Roskilde(Settlement)Danish A historic Danish town, and the current 10th largest city. The name means "Ro's Spring", which some historic sources associate with King Roar/Hroar, who may have lived there.
Roslagen(Region)Swedish Derived from roslag, an old dialectal word meaning "rowing crew", ultimately derived from Old Swedish *roþs- "rowing". Compare Rus, and modern Swedish ro "to row".
Rothesay(Political Subdivision & Island)Scottish, English Rothesay, New Brunswick, was named after Rothesay, Scotland, a town on the Isle of Bute. The name Rothesay is of Scottish Gaelic origin, possibly derived from Rothesige or Roth Say, meaning "King’s Seat" or "Fort Isle" (roth = "fort," say = "isle")... [more]
Rotorua(Settlement)English (New Zealand) A city in the North Island of New Zealand. The city and suburbs are built on the shores of Lake Rotorua.
Rotterdam(Settlement)Dutch Named after the dam that was built in 1260 across the Rotte river. This is the name of a city in the Netherlands.
Rrusastan(Country)Armenian From Armenian Կիևյան Ռուսիա (Kiyevyan Rrusia), meaning "Kyivan Rus'", and the Persian suffix ستان (stān), 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.
Ruseti(Country)Georgian From რუსი (rusi) referring to the Russian people and the suffix -ეთი (-eti) used to indicate location. This is the Georgian name for Russia.
Rusivilat(Country)Dhivehi From Dhivehi ރޫސީ (rusi) referring to Russia and ވިލާތް (vilat) meaning "region, country". This is the Dhivehi name for Russia.
Rwenzori(Region, Settlement & Mountain)Eastern African, Konjo Rwenzori is the name of a popular National Park in Southwest Uganda. Its name comes from a Konjo word which means “Rainmaking Mountains”.
Rwenzururu(Region & Settlement)Konjo, Eastern African Rwenzururu means ‘The Mountains of Rain’ in the Konjo Language of West Uganda. Rwenzori is a diminutive of it.
Saariselkä(Settlement)Finnish From Northern Sami suoločielgi meaning literally "islandback". Saariselkä is a village in Northern Finland.
Saarland(Political Subdivision)German Named after the river Saar. is a state in Germany.
Saba(Island)Dutch (Antillean) Overseas territory of the Netherlands. The capital of Saba is The Bottom. There are four settlements on Saba: The Bottom, Windwardside, Zion's Hill, And St... [more]
Sabah(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Of uncertain meaning, possibly from the name of the saba banana (a cultivar originally from the Philippines), which comes from a Visayan word meaning "loud, noisy". Other theories suggest that it is derived from a Brunei Malay word meaning "upstream, northerly", from Malay sabak referring to a place where palm sugar is extracted, or from Arabic صباح (sabah) meaning "morning"... [more]
Sacramento(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, from Spanish sacramento, in honor of the Holy Sacrament.
Sa Đéc(Settlement)Vietnamese Derived from Khmer ផ្សារ (phsa) meaning "market" and ដែក (daek) meaning "iron". This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
Sadhuim(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Mon Sadhuim is the vernacular Mon name of Sudharmapura, currently known by its Burmese name of Thaton, which is a town in Myanmar.
Saekbi(Country)Lao Lao form of Serbia via the French form Serbie.
Saeki(Settlement)Japanese This is the name of a former town in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan and a ward of Hiroshima City, also in western Japan.... [more]
Saga(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese Means "celebrating sa rank, celebrating help" in Japanese.
Sagaing(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese စစ်ကိုင်း (zagaing) of uncertain meaning. This is the name of an administrative division of, as well as a city in, Myanmar.
Sagami(River)Japanese The Sagami River Valley is located in Atsugi, a city in east-central Honshu.
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.
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.
Saginaw(Settlement)English (American) A city in Michigan. Most likely meaning "place of the outlet", from Ojibwe sag meaning "opening" and ong meaning "place of", though popular legend claims it derives from Ojibwe sace-nong or sak-e-nong meaning "where the Sauk were".
Sahel(Region)English A savanna region south of the Sahara Desert. From Arabic ساحل sāḥil meaning "coast, shore".
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".
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic(Political Subdivision & Region)English Following the Spanish evacuation, consequence of the Moroccan Green March, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed the Madrid Accords on November 14, 1975, six days before Franco died, leading to both Morocco and Mauritania moving in to annex the territory of Western Sahara... [more]
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 Catharines(Political Subdivision)English (Canadian) The origin of the name remains obscure, but is thought to be named after Catharine Askin Robertson Hamilton, wife of the Honourable Robert Hamilton, a prominent businessman.
Sainte-Maure(Settlement)French Named after Saint Maura of Troyes. This is the name of a commune in Aube (specifically in the Troyes-Champagne Metropolis agglomeration community), named for the church built in her honor there.
