Cainhannoch(Settlement)Mormon From an alternative name for New York used in the Doctrine and Covenants. A possible origin could be that in the Bible, Cain, the son of Adam, had a son named Enoch. A derivative of that is Henoch, and a further derivative is Hanoch... [more]
Caiseal(Settlement)Irish The original Gaelic name of a town in County Tipperary, Ireland, known in the English-speaking world as Cashel. It means "stone ringfort", ultimately from Latin castellum.
Calabria(Political Subdivision)Italian, English, Finnish, Galician, Spanish From Ancient Greek Καλαβρία (Kalabría), itself derived from the name of a local Oscan tribe. This is the name of a region in southern Italy.
Callifae(Settlement)English From the name of a town in ancient Italy, of uncertain origin. It was mentioned only by the Roman historian Livy, and may correspond to the village Calvisi, at the foot of the Monte Matese.
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".
Calvary(Region)Biblical A location outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified according to the Gospels. It means "place of the skull" (derived from "calvariae locus") and is also known as Golgotha.
Cam(River)English The River Cam is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England.... [more]
Cà Mau(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 哥 (cà) meaning "to sing" and 毛 (mau) meaning "fur".
Cà Mau(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese Derived from Khmer ទឹកខ្មៅ (tuk khmaw) meaning "ink" (literally "black water"), from ទឹក (tuk) meaning "water" and ខ្មៅ (khmaw) meaning "black". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Cambodia(Country)English From French Cambodge taken from Khmer កម្ពុជា (Kampuchea). The name comes from Sanskrit कम्बोजदेश (Kambujadesha), derived from काम्बोज (kamboja), the name of an ancient tribe and kingdom described in Hindu literature, combined with देश (desha) meaning "kingdom, country"... [more]
Cambria(Country)Medieval Latin Latin name used for Wales, a Latinised form of Cymru. The term is first attested in Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century as an alternative to both of these since Britannia was now ambiguous and Wallia a foreign import but remained rare until late in the Middle Ages.
Cambridge(Settlement)English Cambridge is a university city and the county town of Cambridgeshire, England, on the River Cam approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of London.... [more]
Cameroon(Country)English The name of the Country in Central Africa. Cameroon, on the Gulf of Guinea, is a Central African country of varied terrain and wildlife. Its inland capital, Yaoundé, and its biggest city, the seaport Douala, are transit points to ecotourism sites as well as beach resorts like Kribi – near the Chutes de la Lobé waterfalls, which plunge directly into the sea – and Limbe, where the Limbe Wildlife Centre houses rescued primates.
Campania(Political Subdivision)Italian, English, Galician, Spanish, Ancient Roman From Latin Campania, itself from campania felix, denoting the fertile countryside around Mount Vesuvius. This is the name of a region in southern Italy.
Campobasso(Settlement)Italian, English, French, German, Spanish Literally "low field"; derived from Latin Campus Vassorum, denoting that the city was host to vassals. This is the name of the capital city of the southern Italian region of Molise.
Cana(Settlement)Biblical The Galilean settlement where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning the water to wine, according to the Gospel of John.
Canarias(Island)Spanish From Latin Canariae Insulae meaning "islands of the dogs". This is the name of a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of northwestern Africa.
Canary Islands(Region)English English form of Spanish Islas Canarias which is derived from Latin Canariae Insulae "islands of the dogs". This is the name of a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of northwestern Africa.
Canberra(Settlement)English From the city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
Cần Thơ(Political Subdivision)Vietnamese Possibly from Vietnamese cầm thi giang meaning "river of poems", or from Vietnamese rau cần meaning "water dropwort" and rau cần meaning "mint".
Cao Bằng(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 高 (cao) meaning "tall, high" and 平 (bằng) meaning "level, even, peaceful". This is the name of a city in Vietnam as well as the province in which the city is located.
