Bengkulu(Political Subdivision)Indonesian Possibly from the name Bangkahulu meaning "upstream carcasses", derived from Indonesian bangkai meaning "carcass" and hulu meaning "upstream". This is the name of a province and city in Indonesia.
Benguet(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Ilocano, Pampangan, Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Tagalog, English Hispanicized form of Kankanaey benget meaning "edge", originally used as the name for a village at the edge of a swamp. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Bennington(Settlement)English Derived from the Old English personal name Beonna combined with -ing-, a connective particle denoting association, and tūn "farmstead, settlement". Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, in the United States.
Benoye(Political Subdivision)Arthurian Cycle The more famous Benoye, or Benwick, was in France. There seems to have been another Benoye, in Britain – the dukedom of Duke Ansirus the Pilgrim. Ansirus’ daughter, Alice La Beale Pilgrim, married Sir Alisander le Orphelin and they retired "into their country of Benoye, and lived there in great joy."... [more]
Bentaberri(Settlement)Basque, Spanish Means "new inn" in Basque from benta meaning "inn" and berri meaning "new". It is the name of several places in Basque Country.
Bentaberria(Settlement)Basque, French, Spanish Means "new inn" in Basque from benta meaning "inn" and berri meaning "new". It is the name of several places in Basque Country.
Bến Tre(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese biển meaning "sea" and tre meaning "to know".
Bến Tre(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese Means "bamboo wharf" from Vietnamese bến meaning "port, wharf" and tre meaning "bamboo". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Berea(Settlement)Biblical (All) Berea (also Beroea) was an ancient city of the Hellenistic period and Roman Empire now known as Veria (or Veroia) in Macedonia, northern Greece. It is a small city on the eastern side of the Vermio Mountains north of Mount Olympus... [more]
Berestia(Region)History, English This is the name of a historical region in Eastern Europe. Its territory was located in what is now Belarus, Poland and Ukraine. The region was named after the Belarusian city of Brest, which was at its centre.
Bergen(Settlement)Dutch, Norwegian, German Newer form of Bjǫrgvin, a combination of Old Norse bjarg "mountain" and vin "meadow". This is the 2nd largest city in Norway.
Berkshire(Political Subdivision & Region)English From a wood of box trees in the area called Bearroc, a Celtic word meaning "hilly", with Old English sċīr, from Proto-West Germanic *skīru. meaning "county" or "shire".... [more]
Bermuda(Political Subdivision)English Derived from the surname of Juan de Bermúdez, a 16th-century Spanish navigator alleged to have discovered the archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. Bermúdez is a surname meaning "son of Bermudo".
Bessarabia(Region)Moldovan Ukrainian English Romanian Derives from the Walachian bessarab dynasty the word “bessarb” is likely to be cuman or pecheneg Turkic origin meaning “father ruler”. Is a historical region located between Moldova and Ukraine.
Betws-y-coed(Settlement)Welsh A village in rural North-West Wales. The element betws, in Welsh means 'prayer house'. The y is the definite article 'the'. The final element coed means 'trees'. This gives a full name meaning 'prayer house in the forest'... [more]
Beulah(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the given name Beulah. The city in North Dakota was named for Beulah Stinchcombe, the niece of a local land developer.
Bifrǫst(Other)Norse Mythology Means "swaying road to heaven", derived from Old Norse bifa ("shake, sway"). In Norse mythology this is the name of the bridge connecting Asgard and Midgard.
Bigelow(Settlement)English (American) Transferred usage of the English surname Bigelow. The city in Minnesota is named for Charles H. Bigelow, a director of the St. Paul & Sioux City Railway.
Bihar(Political Subdivision)Hindi, Urdu, English Derived from Sanskrit विहार (vihāra) meaning "monastery, temple, abode", so named for the many Buddhist viharas once in the region. This is the name of a state in eastern India.
Bikini Atoll(Island)English From Marshallese Pikinni "surface of coconut". Bikini is an island located in the Marshall Islands, famous for being a place the United States formerly did nuclear tests.
Biliran(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Waray, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Waray biliran meaning "edge" or "something that forms corners or tips", likely referencing a local topographic feature. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Billings(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Billings. The city in Montana was named for Frederick H. Billings, a former president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Binangonan(Settlement)Filipino Binangonan, officially the Municipality of Binangonan, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Bingdao(Country & Island)Chinese Means "ice island" from Chinese 冰 (bīng) meaning "ice" and 島 (dǎo) meaning "island". This is the Chinese name for Iceland.
Bình Định(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平定 (hán tự) meaning "to subjugate".
Bình Định(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平定 (bình định) meaning "subjugate, pacify". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Bình Dương(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平陽 (bình dương) meaning "plain".
Bình Dương(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平 (bình) meaning "level, even" and 陽 (dương) meaning "male, virile". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Bình Phước(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平 (bình) meaning "level" and 福 (phước) meaning "fortunate".
Bình Phước(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平 (bình) meaning "level, even" and 福 (phúc) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Bình Phước(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平 (bình) meaning "level, even" and 福 (phước) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Bình Thuận(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平 (bình) meaning "level" and 順 (thuận) meaning "along".
