Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Å(Settlement)Swedish, Norwegian Taken directly from Swedish and Norwegian å meaning "stream, creek, small river". This is the name of several villages in Sweden and Norway.
Aalborg(Settlement)Danish Ultimately derived from Old Norse áll "river, stream" and borg "fortress, castle". This is the name of the fourth largest city in Denmark.
Aarhus(Settlement)Danish From Old Danish Árós meaning "river mouth", ultimately derived from Old Norse á "river" and óss "mouth (of a river)". Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark.
Abakan(Settlement & River)Russian, English Derived from the name Abakhan which is the name of a mythological Turkish khan (king). His name means "bear's blood" in the Khakas language, and was bestowed to the present-day Abakan River and the city of the same name... [more]
Aberdeen(Settlement)English (Rare) A city in Scotland, stemming from the prefix aber- meaning 'river mouth', and the suffix -deen, which could possibly be referring to the rivers don and dee.
Åbo(Settlement)Swedish Possibly from Swedish å "river" and bo "home, dwelling" or "dweller, inhabitant". Other meanings are possible, like it being derived from the given name Aabo... [more]
Abuja(Settlement)Western African, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, English From Abu-Ja, a nickname of 19th-century monarch Abubakar Jatau (sometimes referred to as "Abu"), who founded what is now the city of Abuja in 1828. By some accounts, he was described as having fair skin, which possibly earned him the nickname Ja meaning "red" in Hausa... [more]
Acádia(Country, Region & Settlement)Portuguese Portuguese form of both Acadia and Akkad (mostly the ancient city, but sometimes also the Akkadian Empire).
Accra(Settlement)English Derived from Akan nkran meaning "fire ant". This is the name of the capital city of Ghana.
Adan(Settlement & Body of Water)Arabic Arabic form of Aden.
Adana(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Turkish City and province in Turkey.
Addis Ababa(Settlement)English, Danish, Turkish From Amharic አዲስ አበባ (ʾädis ʾäbäba), meaning "new flower". This is the name of the capital city of Ethiopia.
Aden(Settlement & Body of Water)English From Arabic عدن ('Adan) derived from Akkadian edinu meaning "plain, lowland", itself from Sumerian eden meaning "plain, open country". This is the name of a city in Yemen as well as a gulf between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea (the Gulf of Aden).
Ae(Settlement & River)Scottish, Scots The name of a village and a stream in Southwest Scotland. The name seems to be derived from Old Norse á, meaning 'river'.
Agadir(Settlement)Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber, English, French Means "fortified fortress, wall" in Central Atlas Tamazight, ultimately from Phoenician gdr meaning "wall, compound". This is the name of a city in Morocco.
Aikawa(Settlement)Japanese This is the name of several towns in Japan. The first one (愛川) is located in Kanagawa Prefecture in eastern Japan, the second one (合川), located in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, was merged with other towns to form the city of Kitaakita... [more]
Airton(Settlement)English The name of a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire in England, also known as Airton-in-Craven. It is derived from a combination of Aire (referring to the river) and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town."
Akita(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy". This is the name of a city in Japan, as well as the prefecture in which the city is located.
Akureyri(Settlement)Icelandic Combination of Icelandic akur "field" and eyri "sandbank". Akureyri is a town in the north of Iceland.
Albany(Settlement)English Name of the capital in New York, renamed after British acquisition in 1664 in honor of the Dukes of Albany (House of Stuart), hence a name borne by their retainers.
Albuquerque(Settlement)English (American) Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, sits in the high desert. Its modern Downtown core contrasts with Old Town Albuquerque, dating to the city’s 1706 founding as a Spanish colony.
Almaty(Settlement)Kazakh, Russian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Kazakh алма (alma) meaning "apple". This is the name of the largest city in Kazakhstan.
Almería(Settlement)Spanish From the name of the Spanish city. Means 'the mirror of the sea.'
Alor Setar(Settlement)Malay, English From Malay alor meaning "river, stream" and setar meaning "gandaria" (a type of fruit). This is the name of the capital city of the Malaysian state of Kedah.
