Providence(Settlement)English Name chosen by Puritan minister Roger Williams, in honor of "God's merciful Providence". This is the name of several settlements in the United States, including the capital city of the state of Rhode Island.
Provo River(River)English (American) River in Utah, named after the French-Canadian trapper Etienne Provost. The river inspired the name of the city to which it belonged, Provo.
Prussia(Country)History Became a Duchy in 1660 and a kingdom in the following century. At its greatest extent it included the northern two-thirds of Germany and western Poland. Prussia, by World War II a federal unit of Germany, was fully disbanded at the end of World War II.
Puchong(Settlement)Malay, English Likely from Malay pucung meaning "heron (bird)", so named for the many herons in the area. This is the name of a town in Malaysia.
Pudsey(Settlement)English This name is of Anglo - Saxian origin.... [more]
Puducherry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From the Tamil name புதுச்சேரி (Putucheri) meaning "new town", derived from புது (putu) meaning "new" and சேரி (cheri) meaning "slum, town". This is the name of a union territory and city in India... [more]
Pueblo(Settlement)English (American) A city in Colorado. From Spanish pueblo meaning "town, people".
Puji(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island)Chinese Chinese form of Phuket.
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]
Pukket(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island)Korean Korean form of Phuket.
Pulaski(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the Polish surname Pulaski. The city in Virginia was named for Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-born hero of the American Revolutionary War.
Pulinkunnoo(Region, Settlement, Island, Body of Water & River)Malayalam Birthplace of Kunchacko.
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"
Purbalingga(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian, Javanese Derived from Indonesian purba meaning "ancient" or "east" (from Sanskrit पूर्व (purva)) and lingga meaning "lingam", referring to a type of abstract representation of the Hindu god Shiva (from Sanskrit लिङ्ग (linga))... [more]
Pursat(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “drifting awakened” in Khmer.
Pursat(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "floating banyan" from Khmer ពោធិ៍ (po) meaning "banyan tree" and សាត់ (sat) meaning "to float". This is the name of a province of, as well as a town in, Cambodia.
Purwakarta(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese Derived from Sanskrit पूर्व (purva) meaning "beginning, ancient, old" and Sanskrit कृत (krta) meaning "done, accomplished". This is the name of a regency and town in Indonesia.
Putrajaya(Settlement)Malay, English Derived from Malay putra or putera meaning "prince", ultimately from Sanskrit पुत्र (putra), combined with jaya meaning "victory", ultimately from Sanskrit जय (jaya)... [more]
Pyay(Settlement)English From Burmese ပြည် (pyi) meaning "country", referring to the main city of the Pyu city-states that existed from the 2nd to 11th centuries. This is the name of a town in Myanmar.
Pyongyang(Settlement)Korean, English From Sino-Korean 平 (pyeong) meaning "flat, level, plane" and 壤 (yang) meaning "soil, land". This is the name of the capital city of North Korea.
Qahera(Settlement)Arabic (Egyptian) Egyptian Arabic transcription of قاهرة (see Qahirah), usually written with the definite article: القاهره (el-Qahera).
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.
Qaridhel(River)Bashkir Means "black Volga" from Bashkir ҡара (qara) meaning "black" combined with Иҙел (Idhel) referring to the Volga River. This is the Bashkir name for the Ufa River.
Qazakheti(Country)Georgian From Georgian ყაზახი (qazakhi) referring to the Kazakh people and the suffix -ეთი (-eti) used to indicate location. This is the Georgian name for Kazakhstan.
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]
Qingdao(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young" and 岛 (dǎo) meaning "island". This is the name of a city in China.
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).
Qingxiangping(Political Subdivision)Chinese From Chinese 清香 (qīngxiāng) meaning "delicate fragrance" and 坪 (píng) meaning "flatland," referring to the scent of local trees and the area's geography. It is the name of a subdistrict in Sichuan, China.
Qirgizeti(Country)Georgian From Georgian ყირგიზული (qirgizuli) referring to the Kyrgyz people and the suffix -ეთი (-eti) used to indicate location. This is the Georgian name for Kyrgyzstan.
Quảng Bình(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad" and 平 (bình) meaning "level".
Quảng Bình(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad, wide, extensive" and 平 (bình) meaning "level, even". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Quảng Nam(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "wide" and 南 (nam) meaning "south".
Quảng Nam(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad, wide, extensive" and 南 (nam) meaning "south". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Quảng Ngãi(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣義 (quảng nghĩa) meaning "generalized".
Quảng Ngãi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad, wide, extensive" and 義 (ngãi) meaning "righteousness, faithfulness" (a South Central Vietnamese word). This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Quảng Ninh(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "wide" and 寧 (ninh) meaning "peaceful". Also a mix of Quảng Yên and Hải Ninh.
Quảng Ninh(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad, wide, extensive" and 寧 (ninh) meaning "peaceful, tranquil, serene". The name was coined in 1963 from a compound of the names of two former provinces, Quảng Yên and Hải Ninh... [more]
Quảng Trị(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad" and 治 (trị) meaning "cure".
Quảng Trị(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad, wide, extensive" and 治 (trị) meaning "govern, rule, administer". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
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]
Quezon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog, English From the surname Quezon. This is the name of both a province and city in the Philippines, which were named in honour of Manuel Quezon (1878-1844), the second president of the Philippines.
Quiapo(Political Subdivision)Filipino Quiapo is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Known as the “Old Downtown of Manila", the district’s most famous landmark is Quiapo Church, a minor basilica enshrining Asia's most sacred Black Nazarene image, which has been processed every January in the historic district, attracting millions of devotees from all over the country and region.
