Mandalay(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မန္တလေး (mandale) of unclear origin, possibly from Sanskrit मण्डल (mandala) meaning "circle, disk". This is the name of an administrative division of Myanmar as well as its regional capital.
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]
Mandan(Settlement)English (American) The city in North Dakota was named for the Mandan people, who are indigenous to the area.
Manila(Settlement)Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Maranao, English, Spanish From Tagalog Maynila, which is derived from the term may-nila meaning "where indigo is found", ultimately from Sanskrit नील (nila) referring to the indigo plant as well as indigo dye... [more]
Maninjau(Body of Water)Minangkabau, Indonesian Means "observation, overlook" in Minangkabau, from the word tinjau meaning "to observe, to watch". This is the name of a lake in Indonesia.
Manipur(Political Subdivision)Indian “Manipur” combines Sanskrit words “Mani” meaning “jewel” and “pure” meaning “land, place, abode”.
Manitoba(Political Subdivision)English Name of a province in Canada, from Cree manitou-wapow or Ojibwa manidoobaa, both meaning "straits of Manitou, the Great Spirit",
Manitowoc(Settlement & River)English (American) A river and city in Wisconsin. From Ojibwe manidoowaak meaning "spirit spawn", "spirit woods" or "spirit land".
Maniwaki(Settlement)Algonquin (Gallicized) Town in Quebec. Algonquin for "Mary's Land", for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who lived there.
Mankato(Settlement)English (American) From a typographic error of Mahkato, from the Dakota name for the Blue Earth River, Makato Osa Watapa, meaning "the river where blue earth is gathered".
Manour(Settlement)English (British) The town was granted its name by a group of British explorers who stumbled upon the area during their quest for hidden treasures. As they journeyed through the lush countryside, they came upon a serene valley adorned with majestic manor houses, each more grandiose than the last.
Mantua(Settlement)English, Dutch, German, Ancient Roman, Spanish A city in Italy, the birthplace of the famous Ancient Roman poet Vergil. Etymology uncertain; possibly from the name of the Etruscan god Mantus.
Mapleton(Settlement)English The name Mapleton is derived from the old English words of maple and tūn. The word maple plainly refers to the deciduous species of tree native to the area, with tūn being a descriptive term for an enclosure, a farmstead, a village or an estate.
Mərakeş(Country & Settlement)Azerbaijani Azerbaijani form of Arabic مراكش (see Marrakesh), used to refer to both the city and the entire country of Morocco.
Maranhão(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) Of uncertain origin: it may come from Tupi mar'anhan ("running sea"), a name for the Amazon River. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Marawi(Settlement)Filipino, Maranao, Tagalog From Maraghui or Marahui, the name of a Maranao fort that was seiged in 1895. This is the name of the capital city of the Philippine province of Lanao del Sur.
Marawi(Settlement)Filipino, Maranao, Tagalog From the name of the 19th century Fort Maraghui, itself from Maranao rawi' meaning "bend, part, recline", referring to the Agus River. This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
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".
Mariana Trench(Body of Water)English From the Mariana Islands nearby, derived from the given name Mariana in honor of the Spanish Queen Mariana of Austria. This is the name of the deepest oceanic trench on Earth.
Mariefred(Settlement)Swedish Swedish town named after a charterhouse called Pax Mariae "Maria's peace". A combination of the name Maria and Swedish fred "peace" (pax means "peace, harmony" in Latin).
Mariestad(Settlement)Swedish Means "Maria's town". It was founded in 1583 by Charles IX of Sweden and was named after his wife Maria of the Palatinate.... [more]
Marikina(Settlement & River)Filipino Marikina, officially the City of Marikina, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Located along the eastern border of Metro Manila, Marikina is the main gateway of Metro Manila to Rizal and Quezon provinces through the Marikina-Infanta highway.
Marilao(Settlement)Filipino Marilao, officially the Municipality of Marilao, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines... [more]
Marinduque(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English From a Spanish corruption of Tagalog malindig meaning "elegant, tall", also referring to a volcano on the island. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Marion(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Marion. The city in Iowa was named after Francis Marion, a hero of the Revolutionary War.
Mariupol(Other)Ukrainian, Russian From the given name Maria and with the Greek suffix -πόλη (póli), meaning "city", translating to "City of Maria" or "Maria's City"... [more]
Markham(Settlement)English Named after William Markham, the Archbishop of York (1719–1807), by John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada.... [more]
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]
Marmara(Body of Water)English (Modern, Rare) Place name; the Sea of Marmara is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea in Turkey.
Marne(River)French From Latin Dea Mātrōna, meaning literally “divine mother goddess”, the name of a mother goddess associated with the river who was worshipped by the Gauls.... [more]
Marquette(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Marquette. A city in Michigan and a lake in Minnesota were named for Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary.