Saint Helena(Political Subdivision & Island)English A non-self-governing territory of the United Kingdom, located in the South Atlantic. Together with Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, they form the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
Saint-jean-sur-richelieu(Settlement)French Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is derived from the French name Saint Jean (Saint John), with the addition of "sur" meaning "on" or "upon", referring to its location along the Richelieu River. The city is named after Saint John the Baptist, a Catholic saint, and is situated near the Richelieu River, which flows from Lake Champlain into the more]
Saint John(Settlement)English Variant of St John. This is the name of several settlements, mostly in North America.
Saint John(River)Maliseet, French, English The original Maliseet (Wolastoqey) name for the river was "Wolastoq", meaning "beautiful, bountiful river" (wolast = "good, pleasant," oq = "river"). The river was central to Maliseet culture, travel, and sustenance.... [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]
Saint-Louis-Du-Ha! Ha!(Political Subdivision)English (Canadian) The "Ha! Ha!" refers to nearby Lake Témiscouata, haha here being an archaic French word for an unexpected obstacle or abruptly ending path.
Saint-Malo(Settlement)French An historic French port located in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany on the English Channel coast, named after Saint Malo.
Saint-Maurice(River)French The Saint-Maurice River is named after Saint Maurice, a Christian saint who was a martyr and military leader. The river was named by French explorers in the 17th century, possibly due to its location near a church or settlement dedicated to the saint... [more]
Saint Paul(Settlement)English After St. Paul's Chapel, built for French Catholic missionary Lucien Galtier around 1841. This is the name of the capital city of the US state of Minnesota.
Saint Petersburg(Settlement)English English translation of Russian Санкт-Петербург (Sankt-Peterburg), which is derived from the German name Sankt Petersburg meaning "Saint Peter's City", named in honour of Saint Peter the Apostle as well as Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725)... [more]
Saint-tropez(Settlement)French, Occitan Coastal town in France, Named after the Catholic saint Torpes of Pisa (Saint-Tropez).
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines(Country)English Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, also often known simply as Saint Vincent, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lies in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean... [more]
Sainyabuli(Political Subdivision)Lao From Sanskrit सेन (sena) meaning "army" and पुरि (puri) meaning "city".
Saitama(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese Means "spheric peninsula" in Japanese.
Saitama(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 埼 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula" and 玉 (tama) meaning "jewel, ball, sphere". This is the name of a prefecture of, as well as a city in, Japan.
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.
Sakai(Settlement)Japanese Of uncertain meaning. First appeared in 1045 or earlier in Fujiwara Sadoyori's poetry. This is the name of a city in Ōsaka Prefecture, Japan.
Sakha(Political Subdivision)Yakut, Russian From the name of the Sakha (Yakut) people, which is derived from Turkic jaka meaning "collar, edge". This is the name of a Russian federal republic also known as Yakutia.
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]
Salford(Settlement)English From Old English sealh "willow, sallow" combined with ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of several settlements in England, including a city near Manchester.
Salina(Settlement)English (American) From the English word "saline". The city in Kansas was named for the nearby Saline River.
Samar(Region & Island)Filipino Samar is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines... [more]
Samarkand(Settlement)English, Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar From Uzbek Samarqand, derived (via Persian) from Sogdian smʾr/smā́r meaning "stone, rock" and knδh/kąθ meaning "fort, town, city". This is the name of a city in Uzbekistan.
San Andreas(Political Subdivision)Popular Culture Possibly meaning "Saint Andrew" in Spanish, named in honor for the patron saint of fisherfolk, but it may be incorrent since the Spanish form of Andrew is Andrés... [more]
San Antonio(Settlement & River)English Means "Saint Anthony" from Spanish san "Saint" + Antonio, a Spanish form of the given name Anthony. The river was named after San Antonio de Padua by the first governor of Spanish Texas, Domingo Terán de los Ríos in 1691... [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.
San Diego(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, meaning "Saint Diego" from Spanish san "Saint" + the given name Diego.
Sandringham(Settlement)English Derived from the Old English: "sand" hring "ring"/"circular" ham "homestead". "Sandy circular homestead". The name of a village in Norfolk, where Sandringham House, one of the Queen's country retreats is located.
San Fierro(Region)Popular Culture The City of San Fierro, commonly known as San Fierro, is the second city in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, located in San Andreas.... [more]
San Francisco(Settlement)Spanish, English The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint Francis. One noteworthy place is the city of San Francisco in the US state of California.
San Gabriel(Settlement)Spanish, English The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint Gabriel, including one city in the US state of California.
Sanguinem(Settlement)Popular Culture Means "blood" in Latin. This was used in the Japanese manga and anime series Seraph of the End for the vampire capital city of Sanguinem.
San Juan(Other)Spanish The name of the Capital of Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital and largest city, sits on the island's Atlantic coast. Its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos... [more]
San Juan(Settlement)Filipino San Juan, officially the City of San Juan, is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. It is geographically located at Metro Manila’s approximate center and is also the country’s smallest city in terms of land area... [more]