Hara Berezaiti(Mountain)Avestan, Persian Mythology Means "high watch" or "high guard" in Avestan, from 𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬍 (harā) meaning "watch, guard, protect" and 𐬠𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬀𐬧𐬙 (berezant) meaning "high, tall". This is the name of a mountain in Zoroastrian legend, also considered the home of Mithra.
Harad(Region)Literature A region in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. From the fictional Sindarin language, harad meaning "south".
Harbin(Settlement)Manchu, English From a dialectal name meaning "(place of) drying fishnets" in Manchu, so named because the area was once a small fishing village. This is the name of a city in China.
Harlan(Region, Settlement, Mountain & Other)German Harlan is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. Harlan County is well known in folk and country music, having produced many prominent musicians. During the 20th century, it was often a center of labor strife between coal mine owners and union workers, especially in the Harlan County War of the 1930s.
Harrisburg(Settlement)English After a person bearing the surname Harris. In the case of the capital city of the US state of Pennsylvania, the city was named after founder John Harris Sr.
Hartford(Settlement)English Variant of Hertford, from the union of the words heorot ("hart, stag") and ford. This spelling is mostly used in the United States, most famously by the capital city of the State of Connecticut.
Haryana(Political Subdivision)Indian The name "Haryana" is derived from the Sanskrit words "Hari" meaning "Lord Vishnu" and "ayana" meaning "home" or "abode." Therefore, "Haryana" translates to "The Abode of Lord Vishnu" or "The Land of Lord Vishnu." This name references the region's historical and cultural significance in Hindu mythology and its association with Lord Vishnu.
Hastinapura(Settlement)Sanskrit Means "city of elephants" in Sanskrit, from हस्तिना (hastinā) meaning "elephants" and पुर (pura) meaning "city". This was the name of the ancient capital of the Kuru kingdom, allegedly founded by King Hasti, the son of King Kuru, on the bank of the Ganges river in the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh, northern India.
Hatillo(Settlement)Spanish (Latin American) A town and municipality in Puerto Rico. Likely from Spanish hatillo meaning "bundle".
Hà Tĩnh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 河 (hà) meaning "river" and 靜 (tĩnh) meaning "still". This is the name of a city in Vietnam as well as the province in which it is located.
Hattiesburg(Settlement)English (American) A city in Mississippi. The name is derived from the English given name Hattie, after Hattie Hardy (the wife of city founder Captain William H. Hardy), and the suffix burg meaning "fortress, fortification, citadel".
Hat Yai(Settlement)Thai From a short form of Thai มะหาดใหญ่ (mahat yai) meaning "big monkey fruit" (a type of tree). This is the name of a city in southern Thailand.
Hậu Giang(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 後 (hậu) meaning "behind" and 江 (giang) meaning "river". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Havana(Settlement)English From Spanish Habana, derived from Habaguanex, the name of a Taíno chief who controlled the area. This is the name of the capital city of Cuba.
Havane(Settlement)French French form of Havana, usually written with the definite article: La Havane.
Havasu(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American), Indigenous American Means “blue” in the Mojave language. In July 2024, a 4 month old baby died of heat exposure while her negligent parents partied on Lake Havasu (California-Arizona border).... [more]
Havay(Political Subdivision & Island)Khmer Khmer form of Hawaii.
Hawaii(Island)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, of uncertain origin. Theories from Proto-Polynesian hawaiki which possibly means place of the gods" or from Proto-Polynesian sawaiki "homeland", or possibly named for Hawaiʻiloa, legendary discoverer of the Hawaiian islands.
Hawley(Settlement)English The name of various settlements in England, all suffixed with Old English leah meaning "woodland", but with different initial elements... [more]
Hebron(Settlement)English From Hebrew חֶבְרוֹן (Ḥevrōn), ultimately from northwest Semitic ḥbr meaning "unite, colleague, friend, alliance". Several sites in the United States were named for the city in Palestine.
