Île-de-France(Political Subdivision & Region)French Meaning literally "island of France". Its ultimate etymology is unclear; the "island" may refer to the land between the rivers Oise, Marne and Seine, or it may have been a reference to the Île de la Cité, where the French royal palace and cathedral were located... [more]
Jaunjelgava(Settlement)Latvian The name of a town on the Daugava River in Latvia, which means "new Jelgava" (Jelgava being another Latvian city which is believed to derive its name from Livonian jālgab meaning "town on the river").
Jo-mo-glang-ma(Mountain)Tibetan Possibly means "holy mother", "mother of the universe" or "goddess mother of the world" in Tibetan. This is the Tibetan name for Mount Everest.
Jukkasjärvi(Settlement)Swedish, Finnish Originally from Northern Sami Čohkkirasjávri meaning "lake of assembly". It was later changed to the much more Finnish-sounding name Jukkasjärvi. This probably changed the meaning of the name as the first element jukkas is of uncertain origin (but it coincides with the Finnish given name Jukka)... [more]
Juodkalnija(Country)Lithuanian Lithuanian form of Montenegro. It is literally a direct translation of the country's name, since it consists of the Lithuanian adjective juodas meaning "black" combined with the Lithuanian noun kalnas meaning "mountain".
Kae-e-vanrash(Other)Mormon One of the three great stars of the Grand Key, appearing in the Book of Abraham, and Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language. It is the fourth great star from the center of the galaxy. According to the Book of Abraham, it governs fifteen great planets... [more]
Kakebertoun(Political Subdivision)Northern Irish (Anglicized, Archaic) Archaic name for Ballyhackamore, recorded in 1333 in a survey of the Earldom of Ulster. From a derivative of Irish cac, meaning “excrement” and denoting soft mud or slob land, and English toun, archaic and Ulster Scots spelling of “town”.
Kampong Cham(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “port of the chams” in Khmer.
Kampong Cham(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means "port of the Chams" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ចាម (cham) referring to the Cham people. This is the name of a province of Cambodia.
Kampong Speu(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “port of starfruit” in Khmer.
Kampong Speu(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means "port of starfruit" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ស្ពឺ (speu) meaning "starfruit". This is the name of a province of Cambodia.
Kampong Thom(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “great port” in Khmer.
Kampong Thom(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "great port" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ធំ (thom) meaning "big, large, great". This is the name of a province of and city in Cambodia.
Katrineholm(Settlement)Swedish Swedish city located in Södermanland. It was originally the name of a ducal residence located in the area. The residence was named after the owner's wife Catharina.
Khyrthtwyla(Country)Abkhaz From Abkhaz ақырҭуа (akhyrthua) meaning "Georgian" (of Mingrelian origin) and атәыла (atwyla) meaning "country". This is the Abkhaz name for the country of Georgia.
Kuala Lumpur(Settlement)Malay, English Means "muddy confluence" from Malay kuala meaning "confluence" and lumpur meaning "mud". This is the name of the capital city of Malaysia.
Lac Qui Parle(Body of Water)English (American) A lake and city in Minnesota. From French lac qui parle meaning "lake which speaks".
Lakshadweep(Political Subdivision)English A union territory of India. An Anglicized form of Sanskrit लक्षद्वीप (lakṣadvīpa) meaning "hundred thousand islands", from लक्ष (lakṣa) meaning “hundred thousand” and द्वीप (dvīpa) meaning "island".
Lhokseumawe(Settlement)Indonesian From the Acehnese name Lhôk Seumaw'è from lhôk meaning "deep" and Seumaw'è referring to the swirling water in the sea along the coast of eastern Aceh. This is the name of a city in the Indonesian province of Aceh.
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.
