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 2) 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.
Basilan(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tausug, Cebuano, Tagalog, English Probably from Tausug basi'-lan meaning "iron way, iron road" or basi'-balan meaning "magnetic iron". This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
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]
Bataan(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English From the word batan of unclear indigenous origin, which was used to refer to the peninsula across Manila Bay. It may be related to the Malayo-Polynesian root bataŋ meaning "tree trunk, log"... [more]
Batam(Island & Settlement)Indonesian, Malay Meaning uncertain. This is the name of an island and city in Indonesia.
Batanes(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Ivatan, Ilocano, Tagalog Most likely from a Hispanicized plural form of the Ivatan endonym Ibatan or Batan, which is of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Batangas(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog, English Derived from Tagalog batangan meaning "timberland, place of wooden rafts", itself from batang meaning "log" combined with the place marker suffix -an. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, the Philippines.
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).
Bathurst(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English The name Bathurst is of English origin, likely named after Henry Bathurst, the 3rd Earl Bathurst, an English politician. The name is derived from "bath" (a place for bathing) and "hurst" (a wooded hill), with the meaning potentially being "a bath near a wooded hill" or "a hill by the baths." The place name was popularized by British colonialists in the 19th century.
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]
Battle(River)English The name Battle River is believed to originate from conflicts between Indigenous groups, particularly the Cree and Blackfoot, in the region before European settlement. The river served as an important route for trade, hunting, and travel... [more]
Battleford(Settlement)English Battleford was named after the Battle River, which itself was named due to historical conflicts between Indigenous groups, particularly the Cree and Blackfoot... [more]
Batu Gajah(Settlement)Malay, English Means "elephant rock" from Malay batu meaning "stone, rock" and gajah meaning "elephant", most likely named for two large boulders that resembled elephants located along a nearby river... [more]
Batumi(Settlement)Georgian The name of a city in Georgia, derived from Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathus) meaning "deep" combined with the Georgian toponymic suffix -ომი (-omi).
Baudette(Settlement & River)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Baudette. The town and river in Minnesota were named for Joseph Baudette, a French-Canadian trapper.
Baukungri(Mountain)Bodo The name of both a famous hill in the autonomous Assamese subregion of Bodoland and the festival surrounding it.
Bayonne(Political Subdivision)French, English (American), Basque, Medieval Latin (Modern) New Jersey: From French Bayonne. The first element of the name is variously said to be Basque or Latin; the second element is Basque on (“good”). More at Bayonne. Also compare Latin baia.... [more]
Bay Roberts(Settlement)English The name Bay Roberts likely refers to its location by a bay and is named after an early settler or landowner named Roberts. "Bay" refers to its coastal setting... [more]
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.
Bdoté(Island & Body of Water)Sioux From Dakota bdoté meaning "place where two or more bodies of water converge".
Beatrice(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English given name Beatrice. The city in Nebraska was named for Julia Beatrice Kinney, the daughter of Judge John F. Kinney.
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]
Bedfordshire(Political Subdivision & Region)English From Old English Bedanfordscir, meaning the shire or county of Bedford, itself meaning "Beda's river crossing".... [more]
Bedok(Settlement)English, Malay Derived from Malay beduk meaning "drum", referring specifically to a type of drum used to signal prayer times. This is the name of a planning area and town in Singapore.
Beersheba(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English Beersheba is a city in Israel, whose name is derived from the Hebrew Be'er Sheva, which means “Well of the Oath”.
Belegaer(Body of Water)Literature An ocean in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. From the fictional Sindarin language beleg, "great", and gaer, "sea".
Beleriand(Region)Literature A region in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. From the fictional Sindarin language, Balar (an island and bay in the region) and iand meaning "land".
Belgorod(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Russian Means "white city" from Russian белый (beliy) meaning "white" and город (gorod) meaning "city, town". This is the name of an oblast (a type of administrative division) of, as well as a city in, Russia.
Belgrade(Settlement)English, French From Serbian Београд (Beograd) meaning "white city", derived from the Slavic root beli or beo meaning "white" combined with grad meaning "city, town". This is the name of the capital city of Serbia.
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
Bellagio(Political Subdivision)Italian Bellagio is an Italian comune in the Province of Como. It is also the name of a hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
Bellefontaine Neighbors(Settlement)English Bellefontaine Neighbors is an inner-ring suburb city in the U.S. In 1804, a treaty was made with the Sac and Fox Indians that led to the establishment of a trading post on the south bank of the Missouri River... [more]
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).
Bellevue(Settlement)English Means "beautiful view", from French "belle" meaning "beautiful" and "vue" meaning "view", the name of several cities in the United States.
Belmopan(Settlement)English Belmopan, the capital city of Belize, got its name from combining "Belize" and "Mopan," which is one of the indigenous Maya groups in Belize. The name was chosen in 1970 when the government decided to move the capital from Belize City to a more centrally located area.
Beltrami(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the Italian surname Beltrami. The city and lake in Minnesota were named for Giacomo Costantino Beltrami, a Italian explorer.
Benezie(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. Possibly from Ojibwe binesi, meaning "raptor", perhaps referring to eagles, hawks, or the Thunder Bird spiritual being.
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.