Hedmark(Political Subdivision)Norwegian From the Old Norse Heiðmǫrk. That's from heiðnir the name of an old Germanic tribe (related to heið meaning moorland) and mǫrk meaning "woodland, borderland, or march/mark."... [more]
Hefei(Settlement)Chinese The name means "The junction of two rivers". The earliest record could be tracked back to the Han Dynasty (circa B.C. 202 - A.D. 8). 合 (hé) meaning "junction" and the two rivers 肥 (féi) being 南淝河 (South Fei River) and 东淝河 (East Fei River)... [more]
Heijō(Settlement)Japanese Alternate reading of Pyon'yan. This was the name for Pyongyang used during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 20th century.
Heishan(Country, Political Subdivision & Settlement)Chinese Means "black mountain" in Chinese, from 黑 (hēi) meaning "black" and 山 (shān) meaning "mountain", used as the Chinese name for Montenegro (derived from a calque of the country's Montenegrin and Serbo-Croatian name, Crna Gora)... [more]
Helikon(Mountain)Ancient Greek Means "the tortuous mountain", derived from Greek ἕλιξ (helix) "spiral" (genitive ἕλικος). This is the name of a famous mountain in Boeotia, Greece.
Helmsley(Settlement)English A small market town in Northern England. It's name derives from the Old English Helm, a personal name and leah, which means 'clearing, field'.
Helsingborg(Settlement)Swedish Helsingborg is a city in Scania, Sweden. The name is a combination of hals "neck, narrow strait" and borg "castle, fortification". There has been a permanent settlement around Helsingborg since 1085, making it one of Sweden's oldest cities.
Helsingfors(Settlement)Finland Swedish, Swedish From Swedish helsing, composed of hals "neck, narrow strait" and -inge denoting an inhabitant, combined with fors "rapid, waterfall". Helsing was either taken from the name of the Swedish province Hälsingland (where many early settlers originated from), or directly from the Swedish word (referring to a narrow part of the Vantaa River)... [more]
Helsingør(Settlement)Danish, Norwegian Combination of helsing (itself a combination of Danish hals "narrow strait, neck" and -ing, a suffix denoting an inhabitant) and ør "gravel" (in this case referring to Øresund, a strait separating Denmark from Sweden)... [more]
Hemet(Settlement, Body of Water & Other)English (American) Etymology uncertain. Possibly from Swedish hemmet meaning "home, homeland". Other theories claim that the name is derived from an unspecified Native American language, possibly meaning "box", "acorn valley", "surrounded by trees", or derived from a female given name, Hemetica... [more]
Hempstead(Settlement)English Name of a town and village in Nassau County, New York. It is either named after the Dutch castle of Heemstede, or the British town of Hemel Hempstead.
Henan(Political Subdivision)Chinese Means "south of the (Yellow) River" from Chinese 河 (hé) meaning "river, stream" and 南 (nán) meaning "south". This is the name of a province of China.
Hengesdon(Settlement)Medieval English Earlier name for Hingston Down in Moretonhampstead, Devon, recorded in 1333. It meant "Hengest's hill" or "stallion's hill" from the Old English byname Hengest (or from Old English hengest "stallion") and Old English dun "hill".
Heng He(River)Chinese Chinese form of Ganges, from 恒 (héng) referring to the Ganges River and 河 (hé) meaning "river, stream".
Hennepin(Political Subdivision)English (American), French The name of a county in Minnesota, from the French surname Hennepin, after Louis Hennepin, a Belgian Catholic priest and missionary.
Heracleion(Settlement)Ancient Egyptian (Hellenized, ?) Heracleion is an ancient Egyptian city built under Greek rule. Until it was destroyed by a earthquake in 200 BCE.
Herculaneum(Settlement)Ancient Roman An ancient Roman town in Italy destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Derived from the name of Hercules, a mythological figure whom some claimed had founded the settlement.
Herefordshire(Political Subdivision & Region)English May mean "county of the army river crossing", deriving from the Old English for "army", here, and "river crossing", ford, making Hereford, and sċīr, from Proto-West Germanic *skīru meaning "county”... [more]
Herzegovina(Country, Political Subdivision & Region)English From German herzog meaning “duke’s land.” It is a geographical region part of the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Heshmon(Settlement)Biblical Hebrew City south of Judah, recorded in Joshua 15:27. Literal meaning, "fatness." Contextual meaning, "abundant blessing."
