Alderney(Island)English, Medieval Scandinavian One of the Channel Islands in England. It may be a corruption of 'adreni' or 'alrene', derived from Old Norse, meaning "island near the coast". Alternatively, it may come from other old Norse words; 'alda', meaning "swelling wave', 'renna', meaning "strong current', and -ey, meaning "island'.
Algoma(Region)Algonquin Region in Ontario, Canada. Created name by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. The 'al' is from "Algonquin", the the 'goma' is from the word 'gomee', meaning "water".
Armagh(Political Subdivision)Irish A county in Ireland. Means "Macha height", 'macha' was an ancient Irish goddess.
Athabasca(Settlement, Other, Body of Water & Mountain)Cree (Anglicized) Name of numerous towns, lakes, rivers, a glacier, and a mountain, in Canada, primarily in the province of Alberta... [more]
Attawapiskat(River & Settlement)Cree River and town in Ontario, Canada. From the Attawapiskat people, meaning "people of the parting of the rocks", or Āhtawāpiskatowi ininiwak.
Batoche(Settlement & Other)French A historic village and National Historic Site in modern day Saskatchewan, Canada. Batoche is where Métis leader Louis Riel and his forces were defeated by the Canadian Army... [more]
Bella Coola(Region & Settlement)Salishan (Anglicized) Town and valley in British Columbia, Canada. From the Heiltsuk word bḷ́xʷlá, meaning "someone from Bella Coola", referring to the general ethnic group in the area
Belleville(Settlement)English Name of a city in Canada and various others in America. Means "beautiful town" from the French belle (beautiful) and ville (city or town).
Brampton(Settlement)English A city in the Great Toronto-Hamilton area of Ontario, Canada. From the surveyor of the same name.
Brecqhou(Island)Medieval Scandinavian A Channel Island in England. The name Brecqhou derives from the Old Norse 'brekka', meaning "slope' or "escarpment", and holmr, or -'hou', meaning "island" or "islet".
Burhou(Island)Norman A Channel Island in England. Means "storehouse island", from bur meaning "storehouse", and -hou, a Norman suffix derived from Old Norse holmr meaning "island".
Calvados(Political Subdivision)French A department in Normandy, France. It is named after a cluster of sparsely vegetated rocks off the coast, likely from 'calva dorsa', meaning "bare backs".
Caquorobert(Island)Norman Islet in the Channel Islands. Unknown meaning.
Casciago(Settlement)Italian Town in Italy. Possibly the site of the ancient Cassiciacum, a place where Saint Augustine and his friends lived after his conversion to Christianity.
Casquet(Island)French An island chain in the Channel Islands. Could from derived from French 'cascade', referring the nearby strong tides, or from 'casque', referring to the helmet-like shape of the rocks, or from 'cas', meaning "broken" and 'quet', "rock".
Cill Mhantáin(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Irish name for the county of Wicklow. Meaning "church of Mantan". It is named after a peer of Saint Patrick. Mantan had his teeth knocked out by Irish pagans, and then he was renamed Mantan, which means "toothless one".
Crevichon(Island)Norman Islet in the Channel Islands, England. Means "isle of crabs, crayfish, and cranes", due to the abundance of those animals in the area.
Derry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish City and country in Northern Ireland. May mean "oak wood", from 'Daire Coluimb Chille', meaning "The Oak-wood of Saint Columba". Or the name may have been from Proto-Celtic 'calg-ac-os', meaning "possessing a blade" or "possessing a penis".
Dingwall(Settlement)English A city in Scotland. From the Scandinavian 'Þingvöllr ', meaning "the meeting place of the assembly".
Dirouilles(Island)Norman, French Islet chain in the Channel Islands. Each rock has many names. May mean "rags", as a direct transliteration of the French word dirouilles.
Doire(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Irish form of Derry.
Donegal(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish County and town in Ireland. Meaning "place of foreigners" (i.e. the Vikings). Alternatively, it may mean "land of Conall", a king from the area. Conall means "strong wolf".
Down(Political Subdivision)Irish County in Northern Ireland. From the Irish "Dún ná Lethglas", "dún" means fort.
Écréhous(Island)Norman, English, Medieval Scandinavian Island chain in the Channel Islands in England. Derived from Old Norse 'esker', as in a "skerry", or a "small, rocky islet". and -hou, meaning "island".
Edmonton(Settlement)English From Eadhelm and ton, mean "field owned by Eadhelm". City in Canada, named after the district of London.
En(River & Political Subdivision)Occitan Arpitan form of Ain.
Etobicoke(Settlement)Iroquois (Anglicized), Algonquin (Anglicized) From the Mississagua name for the area, wah-do-be-kang (wadoopikaang), and means "the place where alders grow". Anglicized by Augustus Jones as 'ato-be-coake', but adopted by John Graves Simcoe as 'Etobicoke' in 1795.