Al-qahirah(Settlement)Arabic It is the original form of Cairo the Egyptian capital city. Al-Qāhira means 'The Conquerer' because of a myth between its foundation and the planet Mars (that in Arabic is 'The Conquerer Star').
Al-Quds(Settlement)Arabic Variant of Quds with the definite article ال (al-).
Altham(Settlement)English Meaning "river meadow of the swans" hamm elfitu.
Amalfi(Settlement)Italian, Spanish (Latin American) The name of a coastal in the Italian province of Salerno and a town and municipality in the Antioquia Department of Colombia which is named in honour of the Italian town.... [more]
Anaheim(Settlement)English Union of Ana, referring to the nearby Santa Ana River, and the German suffix heim ("home"). This is the name of a city in the US state of California.
Anamoose(Settlement)Ojibwe City in North Dakota. From the Ojibwe word 'uhnemoosh', meaning "female dog".
Ancona(Settlement)Italian From the Ancient Greek word Ἀγκών (Ankòn) meaning "elbow", because, to the Doric settlers who settled here, the shape of the city remembered an elbow. This is a town in Central Italy.... [more]
Anfa(Settlement)Berber Means "hill" or "top" in Tamazight. This is the Berber name for Casablanca, which was used as the city's official name before the 1755 Lisbon earthquake destroyed the area... [more]
Anmer(Settlement)English Derived from the village of Anmer, in Norfolk. It stems from the Old English aened "duck" and mere "pool".
Ann Arbor(Settlement)English (American) The name of a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the county seat of Washtenaw County located in the south of the state.... [more]
Ansan(Settlement)Korean Combination of 安 (안, ān, "peace") and 山 (산, san, "mountain"), thus "peaceful mountain". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Antananarivo(Settlement)Malagasy, French, English Means "city of thousand" in Malagasy, from the prefix an- combined with tanana meaning "city, town" and arivo meaning "one thousand". The name was chosen by Merina King Andriamasinavalona (1675-1710), who renamed the city in honour of the thousand soldiers who captured the site under the rule of King Andrianjaka... [more]
Antiocheia(Settlement)Ancient Greek Derived from the Greek name Antiochos and the feminine suffix -ειᾰ (-eia). This was the name of multiple ancient cities founded by Seleucus I Nicator and named for his father, Antiochus, the most famous of which - Antioch on the Orontes - later became one of the Roman Empire's largest cities, was made the capital of the province of Syria, and became an important centre of early Christianity.
Anyang(Settlement)Korean From the Anyang temple, established by Emperor Wang Geon. Combination of 安 (안, ān, "peace") and 養 (양, yang, "to raise"). This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Aomori(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and 森 (mori) meaning "forest". This is the name of a city in Japan, as well as the prefecture in which the city is located.
Aosta(Settlement)Italian A city in the north-western corner of Italy. Developed from the Latin name Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, itself named after emperor Augustus.
Apperley(Settlement)English Means "apple clearing". From æppel "apple" and leah "woodland, clearing"
Aqwa(Settlement)Abkhaz Meaning unknown, possibly derived from the Mingrelian toponymic marker ყვა (-qwa). This is the Abkhaz name for Sukhumi.
Aqyar(Settlement)Crimean Tatar, Tatar From Crimean Tatar aq meaning "white" and yar meaning "cliff" or shore, coast". This is the Crimean Tatar and Tatar name for Sevastopol.
Ardea(Settlement)Late Roman Means "heron" in Latin. A town in Italy.
Åre(Settlement)Swedish Meaning uncertain, but probably derived from Old West Norse *ár "peak, crest". Åre is a village and a popular ski resort in Jämtland, Sweden.
Arendal(Settlement)Norwegian Combination of Old Norse ǫrn "eagle" and dalr "valley, dale". Arendal is a town and municipality in Southern Norway.
Arendelle(Region & Settlement)Popular Culture Likely based on Arendal, the name of a town and municipality in Southern Norway. Arendalle is a fictional kingdom in Disney's animated movie 'Frozen' (2013).
Areni(Settlement)Armenian The name of a village in Vayots Dzor province in Armenia, famous for the world's earliest known winery, Areni-1.
Århus(Settlement)Danish, Swedish Danish alternative form of Aarhus, as well as the Swedish form.
