shinjuku(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 新 (shin) meaning "new" and 宿 (juku) meaning "inn, lodge, home". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Shymkent(Settlement)Kazakh, Russian From Kazakh шым (shym) meaning "sod, turf, meadow" and кент (kent) meaning "town". This is the name of a city in Kazakhstan.
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]
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]
Sitka(Settlement)Tlingit From the Tlingit name Shee Atʼiká, meaning "people on the outskirts of Baranof Island." This is the name of a city in Southeast Alaska. It is the largest US city by total area.
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 & Settlement)Vietnamese Derived from Khmer ស្រុក (srok) meaning "land, inhabited area" and ឃ្លាំង (khleang) meaning "storehouse, treasury" or ត្រែង (treng) meaning "reed"... [more]
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]
Sog Yul(Country)Tibetan From Tibetan སོག (sog) referring to Mongolia and ཡུལ (yul) meaning "country, nation". This is the Tibetan name for the country of Mongolia.
Solna(Settlement)Swedish From Old Swedish Solnö, a combination of soln "sun" and ö "island". Solna is a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden.
Sulawesi(Political Subdivision & Island)Indonesian Probably means "iron island" in an uncertain South Sulawesi language, from sula (cognate with Indonesian pulau) meaning "island" and mesi (compare Indonesian besi) meaning "iron"... [more]
Sumida(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 墨 (sumi) meaning "ink" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Surtsey(Island)Icelandic Means "Surtr's island" in Icelandic. Surtsey is an uninhabited island south of Iceland that formed in a volcanic eruption (which lasted several years) in the mid-1960s.
Suwon(Settlement)Korean Combination of 水 (수, su, "water") and 原 (원, won, "meadow"). This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Suzhou(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 苏 (sū) referring to Mount Gusu and 州 (zhōu) meaning "province, prefecture". This is the name of a city in China.
Taiguo(Country)Chinese From Chinese 泰 (tài) meaning "Thai, Thailand" and 国 (guó) meaning "country". This is the Chinese name for Thailand.
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]
Tamil Nadu(Political Subdivision)English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu From Tamil தமிழ் நாடு (Tamil Natu) meaning "Tamil country", derived from தமிழ் (tamil) referring to the Tamil people and நாடு (natu) meaning "country"... [more]
Tanao Si(Political Subdivision & Other)Thai, Mon Thai and Mon form of Tanintharyi, which is both a province and a town in southern Myanmar, from the Malay name Tanah Sari, which is itself derived from tanah meaning “land” and sari meaning “essence”.
Tanintharyi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Burmese From the Malay name Tanah Sari derived from tanah meaning "land" and sari meaning "essence, nectar, extract". This is the name of an administrative region of, as well as a township and town in, Myanmar.
Tatárföld(Political Subdivision)Hungarian Hungarian form of Tatarstan. It is literally a direct translation of the republic's name, since it consists of the Hungarian noun tatár meaning "Tatar" combined with the Hungarian noun föld meaning "land".... [more]
Tatarstan(Political Subdivision)Tatar, Russian From the ethnic name татар (tatar) combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". The ethnic name is of uncertain origin, though it is believed to be derived from tata, an endonym for the Mongols... [more]
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokai(Mountain & Other)Maori Means "the summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one" in Māori. This is the longest place name in the world, and it is the name of a hill in New Zealand.
Téél Falúw Kka Efáng Iiól Marianas(Region)Carolinian This is the Carolinian (Refaluwasch) name of the US territory "Commonwealth of The Northern Mariana Islands." In 1815 Satawalese Chief Aghurubw (pronounced A-GA-RU-B) and Chief of Elato Island Nguschul (pronounced NGU-SHOO-L) brought their groups, who would eventually be called Refaluwasch, to this region after a typhoon devastated their islands... [more]
Tegal(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Indonesian, Javanese Derived from Javanese tetegal meaning "fertile land, field". This is the name of a city in Indonesia as well as a regency of the Indonesian province of Central Java.
