Ba Bể(Body of Water, Political Subdivision & Other)Vietnamese From Vietnamese ba meaning "three," and bể meaning "lake" or "sea"; literally "three lakes/seas." It is the name of a lake, a county, and a national park in northeast Vietnam.
Bạc Liêu(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Teochew 薄遼 (po liaw) meaning "meagre hamlet".
Bạc Liêu(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese Perhaps from Sino-Vietnamese 薄 (bạc) meaning "miserable, poor" and 寮 (liêu) meaning "neighbourhood, village". Alternately it may be derived from Khmer ប៉ុស្តិ៍ (poh) meaning "post, station" or ពល (pol) meaning "troops, forces" and លាវ (leav) meaning "Lao"... [more]
Bacolod(Settlement)Hiligaynon, Tagalog, English Derived from Hiligaynon bakolod meaning "hill, mound". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Badley(Settlement)English Habitational name from Badley in Suffolk or Baddeley Green in Staffordshire, both named with the Old English personal name Bad(d)a + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.
Baghdad(Settlement)English, Italian, Malay, Uyghur From Arabic بغداد (baḡdād), itself from Persian بغداد (baǧdâd), probably from Middle Persian bgdt, meaning "given by god", from Old Persian *Bagadātaʰ... [more]
Baghdad(Settlement)Arabic, English, Armenian, Hindi, Italian, Malay, Pashto, Persian, Urdu, Uyghur From Persian بغداد (Baghdad) most likely derived from Middle Persian 𐭡𐭢𐭣𐭲 (bgdt) meaning "given by god", itself from Old Persian 𐏎 (baga) meaning "god" and 𐎭𐎠𐎫 (dātaʰ) meaning "given, created"... [more]
Bago(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Burmese Most likely derived from Old Mon ဗဂေါ (bagaw) meaning "beautiful city" or "beautiful town". This is the name of a region of, as well as a city in, Myanmar.
Bagshaw(Settlement)English Means "Bacga's thicket" or "Bacga's copse". Derived from the Anglo-Saxon given name Bacga and the word sceaga "thicket, copse"
Bahamas(Country)English The name of the Country in the Caribbean. The Bahamas is a coral-based archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Its 700-plus islands and cays range from uninhabited to packed with resorts. The northernmost, Grand Bahama, and Paradise Island, home to many large-scale hotels, are among the best known... [more]
Bahia(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, English Literally "bay" in Portuguese, this name comes from the Bay of All Saints (Baía de Todos os Santos), for which a Portuguese captaincy was named. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
Baikal(Body of Water)Russian, English From Buryat Байгал (Baygal) of uncertain origin, perhaps from the Turkic roots baj meaning "rich" and kol meaning "lake" or from Mongolian байгалийн нуур (baigaliin nuur) meaning "natural lake"... [more]
Baikonur(Settlement)Russian, English From Kazakh Байқоңыр (Bayqonyr) meaning "wealthy brown" or "fertile land with many plants", derived from бай (bay) meaning "rich, wealthy" and қоңыр (qonyr) meaning "brown"... [more]
Bakersfield(Settlement)English Named after a person bearing the surname Baker. The city in California was named after former colonel Thomas Baker of the Ohio Militia, who moved to the area in 1863.
Baku(Settlement)English, Russian, Persian From Azerbaijani Bakı from Persian باکو (baku), which is of uncertain meaning. One popular etymology suggests that it means "wind-pounded city" from Persian باد (bad) meaning "wind" and کوبیدن (kubidan) meaning "to pound, to beat", given in reference to the area's frequent storms and high winds... [more]
Ba Lan(Country)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 波蘭 (Ba Lan) possibly from Chinese 波蘭 (Bōlán) or Min Nan 波蘭 (Pho-lân). This is the Vietnamese name for Poland.
Balba(Country)Mongolian Derived from Mongolian ᠪᠠᠯᠪᠤ (balbu), ultimately from Sanskrit नेपाल (Nepal) of unknown meaning. This is the modern Mongolian name for Nepal.