Maguindanao(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Spanish Maguindanao, a corruption of Magindanaw, the endonym of the Maguindanao people. The ethnic name means "people of the flood plains" or "people of the lake" from the word danao meaning "lake"... [more]
Maharashtra(Political Subdivision)Indian The name "Maharashtra" translates to "Great Nation" or "Great State" in English. It is derived from the Sanskrit words "Maha" meaning "great" and "Rashtra" meaning "nation" or "state." Therefore, "Maharashtra" signifies a region of significant importance or prominence.
Makhachkala(Settlement)Russian Means "Makhach's fortress", from the given name Makhach and Kumyk къала (qala) meaning "fortress". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Dagestan, named in honour of Magomed-Ali "Makhach" Dadaev (1882-1918), a Dagestani revolutionary.
Malorossiya(Country & Region)Russian Means "Little Russia" (малый/malyy + россия/rossiya), a historical term denoting to what now is mostly Ukraine.
Mandaluyong(Settlement)Filipino Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong, is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Located directly east of Manila, Mandaluyong was originally a barrio of Santa Ana de Sapa called San Felipe Neri... [more]
Mare Nostrum(Body of Water)Ancient Roman, Late Roman Ancient Roman term for the Mediterranean Sea. Meaning "our sea", from Latin mare meaning "sea" and nostrum meaning "our, ours".
Marlborough(Other)English Originating from the name of a market town in Wiltshire. Legend has it that the Mound is the burial site of Merlin and that the name of the town, Marlborough comes from Merlin's Barrow.... [more]
Mavrovounio(Country)Greek Greek form of Montenegro. It is literally a direct translation of the country's name, since it consists of the Greek adjective μαύρος (mavros) meaning "black" (compare Maurus) combined with the Greek noun βουνό (vouno) meaning "mountain".
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.
Mesopotamia(Region)English This is the name of a historical region in the Middle East. Its name is derived from the Greek words μέσος (mesos) meaning “middle” and ποταμός (potamos) meaning “river”.
Minas Gerais(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese Literally "general mines" in Portuguese. It is unclear whether the adjective Gerais refers to the many mines within the region or to the Matos Gerais (or Campos Gerais), the fields that were far away from the mines... [more]
Minas Tirith(Settlement)Literature A city in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. Meaning "tower of guard, tower of watch," from the fictional Sindarin language, minas meaning "tower, fort" and tirith, meaning "watch, guard, vigilence".
Minneapolis(Political Subdivision)English Name of a city in Minnesota, from Dakota mni "river, stream" + Ancient Greek polis "city".
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".
Moengintiya(Country)Shan From Shan မိူင်း (moeng) meaning "country" and ဢိၼ်းတီးယႃး (intiya) meaning "India". This is the Shan name for India.
Moengkyapan(Country)Shan From Shan မိူင်း (moeng) meaning "country" and ၵျႃႇပၢၼ်ႇ (kyapan) meaning "Japan". This is the Shan name for Japan.
Mogholestan(Country, Political Subdivision & Region)Persian From Persian مغول (moğul) meaning "Mongol, Mongolian" combined with the suffix ستان (stân) meaning "land of". This is the Persian name for Mongolia.
Nakhon Nayok(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of exempted rice fields" from Thai นคร (nakhon) meaning "city", นา (na) meaning "rice field, paddy field" and ยก (yok) meaning "dismiss, exempt", so named because the rice fields in this region were exempted from taxes during the Ayutthaya period... [more]
Nakhon Sawan(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of heaven" from Thai นคร (nakhon) meaning "city" and สวรรค์ (sawan) meaning "heaven". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and city in, Thailand.
Nimechchyna(Country)Ukrainian Ukrainian form of Germany. Comes from an old Slavic word that meant "people who don't speak right".
Nishinomiya(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west", the unwritten possessive marker の (no), and 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace"... [more]
Noblesville(Settlement)English From the English surname Noble and ville meaning "city". The city in Indiana was named for either James Noble, one of the first two Senators from Indiana, or Lavina Noble, the fiance of city founder Josiah Polk.