Cape Verde(Country)English From the name of the Senegalese peninsula Cap-Vert meaning "green cape" in Portuguese. Cape Verde is an island country spanning an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean.
Cardiff(Settlement)Welsh The capital city of Wales. Cardiff derives from the city's Welsh name Caerdydd, which in turn was derived from the city's Old Welsh name Caerdyf (In Welsh f (v) is often mutated to dd (th)).... [more]
Caribbean(Region)English The name of the Region. The Caribbean is a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.
Carperby(Settlement)English A village in Yorkshire, England. The second element is Old Norse -byr, 'farm'. The first element is possibly the Old Gaelic personal name Cairpre. This seems to indicate a farm of an Irish or Scottish Viking, who settled in England... [more]
Carson(Settlement)English (American) Carson City is the capital of the American state of Nevada.
Carson City(Settlement)English It was named after American frontiersman Kit Carson, this is the capital city of the US state of Nevada.
Casablanca(Settlement)English, French, Spanish Means "white house" in Spanish. The name comes from a Spanish translation of the Arabic name الدار البيضاء (ad-Dar al-Bayda'), which in turn was derived from a calque of the Portuguese name Casa Branca... [more]
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.
Casper(Settlement)English From the name of Fort Caspar named after United States army officer Caspar Collins (see Caspar). Casper is city in Wyoming, USA.
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".
Castlebar(Settlement)Irish Means "Barry's Castle", from a castle built by the de Barry family, which the town grew around.... [more]
Castleblayney(Settlement)English "Castle", referring to the castle outside the town, + "Blayney", after Sir Edward Blayney, whom the British Crown granted land in the area to.
Catania(Settlement)Italian, English, German, Sicilian, Spanish From Ancient Greek Kατάvη (Katánē), itself either from Sicel katane ("grater"), due to its proximity to Mount Etna and the resulting rough earth, or from Proto-Italic katina ("basin"), owing to the wide valley around the town... [more]
Catanzaro(Settlement)Italian, English, French, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, German From Latin Catanciarium, itself derived from Catacium, ultimately from Ancient Greek Καταρτάριοι, meaning "silk spinners". This is the name of a city in southern Italy, the second city in Calabria, as well as its capital city.
Caucasus(Mountain)English From Greek Καύκασος (Kaúkasos), which is of uncertain origin; it may be derived from Scythian *xrohukäsi meaning "ice-shining" or "white snow". Alternatively, it may be from Greek κήξ (kḗx) meaning "sea swallow (a kind of bird)" and κάσος (kásos) possibly meaning "mountain" or "rock"... [more]
Ceará(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) Most likely from Tupi ceará, probably a combination of the words cemo ("to sing loudly", "to scream") and ara ("small macaw, parakeet, jandaia"), thus "the jandaia sings". Another interpretation is that the name means "river originating from the mountains"... [more]
Cebu(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Cebuano Sugbo, derived from Old Cebuano sibu or sibo meaning "trade", itself a shortened form of the phrase sinibuayng hingpit meaning "place for trading". This is the name of an island, province and city (Cebu City) in the Philippines.
Celilo(Body of Water)Indigenous American Means: echo of falling water. A famous waterfall used as a Native American fishing ground.
Celje(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Slovene From Latin Celeia (the Roman-era name of the settlement), from Ancient Greek Κέλεια (Keleia) of unknown origin... [more]
Celle(Settlement)German Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Centre-Val de Loire(Region & Political Subdivision)French Meaning literally "Centre-Loire Valley", as the centre of the Loire flows through the region.... [more]
Ceuta(Settlement)English, Spanish, Portuguese The settlement below Jebel Musa was later renamed for the seven hills around the site, collectively referred to as the "Seven Brothers". In particular, the Roman stronghold at the site took the name "Fort at the Seven Brothers"... [more]
Çexiya(Country)Azerbaijani Azerbaijani form of Čechy, used as a name for the Czech Republic.