Bali(Political Subdivision & Island)Indonesian, Balinese, Javanese, English Derived from Sanskrit बलि (bali) meaning "offering, tribute". This is the name of an island and province in Indonesia.
Balıkesir(Settlement)Turkish Most likely from Greek Παλαιόκαστρον (Palaiokastron) meaning "old castle", from παλαιός (palaios) "old" and κάστρον (kastron) "castle". This is the name of a city in Turkey.
Balikpapan(Settlement)Indonesian The name of a city in Indonesia, meaning uncertain.
Baltic Sea(Body of Water)English Meaning uncertain. Possibly derived from Latin balteus "belt". The Baltic Sea is a sea in Northern Europe. The name was first used, as Mare Balticum, by Adam of Bremen in the 11th century... [more]
Baltimore(Settlement)English Baltimore is an independent city in the state of Maryland within the United States.
Baltistan(Region)Urdu, English From the ethnic name بلتی (Balti) combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the name of a region in Pakistan.
Bal Yul(Country)Bhutanese, Tibetan From Bhutanese and Tibetan བལ (bal) meaning "Nepal" and ཡུལ (yul) meaning "country, nation". This is the Bhutanese and Tibetan name for Nepal.
Banda Aceh(Settlement)Indonesian Means "port of Aceh" from Indonesian bandar meaning "port, harbour" (of Persian origin) and Aceh. This is the name of the capital city of the Indonesian province of Aceh.
Bandaríkin(Country)Icelandic Combination of Icelandic bönd "connections, relations, ties" and ríki "state". This is the Icelandic name for the United States.
Bandar Lampung(Settlement)Indonesian From Indonesian bandar meaning "harbour, port" (of Persian origin) and Lampung. This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Bandar Seri Begawan(Settlement)Malay, English Means "town of the radiance of the gods" from Malay bandar meaning "town" (of Persian origin), seri meaning "radiance, splendour, glory" and begawan meaning "holy". The name comes from Seri Begawan, a Malay title used by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III (1914-1986), which was ultimately derived from Sanskrit श्री भगवान् (shri bhagvan)... [more]
Bandung(Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese From Indonesian bendung or bendungan meaning "dam, dike", given in reference to the area in relation to the nearby Citarum River. Local sources also relate the name to the phrase Nga-Bandung-an Banda Indung, which is considered sacred in Sundanese culture... [more]
Bangkok(Settlement)Thai, English Believed to be from Thai บาง (bang) meaning "village, settlement" and กอก (kok) meaning "olive" (so named because of the olive trees that used to grow in the area) or perhaps เกาะ (ko) meaning "island"... [more]
Bangor(Settlement)English, Welsh Derived from bancor, the Old Welsh word for "wattled enclosure". This is the name of a city in Wales, and the namesake of the associated University.
Bangsamoro(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog From Malay bangsa meaning "nation, country, race" combined with Moro, the collective term for the thirteen predominantly Muslim ethnic groups of the Philippines, which is ultimately of Spanish origin... [more]
Banjarmasin(Settlement)Indonesian, Banjar Possibly a corruption of Bandar Masih meaning "Port Masih", referring to a local ruler named Patih Masih (likely a nickname). This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Banteay Meanchey(Political Subdivision)Khmer From Khmer បន្ទាយ្ (banteay) meaning “fortress” and from Sanskrit जय (jaya) meaning “victory”.
Banteay Meanchey(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means "fortress of victory" in Khmer, from បន្ទាយ (banteay) meaning "fort, fortress", មាន (mean) meaning "have, possess, own" and ជ័យ (chay) meaning "victory"... [more]
Banten(Country & Political Subdivision)Indonesian, Sundanese, Javanese Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from the Sundanese and Bantenese phrase katiban inten meaning "struck down by diamonds", which was used to describe the spead of Islam in the region in the 15th century... [more]
Baoding(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 保 (bǎo) meaning "protection" and 定 (dìng) meaning "stable". This is the name of a city just south of Beijing in Hebei province.
Barbade(Island & Country)French French form of Barbados, usually written with the definite article la.