Telemark(Political Subdivision)Norwegian From teler the name of an old Germanic tribe and the Old Norse mǫrk meaning "woodland, borderland, or march/mark."... [more]
Te Pito O Te Henua(Island)Rapa Nui This is one of the names the Rapanui called Easter Island. This name is older than the name Rapa Nui. In English it means, "the navel (or center) of the world" or "the center/navel of the world." It can also mean "the end of the land."
Terabithia(Political Subdivision)Literature The magical kingdom from the children's novel 'Bridge to Terabithia' (1977) by Katherine Paterson. Terabithia means "land of the turpentine-trees", it is in relation to the island Terebinthia in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C. S. Lewis.
Thaiföld(Country)Hungarian From Hungarian thai meaning "Thai" and föld meaning "land, earth". This is the Hungarian name for Thailand.
Thaimaa(Country)Finnish From Finnish thai meaning "Thai" and maa meaning "land, country", used as the Finnish name for Thailand.
Thái Nguyên(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 太 (thái) meaning "extreme" and 原 (nguyên) meaning "meadow".
Thái Nguyên(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 太 (thái) meaning "very, extreme" and 原 (nguyên) meaning "meadow, field, plain". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Thimphu(Settlement)Bhutanese, Tibetan, English From Bhutanese ཐིམ་ (thim) meaning "to sink" and ཕུ་ (phu) meaning "high ground, foothill, upland" or "to fly". This is the name of the capital city of Bhutan.
Thyrkwhtwyla(Country)Abkhaz From Abkhaz аҭырқәуа (athyrkwhua) meaning "Turk" and атәыла (atwyla) meaning "country". This is the Abkhaz name for Turkey.
Tokushima(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese Means "advantaged island" in Japanese.
Toshima(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 豊 (to) meaning "abundant, rich, bountiful" and 島 (shima) meaning "island". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Trondheim(Settlement)Norwegian Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway. It was originally named Nidaros but known colloquially as kaupangr "marketplace" or kaupangr í Þróndheimi "the marketplace in Trondheim/Trøndelag" which was later shortened to just Þróndheimr... [more]
Tyrconnell(Political Subdivision)Irish Another name for the Irish county of Donegal. It means "land of Conall", a king from the area. Conall means "strong wolf".
Udmurtia(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Удмуртия (Udmurtiya), which is derived from the name of the Udmurt people. The ethnic name is from odo-mort meaning "meadow people", from the Permic root od(o) meaning "meadow, glade, turf" and Iranian murt meaning "person, man"... [more]
Ulster(Region)Northern Irish, Irish From the name of a group of tribes that once lived in the area, the Ulaidh, and either Irish tír or Old Norse staðr, both meaning “land”, “place” or “territory”.... [more]
Uppland(Region)Swedish Uppland is a Swedish historical province. The name is a combination of Swedish upp "up" and land "land". The name is believed to refer to its location north of Lake Mälaren.
Ürümqi(Settlement)English From Uyghur ئۈرۈمچى (ürümchi), which may have been derived from Mongolian ᠦᠯᠡᠮᠵᠢ (ülemji) meaning "great", a short form of the phrase ᠦᠯᠡᠮᠵᠢ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠰᠠᠶ᠋ᠢᠬᠠᠨ ᠪᠡᠯᠴᠢᠭᠡᠷ (ülemji-yin say᠋iqan belchiger) meaning "great pasture" or "beautiful pasture"... [more]
Urystwyla(Country)Abkhaz From Abkhaz аурыс (aurys) meaning "Russian" and атәыла (atwyla) meaning "country". This is the Abkhaz name for Russia.
Uttar Pradesh(Political Subdivision)Hindi, Bhojpuri, Urdu, English Means "north province", derived from Sanskrit उत्तर (uttara) meaning "north" and प्रदेश (pradesha) meaning "province". This is the name of a state in northern India, taken from a calque of its former English name, Northern Provinces.
