River Submitted Place Names

type
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Prypiat (River & Settlement) Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Прип'ять (see Prypyat).
Prypyat (River & Settlement) Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Pripyat.
Pukaskwa (Other & River) Ojibwe
National park and river in Ontario, Canada. May be from the Ojibwe word 'pukasu', meaning "to cook the marrow in the bones of animals", or "eaters of fish"... [more]
Pulinkunnoo (Region, Settlement, Island, Body of Water & River) Malayalam
Birthplace of Kunchacko.
Qanq (River) Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Ganges.
Qaridhel (River) Bashkir
Means "black Volga" from Bashkir ҡара (qara) meaning "black" combined with Иҙел (Idhel) referring to the Volga River. This is the Bashkir name for the Ufa River.
Raba (River & Settlement) Polish
Uncertain. The name is theorized to come from either Proto-Slavic *or-ba from *orati meaning "to plough", or ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Ar(ə)-b(h)ā from *ar(ə) meaning "fast-moving"... [more]
Raini (River) Georgian
Georgian form of Rhine.
Red (River) English
The Red River goes through the southern states of the USA.
Rein (River) Estonian, Finnish
Estonian and Finnish form of Rhine.
Reina (River) Latvian
Latvian form of Rhine.
Reinas (River) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Rhine.
Ren (River) Polish, Slovene, Turkish
Polish, Slovenian and Turkish form of Rhine.
Rhäin (River) Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish form of Rhine.
Rhen (River) Swedish
Swedish form of Rhine.
Rhinen (River) Danish, Norwegian
Danish and Norwegian form of Rhine.
Rhône (River) French
From Gaulish *Rodonos or *Rotonos, from a Proto-Indo-European root *ret-, meaning "to run, to roll", frequently found in names for rivers.... [more]
Rimac (River) Spanish (Latin American)
Rimac River, Rimac derives from quechua "Rimay" which means "to speak", Rimac River is called "the speaking river", "the river that babbles/chatters/speaks a lot", in some sense "the roaring river" or "the noisy river".
Rín (River) Icelandic
Icelandic form of Rhine.
Rinos (River) Greek
Modern Greek form of Rhine.
Rioni (River) Georgian
Meaning unknown, possibly of Svan, Iranian, Greek or Indo-European origin. This is the name of a river in Georgia.
Rivière Des Embarras (River) French
A river in Minnesota. From French rivière des embarras meaning "river of obstructions".
Roanoke (Settlement, Island & River) Algonquian
The name Roanoke is said to have originated from rawrenock, an Algonquian word for "shell money".
Roer (River) Dutch, French, Italian, Luxembourgish
Dutch, French, Italian and Luxembourgish form of Rur.
Rumoi (River & Settlement) Japanese
Possibly derived from Ainu ルㇽモオッペ (rur-mo-ot-pe) meaning "river with quiet tides" or "river where the tide is deep". This is the name of a river and city in Japan.
Rýn (River) Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak form of Rhine.
Ryn (River) Afrikaans
Afrikaans form of Rhine.
Sagami (River) Japanese
The Sagami River Valley is located in Atsugi, a city in east-central Honshu.
Sài Gòn (Settlement & River) Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Saigon.
Saïgon (Settlement & River) French
French form of Saigon.
Saigon (Settlement & River) English
From Vietnamese Sài Gòn of unclear origin. It may have come from Khmer ព្រៃនគរ (Prey Nokor), the Khmer Empire-era name that was used to refer to the region before it was annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century (the name itself comes from Khmer ព្រៃ (prey) meaning "jungle, forest, woods" and នគរ (nokor) meaning "kingdom, city")... [more]
San Antonio (Settlement & River) English
Means "Saint Anthony" from Spanish san "Saint" + Antonio, a Spanish form of the given name Anthony. The river was named after San Antonio de Padua by the first governor of Spanish Texas, Domingo Terán de los Ríos in 1691... [more]
Santa Cruz (Political Subdivision, Settlement & River) Filipino
Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Laguna, Philippines... [more]
Santa Maria (Settlement, Island & River) Spanish
Santa Maria is a city in the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. It is approximately 65 miles northwest of Santa Barbara and 150 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles... [more]
Satporopet (Political Subdivision, Region, Settlement & River) Ainu
The source of Sapporo, meaning “Dry, Great River” in reference to the Toyohira river.
Saugeen (River & Political Subdivision) Ojibwe (Anglicized)
Town and river in Ontario, Canada. From the Ojibwe 'zaagiing', and means "at the river's outlet" or "at the mouth of the river".
Seine (River) French
From Gaulish Sēquana, the Gallo-Roman goddess of the river. Sometimes associated with Latin; the Latin word seems to derive from the same root as Latin sequor "to follow", from Proto-Indo-European *seikw-, meaning 'to flow'.... [more]
Senegāla (Country & River) Latvian
Latvian form of Senegal.