Barbados(Country)English The name of the Country in the Caribbean. Barbados is an eastern Caribbean island and an independent British Commonwealth nation. Bridgetown, the capital, is a cruise-ship port with colonial buildings and Nidhe Israel, a synagogue founded in 1654... [more]
Barcelona(Settlement)Catalan, Spanish, English Barcelona is a city in Spain. It is the capital and largest city of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain.
Barnet(Settlement)English Means "land cleared by burning". This is the name of a large town in Barnet Borough, England. Named after it is a small town in Vermont State, US.
Bashkiria(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Башкирия (Bashkiriya) which is from башкир (bashkir), the Russian name for the Bashkir people. This is another name for Bashkortostan, a republic in Russia.
Bashkortostan(Political Subdivision)Russian From Bashkir Башҡортостан (Bashqortostan), which is from башҡорт (bashqort), the name of the people, combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of"... [more]
Bashlam(Mountain)Chechen Means "molten mountain" or "melting mountain" from Chechen беше (beshe) meaning "to melt" and лам (lam) meaning "mountain". This is the Chechen name for Mount Kazbek.
Basilicata(Political Subdivision)Italian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese The origin of the name is uncertain: it may come from the Greek term βασιλικός (basilikos), a title given to the Byzantine governors of the region; it may be derived from the church of Acerenza, whose bishop had jurisdiction over the territory; or it may be connected to Basil II Porphyrogenitus, Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025.... [more]
Bastille(Other)French This is the name of a fortress, formally known as Bastille Saint-Antoine, which played an important role in France's internal conflicts.... [more]
Batam(Island & Settlement)Indonesian, Malay Meaning uncertain. This is the name of an island and city in Indonesia.
Batavia(Region & Settlement)English, Dutch, Indonesian From Latin Batavia, itself from Proto-Germanic Batawjō meaning "good island", derived from bataz meaning "good" and awjō meaning "island". This is the name of a historical and geographical region located in what is now the Netherlands... [more]
Bathgate(Settlement)Scottish A town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Cumbric beith, meaning 'boar' (Welsh baedd) and chyd, meaning 'wood, trees' (Welsh coed).
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]
Baton Rouge(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From French le bâton rouge ("the red stick"), itself from Choctaw iti humma ("red pole") through Istrouma, a possible corruption; the name ultimately comes from a red pole marking the hunting boundaries for the Houma and Bayagoula tribes... [more]
Battambang(Political Subdivision)Khmer Means “loss of stick”, referring to the local legend, Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung.
Battambang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "lost stick" in Khmer, from បាត់ (bat) meaning "lost, gone, missing" and ដំបង (dambang) meaning "stick, staff", named in reference to a local legend of a king who lost a stick in the area... [more]
Baukungri(Mountain)Bodo The name of both a famous hill in the autonomous Assamese subregion of Bodoland and the festival surrounding it.
Bayt al-Maqdis(Settlement)Arabic Means "holy house" in Arabic, from بَيْت (bayt) meaning "house" and مُقَدَّس (muqaddas) meaning "holy, sacred". This is an Arabic name for Jerusalem.
Bắc Giang(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 北 (bắc) meaning "north, northern" and 江 (giang) meaning "river". This is the name of a province and city in Vietnam.
Bắc Kạn(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 北 (bắc) meaning "north" and Vietnamese � (cạn) meaning "arid, dry". This is the name of a city in Vietnam as well as the province in which the city is located.
Bắc Ninh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 北 (bắc) meaning "north" and 寧 (ninh) meaning "peaceful".
Bắc Ninh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 北 (bắc) meaning "north, northern" and 寧 (ninh) meaning "peaceful, tranquil, serene". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Bécs(Settlement)Hungarian Either derived from Avar becs meaning "guarding place" or Old Hungarian bécs meaning "coal-burning furnace" (itself of Turkic origin). This is the Hungarian name of Vienna.
Beddgelert(Settlement)Welsh A village in northwest Wales. The name means 'Gelert's grave', from Welsh bedd, 'grave' & Gelert, whose identity is a subject of debate.... [more]