Västmanland(Political Subdivision)Swedish Means "land of the western people". Western people referred to people living west of Uppland. ... [more]
Venemaa(Country)Estonian From Estonian vene meaning "Russian" and maa meaning "land, country". This is the Estonian name of Russia.
Verenigd Koninkrijk(Country)Dutch Dutch form of United Kingdom. It is literally a direct translation of the country's name, since it consists of the Dutch adjective verenigd meaning "united" combined with the Dutch noun koninkrijk meaning "kingdom".
Vestfold(Political Subdivision)Norwegian From the old name of the Olsofjord fold and the Norwegian word vest. The name means, "the region west of the fold."... [more]
Vinland(Region)Old Norse Old Norse name for a place in modern Canada, named by viking Leif Eriksson c. 1000 AD. The first element of the name is uncertain, but it could be from Old Norse vín "wine" or vin "meadow".
Virginia(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, "country of the Virgin", after Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married.
Wenningsted(Settlement)North Frisian Derived from North Frisian winning "gained land" and Low German stede "settlement".
Wicklow(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish, Old Norse Town and county in Ireland. From Old Norse 'víkingalág' or 'vikinga-ló', meaning "meadow of the Vikings".
Wiltshire(Political Subdivision)English The name of a county in southwest central England, earlier Wiltonshire, derived from Wilton (once the county's principal town) and Old English scir meaning "shire, administrative division".
Xishuangbanna(Political Subdivision)Chinese From Lü ᧑᧒ᦗᧃᦓᦱ or ᦉᦲᧇᦉᦸᧂᦗᧃᦓᦱ (sipsoangpanna) meaning "twelve-thousand fields", derived from ᦉᦲᧇᦉᦸᧂ (sipsoang) meaning "twelve", ᦗᧃ (pan) meaning "thousand" and ᦓᦱ (na) meaning "rice paddy, field"... [more]
Yhdysvallat(Country)Finnish Finnish form of United States. The name is a combination of Finnish yhdys- "united" and vallat "states".
Yingguo(Country)Chinese From Chinese 英 (Yīng), a shortened form of 英格蘭 (Yīnggélán) or 英吉利 (Yīngjílì), both names for England, and 国 (guó) meaning "country"... [more]
Ynys Môn(Island)Welsh From Welsh ynys "island" and mon, which is most likely derived from Proto-Celtic *moniyos "mountain". This is the Welsh name of the island and county of Anglesey.
Yorkshire(Region)English Newer form of Old English Eoferwicscir, a combination of Eoferwic "York" and scīr "shire, district".
Yosemite(Other)English (American), Indigenous American (Anglicized, Rare) A national park and a valley located in Mariposa County, California, the name is derived from the Southern Sierra Miwok joh-heˀ-HmetiH-, meaning "warriors, killers, those not afraid to die"... [more]
Yucatán(Political Subdivision & Region)Spanish Most likely from Chontal Maya Yokot'an either meaning "I do not understand you" or "hear how they talk!", both phrases supposedly uttered by the Mayans when questioned by Spanish explorers. Alternately it may mean "land of yucas", referring to the edible tuber... [more]
Yugoslavia(Country)English From Serbo-Croatian Jugoslavija meaning "land of the South Slavs", derived from jug meaning "south" and slavija meaning "land of Slavs". This was the name of a European country that existed from 1918 to 1941 (as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), from 1943 to 1945 (as the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia), from 1945 to 1992, and from 1992-2003 (as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).
Yunanistan(Country)Crimean Tatar, Gagauz, Turkish From Yunan combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stân) meaning "land of". This is the Crimean Tatar, Gagauz, and Turkish name for Greece.
Zhangzhou(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 漳 (zhāng), the name of a river, and 州 (zhōu) meaning "prefecture, province". This is the name of a city in China.
Zhengzhou(Settlement)Chinese Means "Zheng province" from Chinese 郑 (zhèng) referring to the ancient state of Zheng, which existed from the 9th to 4th centuries BC in what is now Henan province, and 州 (zhōu) meaning "province, prefecture"... [more]