Senegalas (Country & River) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Senegal.
Sheboygan (Settlement & River) English (American)
A city and river in Wisconsin. From Menominee sāpīwǣhekaneh meaning "at a hearing distance in the woods".
Shinano (Region & River) Japanese
Shinano is a province in Japan. Is it also the name of Japan's longest river.
Siegen (Body of Water & River) German
Sirion (River) Literature
From JRR Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' series. From the fictional Sindarin language sîr meaning “river” and iaun meaning “wide”.
Snezhnaya (River) Russian
The name of a river in Russia. Снежная means "snowy" in Russian, thus the river name literally means "snowy river".
Snir (River) Biblical Hebrew
It's a river in the Bible, near the Hermon Mount. Sometimes the Hermon itself is called "Snir".
Snohomish (Settlement & River) English (American)
A city and river in Washington State. From the name of the Snohomish people, who are indigenous to the area.
Somme (Body of Water & River) French, English
A river, bay, and department in France. Derived from Samara, a proto-Celtic name for the river, possibly derived from samaro meaning "summery, quiet" or samo meaning "summer"... [more]
Suwannee (River) English (American)
A river in Georgia and Florida. Possibly from Spanish San Juan, from the name of the Shawnee Native American people, or from Creek sawani eaning "echo".
Swannanoa (Settlement & River) English (American)
A river and a settlement in North Carolina, as well as a village in New Zealand named for the river. From Cherokee Suwa’lĭ-Nûñnâ’hĭ meaning “the trail to Suwa’li". Suwa’li, also called Joara, was a nearby kingdom... [more]
Taguig (Settlement & River) Filipino
The City of Taguig was founded on April 25, 1587. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has an area of 53.67 km2 and has 804,915 people living in Taguig as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Tahquamenon (Body of Water & River) Ojibwe (Americanized, ?)
There is no one consensus on the meaning of this name. ... [more]
Tama (River) Japanese
The Tama River, or Tama-gawa is in Yamanashi, Kanagawa. It is spelled using 多 (ta) meaning "many" and 摩 (ma) meaning "rub".
Tamesis (River) Brythonic (Latinized)
Derived from Proto-Celtic *tamēssa possibly meaning "dark". This was a Latin name for the English River Thames.
Tarlac (Political Subdivision, Settlement & River) Pampangan, Pangasinan, Ilocano, Tagalog, English
Derived from Pampangan malatarlak referring to a type of grass. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city and river in, the Philippines.
Tarrant (River) English
River Tarrant in Dorset.
Teems (River) Afrikaans
Afrikaans form of Thames.
Tees (River) English
A river in Northeast England. The precise origin of name is not known for sure. But, given that it is one of Britain's major rivers, several theories have emerged:... [more]
Tevere (River) Italian
Italian form of Tiberis.
Thames (River) English
The name of the river in southern England on which London is situated. This is a Brythonic river-name, explained as a derivative of Common Brythonic *temēlos, 'darkness' (compare Old Welsh timuil, 'darkness').
Theems (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Thames.
Tiber (River) English, German
English and German version of Tiberis.
Tiberis (River) Ancient Roman, Medieval Latin
The name of a river running through Rome. Etymology unknown, but likely pre-Roman.
Tibre (River) French, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian)
French and Portuguese form of Tiberis.
Tigra (River) Elamite
Elamite term for the Tigris River in Mesopotamia, from Sumerian Idigina.
Tigris (River) English, Ancient Greek
The name of a river in Mesopotamia. Ultimately from Sumerian Idigina.
Tisza (River) Hungarian
Name of one of the main European rivers that starts in Ukraine and passes through Hungary.
Tocantins (Political Subdivision & River) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Union of Tupi words tukana ("toucan") e tim ("beak"), thus "toucan's beak". This is the name of a river and a state of Brazil.
Tolovana (River) English (American)
The name of a river in Alaska, derived from Koyukon tolbaa no’ meaning "pale-water river".
Tom (River) Russian
"River" or "Dark"
Tonava (River) Finnish
Finnish form of Danube.
Tuna (River) Turkish
Turkish form of Danube.
Tutong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & River) Malay
Possibly from the name of the Tutong people (itself derived from the name of a folk hero) or from a Dusun word meaning "turtle". This is the name of a district of, as well as a town and river in, Brunei.
Tyne (River) English
A river in North-East England. Its meaning is unknown, but some sources relate it to a word in a local Celtic or pre-Celtic language *tei-*, meaning 'river'. However, the evidence for the existence of such a word is insufficient.... [more]
Tyras (River) Ancient Greek
Derived from Scythian tūra meaning "quick, rapid, strong". This is the ancient Greek name for the Dniester river, which is known as Dneisteros in modern Greek.