Ceylon(Country)English Previous name of the country Sri Lanka. The name Ceylon most likely traces its roots back to the Sanskrit Sinha, meaning "lion". As lions are not native to Sri Lanka, another possible interpretation of the name is "lion-like man" or "hero".
Ceylon(Country)English (Archaic) The former name of Sri Lanka, derived from Portuguese Ceilão, which was in turn derived from Persian سیلان (seylan), ultimately from Sanskrit सिंहल (sinhala) meaning "lionlike".
Chachoengsao(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Believed to be a corruption of Khmer ស្ទឹងជ្រៅ (stoeng chrau) meaning "deep river", from ស្ទឹង (stoeng) meaning "small river, stream" and ស្ទឹង (chrau) meaning "deep"... [more]
Chainat(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai ชัย (chai) meaning "victory" and นาท (nat) meaning "resounding, roaring". This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Chaiyaphum(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai ชัย (chai) meaning "victory" and ภูมิ (phum) meaning "land, region". This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Champa(Country)Champa Located in south and central Vietnam from the 7th century through 1832.
Champa(Country)Cham, Khmer, Lao, English From Vietnamese Chăm Pa ultimately derived from Sanskrit चम्पक (champaka) referring to a type of flowering tree (genus Magnolia). This is the name of a collection of ancient kingdoms that existed between the 2nd and 17th centuries in what is now central and southern Vietnam.
Champagne(Region)French French region famous for its luxury sparkling wine.... [more]
Changan(Settlement)Chinese Changan was the capital of the Tang dynasty from A.D 618 to A.D 907. It was even the largest city in the world. But it was lost due to rebellion and invasion.
Changwon(Settlement)Korean Combination of 昌 (창, chang, "prosperity") and 原 (원, won, "meadow"), thus "prosperous meadow". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Chanthaburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Most likely derived from Thai จันทร์ (chan) meaning "moon" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Chantilly(Settlement)French From the name of a town in France near Paris, ultimately derived from the Gallo-Roman name Cantilius. The city gave its name to a type of delicate lace originally made there.
Charlotte(Settlement)English Name of a city in North Carolina, named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who had become the Queen of Great Britain just seven years before the town's incorporation.
Chat(Body of Water & Country)Khmer Khmer form of Chad.
Chattogram(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Bengali, English Alternate transcription of Bengali চট্টগ্রাম (see Chottogram) officially used by the government of Bangladesh.
Châu Á(Region)Vietnamese From Vietnamese châu meaning "continent" and Á meaning "Asia". This is the Vietnamese name for Asia.
Châu Âu(Region)Vietnamese From Vietnamese châu meaning "continent" and Âu referring to Europe (a calque of Chinese Ouzhou). This is the Vietnamese name for Europe.
Châu Đại Dương(Region)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 洲 (châu) meaning "continent, island" and 大洋 (đại dương) meaning "ocean". This is the Vietnamese name for Oceania.
Châu Phi(Region)Vietnamese From Vietnamese châu meaning "continent" and Phi referring to Africa (from a calque of Chinese Feizhou). This is the Vietnamese name for Africa.
Chausey(Island)Norman A large group of islands in the Channel Islands, France. The -ey is the Norman word for "island".
Chavash En(Political Subdivision)Chuvash From Chuvash чӑваш (chavash), the ethnic name of the Chuvash people, and ен (en) meaning "place, region, country, side". This is the Chuvash name for Chuvashia.
Chawa(Political Subdivision & Island)Thai Thai form of Java.
Chechenistan(Political Subdivision)Persian From Persian چچن (čečen) meaning "Chechen" and the suffix ـستان (-stân) meaning "land of". This is a Persian name for Chechnya.
Chechneti(Political Subdivision)Georgian From ჩეჩნური (chechnuri), the Georgian exonym for the Chechen people, and the suffix -ეთი (-eti) used to indicate location. This is the Georgian name for Chechnya.