Quirindi(Settlement)English (Australian) Quirindi is believed to have originated from an Aboriginal word, though the exact meaning is uncertain. Quirindi is a town in New South Wales, Australia, located in the north-western part of the state... [more]
Quiulacocha(Body of Water & Mountain)Spanish (Latin American) A mountain and lake in Peru. Possibly meaning "gull lake", from Quecha qillwa, qiwlla, or qiwiña meaning "gull" and qucha meaning "lake".
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.
Quyang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 曲 (qū) meaning "song" and 阳 (yáng) meaning "light, son, male." It is the name of a county in Hebei, and a historical county and a modern township and village in Jiangsu.
Quy Nhơn(Settlement)Vietnamese Most likely derived from Sino-Vietnamese 歸 (quy) meaning "return, come back to" and 仁 (nhơn) meaning "benevolence, compassion". This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
Qytai(Country)Kazakh, Bashkir Kazakh form of Cathay, used as the Kazakh name for China. It is also an alternate transcription of Bashkir Qytay.
Qytay(Country)Bashkir, Kazakh Bashkir form of Cathay, used as the Bashkir name for China. It is also an alternate transcription of Kazakh Qytai.
Raba(River & Settlement)Polish Uncertain. The name is theorized to come from either Proto-Slavic *or-ba from *orati meaning "to plough", or ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Ar(ə)-b(h)ā from *ar(ə) meaning "fast-moving"... [more]
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(Settlement)Polish Name of Rabka-Zdrój until 1999, as well as its present colloquial name.
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.
Rạch Giá(Settlement)Vietnamese Most likely derived from Vietnamese rạch meaning "small irrigation canal, ditch" and giá meaning "bean sprouts". This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
Racine(Settlement)English, French Means "root" in French. It is the name of a large city in Wisconsin.
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]
Rakoti(Settlement)Coptic (Bohairic) Derived from Egyptian rꜥ-qdyt possibly from rꜥ meaning "sun, day" (also the name of the Egyptian sun god Ra) and qdy meaning "to go around, to return, to surround"... [more]
Raleigh(Settlement)English Name of the capital in North Carolina, named for Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of Roanoke, the "lost colony" on Roanoke Island.
Ramona(Settlement)English Transferred use of the given name Ramona. The settlement in California was named for Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona, which was set in southern California.
Rancho Cucamonga(Settlement)English From the name of a 19th-century land grant (rancho) given to Mexican merchant Tiburcio Tapía (1789-1845), who turned it into a winery. The name was derived from Tongva kukamonga meaning "sandy place"... [more]
Rangihaute(Island)Moriori This is the name the Moriori gave Pitt Island in the Chatham Archipelago. On this island Moriori slaves hid from Maori masters during the Moriori enslavement. One of these slaves include a man named Koche, a popular (among the Moriori) son of a Moriori chief, who escape from his Maori master.
Rangkasbitung(Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese Derived from Sundanese rangkas meaning "cut, broken" and awi bitung referring to a type of bamboo (genus Dendrocalamus). This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Rangoon(Settlement)Danish, Dutch, Swedish, English (Archaic) Historical English form of Yangon based on the Arakanese pronunciation of the city's name. It is also the standard Danish, Dutch and Swedish form.
Rankin Inlet(Settlement)Inuit First visited by Europeans in the early 1600's the Inlet was named for Lt. John Rankin of the British Royal Navy.... [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]
Rantoul(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Rantoul. The city in Illinois was named for Robert Rantoul, Jr., a a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illinois Central Railroad.
Rapa Nui(Island)Rapa Nui This is one of the Rapanui names for Easter Island. The word "Nui" in this case with "Rapa" means "Great Rapa." It was named this to distinguish it from another island in French Polynesia Rapa Iti. This name comes from a Tahitian who thought the shape of the island looked like his home island Rapa (now called Rapa Iti) in what is now French Polynesia... [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.
Ratchaburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "royal city" from Thai ราช (rat) meaning "royal" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
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]
Rayong(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Chong ราย็อง (rayong) either meaning "boundary, territory, frontier" or referring to the Burma padauk (a type of tree). This is the name of a province and city in Thailand.
Red(River)English The Red River goes through the southern states of the USA.
Red Deer(Settlement)English (Canadian) The name Red Deer is derived from the color of the local river, which is called the Red Deer River. The river itself was named by early European settlers. The city of Red Deer is located in central Alberta, Canada, and is one of the province's larger urban centers.
Reedley(Settlement)English (American) A city in Fresno County, California. Named for Thomas Law Reed, a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War who donated most of his land to the city.
Reggio Calabria(Settlement)Italian, English, German, Dutch From Latin Regium, itself from Ancient Greek Ῥήγιoν (Rhéghion), of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a city in southern Italy.... [more]
Reggio Emilia(Settlement)Italian, English, Dutch, German, Spanish From Latin Regium, abbreviation of Regium Lepidi, named after Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, who oversaw the construction of the Via Aemilia. This is the name of a city in northern Italy.... [more]
Regina(Settlement)English (Canadian) Capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. Meaning "queen", named in honour of Queen Victoria.
Région Centre(Region & Political Subdivision)French Meaning "central region", a reference to the region's location in the central part of the original French language area.... [more]
Rēkohu(Island)Moriori The name means "misty sun" or "misty skies." This was what the Moriori called the Chatham Islands. This is what they also called Chatham Island.