Hesse(Political Subdivision)English From the name of a Germanic tribe originally called Chatti, later Chassi, and from the 8th century called Hassi or Hessi. Hesse is a state in Germany. Possibly derived from Old Germanic *hatjaną "to hunt down, pursue; to rush, incite, attack", or from *hattuz "hat, head covering".
Hestitona(Settlement)Anglo-Saxon (Latinized) Latinized form of Old English Hengestestun meaning "town of Hengest", derived from the genitive of the Old English personal name Hengest and tun "enclosure, yard, town"... [more]
Hialeah(Settlement)American The name of a city in the American state of Florida, commonly said to mean "pretty prairie" from Muskogee haiyakpo "prairie" and hili "pretty". Alternatively it may mean "high prairie" or "upland prairie" in Seminole.
Hiawassee(Settlement)English The name of a town in the U.S. state of Georgia, located on the Hiwassee River. It is derived from a Cherokee or Creek word ayuhwasi meaning "meadow".
Hibbing(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Hibbing. The city in Minnesota was named for its founder, Frank Hibbing.
Hilo(Settlement)Hawaiian, English Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Hawaiian hilo meaning "twist, braid, spin". This is the name of a town in the US state of Hawaii.
Himachal Pradesh(Political Subdivision)Indian "Himachal Pradesh" translates to "Snow-Laden Province" or "Province of Snow" in English. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words "Hima" meaning "snow" and "achal" meaning "mountain" or "range." This name reflects the state's geographical location in the Himalayan mountain range and its abundance of snow-capped peaks.
Himeji(Settlement & Other)Japanese Of uncertain meaning. This is the name of the largest castle in Japan, as well as a city in Hyōgo Prefecture.
Himuka(Political Subdivision)Japanese (Archaic) Earlier form of Hyūga, made up of 日 (hi) meaning "sun" and 向か (muka), the irrealis form of verb 向く (muku) meaning "to turn toward; to face (a direction); to point to."
Hinda(Settlement)Kongo The name of a small town in the Southwest part of Republic of the Congo. Rhymes with Linda.
Hinxton(Settlement)English The name of a village in Cambridgeshire, ultimately derived from a contraction of Old English Hengestestun which possibly meant "town of Hengest", itself from the genitive of the Old English byname Hengest (or from Old English hengest "stallion") and Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Hiroshima(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 広 (hiro) meaning "vast, wide" and 島 (shima) meaning "island". This is the name of a city in Japan, as well as the prefecture in which the city is located.
Hòa Bình(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 和 (hòa) meaning "peace" and 平 (bình) meaning "level".
Hòa Bình(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 和 (hoà) meaning "peace, harmony" and 平 (bình) meaning "level, even". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Hoa Kỳ(Country)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 花旗 (Hoa Kì) meaning "star-spangled banner" (referring to the American flag and national anthem). This is the Vietnamese name for the United States.
Ho Chi Minh(Settlement)English From the name of Vietnamese revolutionary and politician Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969; natively HồChíMinh in Vietnamese)... [more]
Hội An(Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 會 (hội) meaning "meeting, festival" and 安 (an) meaning "safe, secure". This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
Hokkaido(Political Subdivision & Island)Japanese From Japanese 北海 (hokkai) meaning "northern sea" and 道 (dō) meaning "circuit". This is the name of an island and prefecture of Japan.
Hokuchin(Mountain)Japanese A mountain in Hokkaido, apart of the Ishikari Mountain range.
Holenda(Country)Kurdish Kurdish form of Holland 1, referring to the entire country of the Netherlands.
Hollywood(Settlement)English This is the name of several places throughout the United States as well as a few places in England. The most notable place is the district in Los Angeles, California, known for being the home of the U.S. motion-picture industry, whose name allegedly means "hauling wood".
Holon(Settlement)Hebrew The name comes from the word "חול" meaning "sand"... [more]
Holywood(Settlement)Northern Irish (Anglicized) English translation of Latin Sanctus Boscus, meaning “holy wood”. Holywood is a seaside town in County Down, Northern Ireland. This was the name the Normans gave to the woodland surrounding the monastery of Saint Laiseran, son of Nasca, founded before 640 on the site of the present Holywood Priory... [more]
Hombori(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Fula A region and city in Mali.