Marrowbone(Other)English Marrowbone is a census-designated place in Cumberland County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 217. The Marrowbone Historic District, which includes three properties, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marseille(Settlement)French, English From the name of the ancient Greek colony and city of Μασσαλία (Massalia), of uncertain meaning. It may have been derived from Ligurian mas meaning "spring" or from Greek meaning "(city) on the far end of the sea", derived from μάσσων (masson) meaning "further" and ἅλς (hals) meaning "sea"... [more]
Marshall Islands(Country)English The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ), is an island country near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line and an Associated state of the United States... [more]
Mar'yinka(Settlement & Other)Ukrainian Mar'yinka is the name of multiple villages in Ukraine. Mar'yinka, Donetsk Oblast is the most notable due to the destruction that took place in the city.
Maryland(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, named after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England.
Mascara(Settlement)Arabic The word mascara is the francisation of the Arabic word معسكر (mouaskar), meaning “camp”. Due to French colonization at that time, the city's name has adopted the French version as an official name.... [more]
Mashhad(Settlement)Persian, Tajik, Arabic Derived from Arabic مشهد (mashhad) meaning "place of martyrdom", named for the shrine of imam Ali al-Rida in Twelver Shia tradition. This is the name of a city in Iran.
Mashhad(Settlement)Persian Derived from Arabic مشهد (mashhad) meaning "place of martyrdom", so named for the shrine of imam Ali al-Rida in Twelver Shia tradition. This is the name of a city in Iran.
Mashpee(Settlement)English (American) A city in Massachusetts. From Wampanoag mass-nippe meaning "greater cove, great pond, land near great cove", itself from mass meaning "great, greater" and nippe meaning "water".
Mashriq(Region)Arabic, English From Arabic المشرق (al-Mashriq) meaning "the place of the sunrise, the east". This is the name used for the eastern part of the Arab world west of Egypt and Sudan. In Arabic the name is usually written with the definite article: المشرق (al-Mashriq).
Massachusetts(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, named for the Algonquian native people who lived around the bay, from Algonquian massachusett "at the large hill," in reference to Great Blue Hill, southwest of Boston.
Massalia(Settlement)Greek, Ancient Greek Greek form of Marseille, also the name of an ancient colony and city located in what is now southern France.
Matara(Settlement)Sinhalese Derived from Sanskrit महा (maha) meaning "great" and तर (tara) meaning "ferry, crossing". This is the name of a city in Sri Lanka.
Mataram(Settlement & Country)Indonesian, Javanese Meaning uncertain, perhaps derived from Sanskrit मातरम् (mataram) meaning "mother" or "motherland". Other theories include माता (mata) meaning "mother" or मत्त (mata) meaning "joy, excitement, passion" combined with आराम (arama) meaning "pleasure, delight".... [more]
Matsuda(Mountain)Japanese This the name of a mountain in the Ishikari Mountain range in Hokkaido, Japan. Matsuda is also a surname meaning "mountain rice paddy."
Matsue(Settlement)Japanese The kanji that make up the name are 松 (matsu), meaning "pine tree", and 江 (e), meaning "creek, inlet, bay"... [more]
Matsuyama(Settlement)Japanese Means "pine mountain" in Japanese. The kanji that make up the name are 松 (matsu), meaning "pine tree", and 山 (yama), meaning "mountain"... [more]
Maui(Island)Hawaiian, English Likely from the name of the Hawaiian trickster god Māui. This is the name of an island in the U.S. state of Hawaii.
Mauna Loa(Mountain)Hawaiian Means "long mountain" in Hawaiian. This is the name of the world's largest active volcano and the second tallest mountain in Hawaii. It makes up over half of the Big Island.
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".
Mawlamyine(Settlement)English From Burmese မော်လမြိုင် (mawlamyaing) derived from Mon မတ်မလီု (motmalam) meaning "damaged eye", ultimately from မတ် (mot) meaning "eye" and လီု (lam) meaning "spoiled, damaged, ruined"... [more]
Mayfair(Other)English Mayfair was named after the May Fair, an annual event. It took place in the area, on the site that now plays host to today's popular Shepherd Market. It comes from Old English mæg, of Germanic origin, from a base meaning ‘have power’; related to Dutch mogen and German mögen and Old English fæger ‘pleasing, attractive’, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German fagar.
Maykop(Settlement)Russian From Adyghe Мыекъуапэ (Myeqwapa) meaning "cape of apples", from мые (mye) meaning "apple" and къуапэ (qwapa) meaning "cape, gorge, height". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Adygea.
Mazharcho(Country)Chechen From Chechen мажарий (mazhariy) meaning "Hungarian" and the suffix -чоь (-cho) meaning "land of". This is the Chechen name for Hungary.
Mecca(Settlement)English, Italian, Romanian From Arabic مكة (Makka) which is from بكة (bakka), an ancient name for the region. The name is of uncertain origin and meaning; it may be from Arabic بكى (baka) meaning "to cry, to mourn" or Ge'ez ምኵራብ (məkʷrab) meaning "temple, sanctuary"... [more]
Medan(Settlement)Indonesian Possibly from Tamil மைதானம் (maidhanam) meaning "ground, field". This is the name of the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra.
Medelhavet(Body of Water)Swedish Combination of Swedish medel "middle, centre, medium" and havet "the sea". This is the Swedish name of the Mediterranean Sea.
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.