Jesi(Settlement)Italian Jesi is a town and comune of the province of Ancona in Marche, Italy.
Jesup(Settlement)English (American) Transferred usage of the surname Jesup. The city in Georgia is named for Thomas Jesup, a US army officer who fought in the Second Seminole War.
Jingdu(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Chinese Chinese form of Kyoto.
Jinghong(Settlement)Chinese From Tai Lue ᦵᦋᧂᦣᦳᧂᧈ (tsenghung) derived from ᦵᦋᧂ (tseng) meaning "city" and ᦣᦳᧂᧈ (hung) meaning "dawn, light". This is the name of a city in China.
Jiujinshan(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 旧 (jiù) meaning "old" and 金山 (jīnshān) meaning "gold mine", referring to the 19th century California gold rush. This is the Chinese name for the US city of San Francisco.
Jiza(Settlement)Chinese, Arabic Chinese form of Giza, as well as an alternate transcription of Arabic جيزة (see Jizah).
Jizah(Settlement)Arabic Arabic form of Giza, usually written with the definite article: الجيزة (al-Jizah).
Johannesburg(Settlement)French (African) Origin of Johannesburg's name is explained. In reaction to an inquiry, officials in Pretoria replied that Johannesburg was named after Johann Friedrich Bernhard Rissik and Christiaan Johannes Joubert - the only document dealing directly with the origin of the city's name.
Johnstown(Settlement)English The are 27 settlements in the world named Johnstown. They can be found in the USA and Ireland.... [more]
Johor Bahru(Settlement)Malay, English From Johor and Malay bahru meaning "new". This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Joilet(Settlement)English (American) It was renamed in 1845 for Louis Jolliet, the French Canadian explorer who visited the site in 1673. Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, near Chicago.
Joliet(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Joliet. The city in Illinois was named for Louis Joliet, one of the first Europeans to map the Upper Mississippi area.
Jolo(Settlement & Island)Filipino, Tagalog, English Probably derived from Hokkien 好儂 (hó lâng) meaning "good people", named by Chinese traders to reflect how they perceived the native people of the region. This is the name of an island in the southern Philippines as well as the capital city of the province of Sulu.
Jórvík(Settlement)Old Norse, Icelandic Icelandic and Old Norse form of York. It is believed to be derived from Old English Eoforwic, itself believed to be derived from Latin Eboracum possibly meaning "place of the yew trees".
Jukkasjärvi(Settlement)Swedish, Finnish Originally from Northern Sami Čohkkirasjávri meaning "lake of assembly". It was later changed to the much more Finnish-sounding name Jukkasjärvi. This probably changed the meaning of the name as the first element jukkas is of uncertain origin (but it coincides with the Finnish given name Jukka)... [more]
Jullié(Settlement)French Jullié is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
Jumilla(Settlement)Spanish Jumilla is a town in southeastern Spain in the province of Murcia. The name comes from the Latin word for “reeds”.
Juneau(Settlement)English The capital city of Alaska, it is named after Canadian miner Joe Juneau.
Jurupa(Settlement)English (American) From a Native American word of uncertain meaning. Jurupa Valley is a town in the inland empire of California that is currently getting gentrified due to its proximity to bougier Riverside
Jurutungo(Settlement & Other)Taíno A town in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Kabul(Settlement)English From Pashto کابل (Kabel) which may have been derived from Kambuja or Kamboja, the name of an ancient Indo-Iranian tribe and kingdom. The name is of uncertain meaning, possibly from Sanskrit काम (kama 1) meaning "love, desire" and भुज् (bhuj) meaning "use, possess, rule"... [more]
Kadesh(Settlement)Ancient Hebrew Means “holy” in Hebrew. it was a city in the kingdom of Judah. Then occupied by the Hittites. In 69 BCE Ramses II went to war with the Hittites empire it was taken place in this city.
Kaduna(Political Subdivision, Settlement & River)Hausa English Its a corruption of the Hausa word “kadduna” for crocodile. A name for a city a state and a river in Nigeria.
Kadyks(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Polish Polish form of Cádiz.