Bình Thuận(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 平 (bình) meaning "level, even" and 順 (thuận) meaning "obey, submit, conform". This is the name of a province of Vietnam.
Biratnagar(Settlement)Nepali Fom the name of the mythological king Virata combined with Sanskrit नगर (nagara) meaning "town, city". This is the name of a city in Nepal.
Birka(Settlement)Old Norse, Old Swedish Possibly taken from a Latinization of Norse Bjǫrkey "Birch island", although some believe it's derived from Old Norse birk "market place". Birka was a Viking age town and an important trading and market place during the Viking Age located on the island Björkö (modern form of Bjǫrkey) in Lake Mälaren, outside of Stockholm, Sweden.
Birkirkara(Settlement)Maltese Means "running water" or "cold water". Birkirkara is the second largest city in Malta.
Bir Lehlou(Settlement)English Derived from Hassaniya Arabic bir lehlou meaning "sweet water well". Bir Lehlou is an oasis town in the Polisario-controlled region in northeastern Western Sahara.
Birmingham(Settlement)English A city in central England. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon words meaning 'the farm of Beormund's people', from the personal name Beormund, ingas, meaning 'people' and ham, meaning 'farm'.
Biscay(Political Subdivision)English From Basque Bizkaia ultimately derived from bizkar meaning "low ridge, back, spine". This is the name of a province of Spain, located within the Basque Community.
Bishkek(Settlement)Kyrgyz, English, Russian Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests that it comes from a word meaning "whorl, whisk" in Kyrgyz, referring to a tool used to prepare kumis, a traditional dairy product. It could also mean "five heights" from Kyrgyz беш (besh) meaning "five" and бийик (biyik) meaning "tall, high", or it could mean "five chiefs" from беш (besh) meaning "five" and the Turkish title beg meaning "chieftain, master"... [more]
Björneborg(Settlement)Finland Swedish Combination of Swedish björn "bear" and borg "castle, fortress". This is the Swedish name for Pori (whose name is a Finnicized form of -borg).
Black(Body of Water)English The Black Sea is a sea lying between Europe and Asia. Its name comes from the English word "black", likely due to the dark color of its waters.
Blackheath(Political Subdivision)English English place name which may be a corruption of "bleak heath", or simply mean "dark heath" from Old English blæc "black" and hǣth (see also Heath)... [more]
Blackpool(Settlement)English A coastal town in Lancashire. Literally means 'black pool', so named from a nearby drainage stream which ran through a peat bog, discharging discoloured water into the nearby Irish Sea. (Compare Dublin).
Blagoveshchensk(Political Subdivision)Russian literally 'the city of The Annunciation (of The Lord to The Blessed Virgin Mary)'
Blaine(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From the English surname Blaine.
Bloomington(Settlement)English From Old English blōma “flower" and tūn “settlement”.
Blythburgh(Settlement)English (British) Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Southwold and 5 miles (8.0 km) south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth... [more]
Bờ Biển Ngà(Country)Vietnamese From Vietnamese bờ biển meaning "coast, seashore" and ngà meaning "ivory". This is the Vietnamese name for the Ivory Coast.
Bobrownik(Settlement)Polish From bobrownik ("beaver hunter" or "beaver breeder"), a calque of Prussian *Bebriniks or *Beb(i)rniks, from the owner's surname. A village in northeastern Poland.
Bobrowniki(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Polish Plural of bobrownik, meaning "beaver hunters" or "beaver breeders." It is the name of multiple villages and current and former political subdivisions across Poland. The settlements in Lower Silesia, Pomerania, and West Pomerania come from German Biebersdorf, Bewersdorf and Beweringen respectively.
Bocaue(Settlement & River)Filipino Bocaue, officially the Municipality of Bocaue, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines... [more]
Bod(Region, Political Subdivision & Country)Tibetan, Bhutanese Possibly from a name that originally referred to the inhabitants of modern-day Nyêmo County in China. The name itself may be related to the Tibetan word བོན (bon) meaning "express, give, offer"... [more]
Bồ Đào Nha(Country)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 葡萄牙 (Bồ Đào Nha) possibly derived from Hokkien 葡萄牙 (Pô-tô-gâ). This is the Vietnamese name for Portugal.
Bodaybo(Political Subdivision)Russian possibly named after the Celtic queen "Boadicea" or "Boadacaea"
Bo'en(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Chinese Chinese form of Bern chiefly used in Taiwan.
Boeotia(Region)English, Ancient Roman From Greek Βοιωτία (Boiotia), supposedly from the eponymous founder Boeotus, though it’s more likely to derive directly from βοώτης (bootes) meaning "herdsman", itself from βοῦς (bous) meaning "ox, cow"... [more]
Boguszków(Settlement)Polish From Boguszek, diminutive of Bogusz, with suffix -ów. It is a village in eastern Poland.
Boguszowa(Settlement)Polish From Bogusz (as a given name or surname) with the suffix -owa. It is a village in southern Poland.
Boguszowice(Settlement)Polish From Bogusz (as a given name or surname) with the suffix -owice. It is the name of one current village and two former villages in southern Poland.
Bohol(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Cebuano bo-ol referring to a type of fruiting tree found on the island. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.