Ufa (Settlement & River) Russian
From Bashkir Өфө (Ofo), which is of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly derived from the Iranian root ap meaning "water". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan as well a river that runs through the Ural Mountains.
Uluğ-Hem (Body of Water & River) Tuvan
The Tuvan word for mother river.
Ur (River) Bashkir
Bashkir form of Or.
Urál (Region, River & Mountain) Hungarian
Hungarian form of Ural.
Us-kab-wan-ka (River) English (American)
A river in Minnesota. From Ojibwe Askibwaanikaa-ziibi.
Ussuri (Region, Body of Water & River) Russian, English
Russian and English variant of the Manchu word Usuri.
Usuri (Region, Body of Water & River) Manchu
The naming source of Ussuri.
Valgejõgi (River) Estonian
A river in Estonia. From Valgejõgi meaning "white river".
Vara (River) Italian
Veina (River) Livonian
Livonian name of the river Daugava.
Vistula (River) English, Amharic, Indonesian, Romanian, Swahili
Borrowed from Latin, likely originating from the Indo-European root *weys- meaning "to flow". It is the longest river in Poland and has significant connections to Polish history and culture.
Volga (River) English, Russian
English and Russian name for the largest river in Europe. The Old Mari name of the river is Volgydo, which means "bright". The name volgydo is cognate to Finno-Ugric valkea meaning "white" or "bright"... [more]
Wabash (Settlement & River) English (American)
A river and various cities in the United States. From Miami-Illinois waapaahšiiki meaning "it shines white, pure white", after the white limestone making up the riverbed.
Waikato (River) Maori
From the Māori word wai, meaning "water", and kato, meaning "flow; current". Together, this is often translated as "flowing water". The Waikato River is the biggest river in Aotearoa New Zealand, and is often referred to by locals as the 'Mighty Waikato'
Watab (River) English (American)
A river in Minnesota. From Ojibwe wadab-ziibi meaning "spruce-root river".
Wateree (River) English (American)
A river in South Carolina. From the name of the Wateree Native American people.
Waveney (River) English
The name of a river that forms much of the boundary between the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk in eastern England. It is derived from Old English wagen meaning "quagmire" and ēa "meaning "river; running water, stream."
Wazi Oju (River) Sioux
A river in Minnesota. From Dakota Wazi Oju meaning "place of pines".
Wear (River) English
A river in North-East England. It is taken to be of Old Celtic origin and meant 'blood-colored water', referring to the reddish-brown color of the river. In modern Welsh, the name would be waed dwr, 'blood water'... [more]
Wotaihua (River & Settlement) Chinese
Chinese form of Ottawa.
Wusuli (Region, Body of Water & River) Chinese
Sinicisation of Usuri. The wording used in Mainland PRC is 乌苏里, while the wording used in Taiwan is 烏蘇里.
Xê-nê-gan (River & Country) Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Senegal.
Xigong (Settlement & River) Chinese
Chinese form of Saigon.
Yaiyq (River) Bashkir
Bashkir cognate of Zhaiyq.
Yangtze (River) Chinese
The third-longest river in the world and the longest in Eurasia. From Mandarin Chinese 长江 (Yángzǐ) meaning "long river".
Yauco (Settlement & River) Spanish (Latin American)
A city and river in Puerto Rico. From Taíno coayuco meaning "cassava plantation".
Yellowstone (River) English (American)
The name of a major tributary of the Missouri River. The name Yellowstone derives from translations of several indigenous names for the river that refer to the sulfur-containing yellow rocks the river has carried out of the Yellowstone Caldera, an active supervolcano that powers the hydrothermal features of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming... [more]
Yeniséi (River) Spanish
Spanish form of Yenisey.
Yenisey (River) Russian, English, Turkish, Azerbaijani
The name of a river in northern Mongolian and the Siberian federal district of Russia. It may be derived from either Evenki Ионэсси (Ionəssi) meaning "big water" or Old Kyrgyz Эне-Сай (Ene-Sai) meaning "mother river."
Yevfrat (River) Russian, Ukrainian
Russian and Ukrainian form of Euphrates.
Yordan (River) Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Bulgarian and Ukrainian form of Jordan (the river).
Yordani (Country & River) Swahili
Swahili form of Jordan.
Yukon River (River) Indigenous American
The Yukon River is a major Watercourse. From British Columbia through Yukon to Alaska.... [more]
Yungyuele (Region, Settlement, Body of Water & River) Yakut, Russian
Zhaiyq (River) Kazakh
Probably from Jaiyk, the name of the Turkic god of rivers, which is derived from Turkic yād meaning "wide, spread out". This is the Kazakh name for the Ural River.