Fermanagh(Political Subdivision)Irish County in Northern Ireland. Meaning "men of the country of the lakes".
Forillon(Other)French National park in Quebec, Canada. The name is thought to refer to a flowerpot island or sea stack in the area that has since been submerged in the ocean.
Fundy(Other & Body of Water)French Bay and national park in New Brunswick, Canada. The name comes from the French word 'fendu', meaning "split".
Galway(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Irish City and county in Ireland. Means "fort Gaillimh", named after the Gaillimh river that flows through the city.
Ghiffa(Settlement)Italian Town in Italy, known for the Sacred Mountain of Ghiffa pilgrimage site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Graubünden(Political Subdivision)German (Swiss) A canton in Switzerland. Meaning "the grey league", after the grey clothes commonly worn by the inhabitants there.
Jersey(Political Subdivision & Island)English, Medieval Scandinavian One of the Channel Islands in England. Also a name of a state in the United States. May be derived from the Old Norse jarð meaning "earth" or jarl meaning "earl", or maybe from the given name Geirr... [more]
Jethou(Island)Norman One of the Channel Islands in England. The -'hou' suffix means small island or small hill.
Kazabazua(River & Settlement)Algonquin (Gallicized) River and town in Quebec. From 'kachibadjiwan', meaning "hidden current" in Algonquin, as the river is primarily underground.
Kejimkujik(Other & Body of Water)Mi'kmaq Lake and national park in Canada. From Mi'kmaq, meaning "attempting to escape", or "swollen waters", or "tired muscles".
Kelowna(Settlement)Salishan Name of a large town in British Columbia, from the Okanagan word kelowna, meaning "grizzly bear"
Kilkenny(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. Means "church of Cainnech". Saint Cainnech was the man who converted the county to Christianity in 597.
Kitigan Zibi(Political Subdivision)Algonquin Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Algonquin reserve in Quebec. Meaning "cultivated land" in Algonquin.
Kluane(Other)Cree National park in Yukon, Canada. The name comes from the Southern Tutchone language.
Kootenay(Other)Salishan (Anglicized) National park in British Columbia, Canada. The name is derived from the Kutenai people of the area. Their name either means "to eat lean meat', or "to go out into the open".
Labrador(Political Subdivision)Portuguese, Spanish Province in Canada. Likely from Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador. Lavrador means "farmer" in Portuguese, as does the Spanish word 'labrador'.
Laois(Political Subdivision)Irish County in Ireland. Named after the Gaelic territory of Uí Laoighis, meaning "people of Lugaid Laígne".
Lihou(Island)Norman, Breton Island in the Channel Islands in England. From the Breton words 'lydd' or 'ligg', meaning "in or near water", and the Norman suffix -'hou', meaning "island". The island and reef in Australia named after this island.
Loch Garman(Political Subdivision)Irish Irish name for the county of Wexford. Named after Garman Garbh, a legendary figure, who was drowned in the mudflats at the mouth of the river Slaney by an enchantress, resulting in the lake that bears his name... [more]
Londonderry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Another name for Derry. The prefix -london was added because donations from the city of London help rebuild Derry in 1613.
Longford(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. Meaning "the port".
Louth(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish County and village in Ireland. From "Lugh", an ancient Irish god.
Lú(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Irish form of Louth. Lú is the modern Irish form of the ancient Irish god Lugh.
Maniwaki(Settlement)Algonquin (Gallicized) Town in Quebec. Algonquin for "Mary's Land", for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who lived there.
Mayo(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. Means "plain of the yew".
Medicine Hat(Settlement)English (Canadian) A city in Alberta, Canada. The name is from the Siksiká 'saamis', the word for the eagle tail feather headdress worn by medicine men.
Minquier(Island)Breton, Norman, English An island chain in the Channel Islands, England. Could be from Breton 'minihi', meaning "sanctuary, or from 'minkier' meaning "seller of fish".
Mississauga(Region)Ojibwe (Anglicized) From the Anishinaabe word misi-zaagiing, meaning "Those at the Great River Mouth". Name of the Mississauga tribe, and now a name of a Toronto suburb. Closely related to the Ojibwe word misswezahging, mean "river of many outlets".
Nahanni(River & Other)Chipewyan River and national park in Northwest Territories, Canada. From the Dene name for the area, 'Nahʔa Dehé', which means "river of the land of the Nahʔa people".