Arica(Settlement)Spanish It is the name of province, and town in Chile. It is also the name of a town in Colombia.
Arkham(Settlement)Literature The name of a fictional town in Essex County, Massachusetts, used in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937). It may be influenced by Latin arcanum meaning "mystery, secret" and Old English ham "home, homestead".
Arlington(Settlement)English Three possible places called Arlington in Gloucestershire, Devon, and East Sussex.
Arrington(Settlement)English Arrington, a place in Cambridgeshire, named from an Old English byname, Earn(a), meaning ‘eagle’ + -inga- ‘people or followers of’ + tūn ‘settlement’.
Ashgabat(Settlement)English From Turkmen Aşgabat, from Persian عشقآباد (eshq abad) meaning "city of love", derived from عشق (eshq) meaning "love, passion" and آباد (abad)# meaning "city"... [more]
Askrigg(Settlement)English A village in rural Northeast England. It is derived from the Old Norse askr, 'ash tree' (c.f Swedish ask, 'ash tree') and hryggr, 'ridge' (c.f Swedish rygg, 'ridge, spine', German rücken, 'spine', Scots rig, 'ridge').
Astana(Settlement)Kazakh, English, Russian Means "capital city" in Kazakh, ultimately from Persian آستانه (astaneh). This was the name of the capital city of Kazakhstan until 2019, when it was renamed Nur-Sultan.
Asunción(Settlement)Spanish Means "assumption" in Spanish, as in “assumption of Mary to heaven". This is the capital of Paraguay. Originally called Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción (meaning "Our Lady Saint Mary of the Assumption") by its founder, it was later shortened to Asunción.
Ataídes(Settlement)Portuguese Freguesia in Portugal, probably named after Athanagild, 6th-century king of Visigothic Hispania and probable founder of the village.
Athabasca(Settlement, Other, Body of Water & Mountain)Cree (Anglicized) Name of numerous towns, lakes, rivers, a glacier, and a mountain, in Canada, primarily in the province of Alberta... [more]
Athenry(Settlement)Irish Athenry (Baile Áth an Rí) meaning "Town of the Ford of the King" is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies 25 kilometres east of Galway city.
Atlanta(Settlement)English Name of a city in Georgia, named by J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad.
Attawapiskat(River & Settlement)Cree River and town in Ontario, Canada. From the Attawapiskat people, meaning "people of the parting of the rocks", or Āhtawāpiskatowi ininiwak.
Auckland(Settlement)English The Baron Auckland and the Earl of Auckland are titles of the English nobility. The first Baron Auckland, William Eden, had the city of Auckland in New Zealand named after him. Bishop Auckland is a town in the county of Durham in Britain which has lent its name to the title... [more]
Auroville(Settlement)English The name of an indian town built by UNESCO located in southern India. It was built as an experimental town to see how is the world without politics, money or polution.
Austin(Settlement)English Named after several people bearing the first name Austin or its surname counterpart Austin... [more]
Avalbane(Settlement)Irish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Irish Abhaill Bhán "white orchard". This is or was the name of a township in the civil parish of Clontibret in County Monaghan, Ireland.
Ayuhwasi(Settlement)Cherokee Ayuhwasi, meaning "savanna" or "large meadow". The name has been applied to several entities past and present in the U.S. states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee
Ayutthaya(Country & Settlement)Thai, English Derived from Sanskrit अयुध्य (ayudhya) meaning "invincible, unconquerable". This was the name of a kingdom (as well as one of its capital cities) that reigned from 1350 to 1767, considered the precursor of modern Thailand.
Baden(Settlement)German The name of a town in Austria.
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]
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"
Baguio(Settlement)Filipino, Ilocano, Tagalog, English Hispanicized form of Ibaloi bagiw meaning "moss". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
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]
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.
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]
Banff(Settlement & Other)English Derived from Banffshire, Scotland, where two important founders were from. Name of a Canada national park, and a town inside it
Bangkok(Settlement)Thai, English Believed to be derived from Thai บาง (bang) meaning "village, settlement" and กอก (kok) meaning "olive", possibly used in reference to the olive trees that grew around the area... [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.
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.
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]
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 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.
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]