Chechnya(Political Subdivision)Russian, English Means "(place) of the Chechens", derived from the Russian name for the Chechen people. The exonym is of uncertain meaning, with Russian folk etymologies suggesting that it originates from the name of a village; on the other hand, it may be derived from the Kabardian name Шашан (Shashan)... [more]
Chehiya(Country)Bulgarian Bulgarian form of Čechy, used as a name for the Czech Republic.
Chekh(Country)Mongolian Mongolian form of Čechy, used as a name for the Czech Republic.
Cheko(Country)Japanese, Korean Shortened form of Japanese チェコスロバキア (Chekosurobakia) or Korean 체코슬로바키아 (Chekoseullobakia) both referring to the historical country of Czechoslovakia... [more]
Cheltenham(Settlement)English (British) First recorded in 803, as Celtan hom; the meaning has not been resolved with certainty, but latest scholarship concludes that the first element preserves a pre-British noun cilta, 'steep hill', here referring to the Cotswold scarp; the second element may mean 'settlement' or 'water-meadow'... [more]
Chengdu(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 成 (chéng) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" and 都 (dū) meaning "capital city, large city", supposedly named during the city's founding by the ninth king of the Kaiming dyntasty of the ancient state of Shu... [more]
Chennai(Settlement)Indian, Tamil, English Most likely from the name of 17th-century Telugu monarch Damarla Chennapa Nayaka (or Chennappa Naicker). This is the name of the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which was officially called Madras until 1996.
Cheonan(Settlement)Korean Combination of 天 (천, cheon, "sky, heaven") and 安 (안, ān, "peace"), thus "heavenly peace". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Cheongju(Settlement)Korean Combination of 淸 (청, cheong, "clear, clean") and 州 (주, ju, "province"), thus "clear province", or "perfect province". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Cheragh(Settlement)Persian This is the name of a village in Lorestan Province in western Iran. This is also used as a place name element (first or last) in other villages across Iran.... [more]
Chernogoriya(Country)Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Uzbek From a calque of the Serbo-Croatian name Crna Gora meaning "black mountain", derived from Russian чёрный (chyorniy) meaning "black" and гора (gora) meaning "mountain"... [more]
Chetthamada(Country)Burmese From Burmese ချက် (chet) meaning "Czech" and သမ္မတ (thamada) meaning "president". This is the Burmese name for the Czech Republic.
Cheviot(Mountain)English The name of a mountain and the surrounding mountains on the Anglo-Scottish border. The name is thought to be Celtic and to derive from Brythonic *ceμ-, *cejn 'ridge, spine' (Welsh chefn, 'back, ridge'), and -ed, which might have meant 'having the quality of-'.
Chexiya(Country)Uzbek Uzbek form of Čechy, used as a name for the Czech Republic.
Cheyenne(Settlement)English The capital of Wyoming, in the United States.
Chezmeh(Country)Pakistani Chezmeh meaning Pakistani. Chezmeh is a acronym of 'Cheh Zameeneh' which translates to 6 lands in Urdu. Chezmeh is a ethnonym (endonym) for Pakistanis referring to the people and its 6 regions Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashsmir, Gilgit Baltistan & Sindh.
Chiang Mai(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai, English Means "new city" from Thai เชียง (chiang) meaning "(walled) city" and ใหม่ (mai) meaning "new". This is the name of a province of and city in Thailand.
Chiang Mai(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai, Northern Thai Means "new city" from Thai เชียง (chiang) or Northern Thai ᨩ᩠ᨿᨦ (chiang) both meaning "city" and Thai ใหม่ (mai) or Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨾᩲ᩵ (mai) meaning "new"... [more]
Chiang Rai(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai เชียง (chiang) meaning "walled city" and ราย (rai) referring to Mangrai (1238-1311), the first king of the Lan Na Kingdom who established the city. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Thailand.
Chiba(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf". This is the name of a city in Japan, as well as the prefecture in which the city is located.