Nokhchiycho(Political Subdivision)Chechen From Chechen нохчий (nokhchiy), the plural of the endonym нохчо (nokhcho), combined with the suffix -чоь (-cho) meaning "place of". The ethnic name is believed to be derived from Nakh нах (nakh) meaning "people" or "man, person"... [more]
Northampton(Political Subdivision)English From Ham tune, literally meaning "home town" in Old English. The prefix north was added later to distinguish it from other towns called Hampton.
North Dakota(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, also the name of indigenous people of the Great Plains, from the Dakota word dakhóta "friend".
Novorossiya(Region)Russian Means "New Russia", from Russian новый (novyy), meaning "new" and Россия (Rossiya), meaning "Russia". Historically it was used to describe a region of land around the Ukrainian coastline, but in contemporary usage it refers to the group of 8 regions in Ukraine* (Donyetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozh'ye, Kherson, Khar'kov, Odessa, Dnyepr, Nikolayev) that are predominantly Russian... [more]
Olhudookara(Country & Island)Dhivehi From Dhivehi އޮޅުދޫ (olhudoo) referring to the island of Sri Lanka combined with ކަރަ (kara) meaning "landmass, country". This is the Dhivehi name of Sri Lanka.
Owámniyomni(Other)Sioux A waterfall near Minneapolis, Minnesota, the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi River before the construction of a series of locks. From Dakota owámniyomni, "whirlpool".
Parahyangan(Region)Indonesian, Sundanese Means "abode of hyangs", from hyang referring to a type of supernatural spirit or deity in Indonesian mythology. This is the name of a mountainous region in the western part of Java.
Pasir Gudang(Settlement)Malay, English From Malay pasir meaning "sand" and gudang meaning "warehouse, barn, deposit". This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Pathum Thani(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of lotuses" from Thai ปทุม (pathum) meaning "lotus" and ธานี (thani) meaning "city". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Phatthalung(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Thai form of the Malay name Mardelong of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Phetchaburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of diamonds" from Thai เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Phitsanulok(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Derived from Thai พิษณุ (Phitsanu) referring to the Hindu god Vishnu and โลก (lok) meaning "land, world". This is the name of a province of and city in Thailand.
Pondicherry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English Derived from Tamil புதுச்சேரி (putuccēri) meaning "new town". Pondicherry (Puducherry) is the capital city of an Indian state of the same name.
Preah Vihear(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “sacred sanctuary” in Khmer.
Preah Vihear(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer From the name of an ancient temple itself meaning "temple, sanctuary", derived from Khmer ព្រះ (preah) meaning "god, lord" and វិហារ (vihear) meaning "temple, monastery"... [more]
Pulinkunnoo(Region, Settlement, Island, Body of Water & River)Malayalam Birthplace of Kunchacko.
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]
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".
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]
Rhinelander(Settlement)American The name of a town in Oneida County, Wisconsin and the home of the Hodag, a cryptid with the head of a frog, the face of an elephant, and the body of a dinosaur. It was named after Frederic W. Rhinelander.
Rhode Island(Island & Political Subdivision)English Name of a state in the United States, said to have been named by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano when he passed through in 1524, based on an imagined similarity between modern Block Island and the Greek Isle of Rhodes, or possibly from Dutch Roodt Eylandt, literally "red island", a name given by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block.
Riksgränsen(Settlement)Swedish Means "the national border" in Swedish. Riksgränsen is a small village and popular ski-resort in Northern Sweden, close to the Norwegian border.
Saint-tropez(Settlement)French, Occitan Coastal town in France, Named after the Catholic saint Torpes of Pisa (Saint-Tropez).
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.
Scandinavia(Region)English Likely derived from the Germanic root *Skaðin-awjō, a combination of the reconstructed elements *skaðan- "danger, damage" and *awjō "island". Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe and usually refers to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
Scarborough(Settlement)English The name of a city in England. It is mentioned in the folk song "Scarborough Fair" about a fair held in the Middle Ages. A notable version of this song is the one by Simon and Garfunkel.