Niagara(Body of Water, Settlement & Region)Iroquois Name of a popular waterfall, a town, and region, in Canada. Derived from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra, meaning either "the strait", or "bisected bottom lands"
Nipigon(River & Settlement)Ojibwe Town and river in Ontario, Canada. From the Ojibwe word Alimipigon, possibly meaning "where the water begins".
Nipissing(Body of Water & Settlement)Algonquin Lake and town in Ontario, Canada. From the Algonquin word meaning "big water"
Oka(Settlement)Mohawk Unknown meaning. Name of town in Quebec
Okanagan(Region & Body of Water)Salishan Region and lake in Canada, named after the Okanagan people. Means "the people living where you can see the top", due to the many mountains in the area.
Ortac(Island)Norman A small Channel Island in England. Likely means "large rock at the edge" from the Norman 'or', meaning "edge", and 'etac', meaning "stack", referring to the geological landform.
Pristina(Settlement)Kosovar City in Kosovo. Possibly from the Proto-Slavic '*pryščina', meaning "spring of water".
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]
Qausuittuq(Other)Inuit National park in Nunavut, Canada. Meaning "the place where the sun does not rise] in Inuktitut.
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.
Regina(Settlement)English (Canadian) Capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. Meaning "queen", named in honour of Queen Victoria.
Roscommon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish County and town in Ireland. From the Irish 'Ros Comáin', meaning "Saint Coman's wood", after Saint Coman mac Faelchon who built a monastery there in the 5th century.
Sark(Island)English, Ancient Semitic, Medieval Scandinavian One of the Channel Islands in England. Could be derived from the Proto-Semetic 'śrq', meaning "redden", "rise", or "east", as Sark is the easternmost island. Alternatively, it come from Old Norse 'serkr', meaning "shirt".
Sasana(Country)Irish Irish name for England, from the Saxon people group.
Saugeen(River & Political Subdivision)Ojibwe (Anglicized) Town and river in Ontario, Canada. From the Ojibwe 'zaagiing', and means "at the river's outlet" or "at the mouth of the river".
Sligo(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. Means "shelly place", because of the large amount of shellfish the nearby river.
Staffordshire(Political Subdivision)English County in England. From Old English 'stæð' meaning "landing place, ford, and scir, meaning "shire".
Sudbury(Settlement)English City in Ontario, Canada. Meaning "south fortress" from Old English suð (south) and byrig (fortified place).
Sulu(Political Subdivision, Region & Body of Water)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Suluk, the Malay name for the Tausug people, in turn derived from Tausug Tau Sūg meaning "people of the current", from tau meaning "man, person" and sūg meaning "(sea) current, flow of water"... [more]
Swabia(Political Subdivision)German (Anglicized) Administrative region in Germany. Named after the ancient tribe, the 'Suebi', which itself possibly means "one's own people".
Thingvellir(Other)Icelandic The ancient site of the Icelandic government, now a national park. From the Scandinavian 'Þingvöllr', meaning "the meeting place of the assembly".
Thingwall(Settlement)English A town in England. From the Scandinavian 'Þingvöllr', meaning "the meeting place of the assembly".
Tingvoll(Region)Norwegian A municipality in Norway. From the Scandinavian 'Þingvöllr', meaning "the meeting place of the assembly".
Tingwall(Other)English The name of various places in Britain, including a parish, town, and airport. From the Scandinavian 'Þingvöllr', meaning "the meeting place of the assembly".
Tipperary(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Town and county in Ireland. From Tiobraid Árann, meaning "well of the Arra". The Arra is a river that flows through it.
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".
Ukkusiksalik(Other)Inuit National park in Nunavut, Canada. From Inuktitut, meaning "where there is material for the stone pot", from the word 'ukkusik', meaning "pot" or "saucepan".
Vuntut(Other)Cree National park in Yukon, Canada. Meaning "among the lakes" in Gwich'in.
Wapusk(Other)Cree National park in Manitoba, Canada. From the Cree word for polar bear, 'wâpask'.
Waterloo(Settlement)Flemish, English The name of multiple town and cities throughout the world, most notably the Battle of Waterloo, in 1815, where Napoleon was defeated. From the Flemish and Middle Dutch words 'water' and 'loo' (meaning forest, marsh).
Wawa(Settlement & Body of Water)Ojibwe Name of a town and lake in Ontario, Canada. From the Ojibwe wording wewe, meaning "wild goose"
Wicklow(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish, Old Norse Town and county in Ireland. From Old Norse 'víkingalág' or 'vikinga-ló', meaning "meadow of the Vikings".
Windsor(Settlement)English City in Ontario, Canada, from an English surname that was from a place name meaning "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English (a windlass is a lifting apparatus). This has been the surname of the royal family of the United Kingdom since 1917.
Woodstock(Settlement)English Name of many towns and cities throughout the world. Means "wood place".