Kagoshima(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 鹿子 (kako) meaning "fawn, young deer" and 島 (shima) meaning "island". This is the name of a city in Japan, as well as the prefecture in which the city is located.
Kailua(Settlement)Hawaiian From Hawaiian kailua meaning "two seas", from kai meaning "sea, seawater" and ʻelua, meaning "two". The community in Hawaiʻi is named for two former fishponds located nearby.
Kaiyō(Settlement)Japanese This is the name of a town in Japan's Tokushima Prefecture.... [more]
Kajang(Settlement)Malay, English Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Temuan kajang referring to an art of weaving pandanus leaves. Alternately it could be from Buginese berkajang meaning "camp, accommodation". This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Kajr(Settlement)Maltese Maltese form of Cairo, usually written with the definite article: Il-Kajr.
Kalamazoo(Settlement)English (American) The city in Michigan and other places are named after the Kalamazoo River. There are several theories as to the etymology of Kalamazoo. One is that it comes from Potawatomi negikanamazo meaning "otter tail" or kikalamezo meaning "boiling pot, place where the water boils"... [more]
Kalasin(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai กาฬ (kala) meaning "black, dark" and สินธุ์ (sin) meaning "river, stream", believed to be taken from the name of the nearby Nam Kam river. This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Kamphaeng Phet(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai กำแพง (kamphaeng) meaning "wall" and เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond". This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as a city in said province.
Kampong Chhnang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "port of pottery" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ឆ្នាំង (chhnang) meaning "pot". This is the name of a province of and city in Cambodia.
Kampong Thom(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "great port" in Khmer, from កំពង់ (kampong) meaning "port, landing" and ធំ (thom) meaning "big, large, great". This is the name of a province of and city in Cambodia.
Kampot(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer The name of a province of and city in Cambodia, meaning uncertain.
Kanazawa(Settlement)Japanese Means "marsh of gold" in Japanese; derived from a local legend, according to which a peasant who found flakes of gold while digging for potatoes. The kanji that make up the name are 金 (kana), meaning "metal, gold", and 沢 (sawa), meaning "marsh"... [more]
Kanchanaburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai กาญจน (kanchana) meaning "gold" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Kandahar(Settlement)Afghan "Kandahar" is a city in southern Afghanistan. The name "Kandahar" likely originates from the Sanskrit word "Gandhara," which referred to a region in ancient India that included parts of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan... [more]
Kandiyohi(Settlement)English (American) A city in Minnesota. From Dakota kandi, "buffalo fish" and ohi, "arrive in".
Kandy(Settlement)English From Tamil கண்டி (Kanti) of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from Sinhala කන්ද උඩරට (kanda urarata) meaning "upland" or කන්ද උඩ පාස් රට (kanda ura pas rata) meaning "mountain pass country"... [more]
Kaneohe(Settlement)Hawaiian From Hawaiian kāne ʻohe meaning "bamboo man", after the story of a local woman who compared her husband's cruelty to the sharp edge of cutting bamboo.
Kanga(Settlement & Other)Kongo, Popular Culture, Literature Even though it is also the name of a hill range in westernmost Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kanga is best known internationally as the name of a certain Kangaroo from Winnie the Pooh books and the basis for the name Kaänga.
Kankakee(Settlement)Indigenous American Kankakee is probably derived from the Miami-Illinois word teeyaahkiki, meaning: "open country/ exposed land/ land in open/ land exposed to view".
Kannapolis(Settlement)English (American) A city in North Carolina. The name is derived from the English surname Cannon (after the Cannon Mills Corporation or its founder, James William Cannon, and spelled with a 'K' at Cannon's request) and the Ancient Greek name element polis (πόλις) meaning "city, town".
Kaposia(Settlement)Sioux A Dakota settlement in Minnesota. From Dakota kaposia meaning "light, light-footed".
Karaganda(Settlement)English, Russian From Kazakh Қарағанды (Qaraghandy), which is derived from қараған (qaraghan) meaning "caragana" (a type of flower). This is the name of a city in Kazakhstan.
Karamea(Settlement)Maori, English Means "speargrass" in Maori, peobably from a corruption of kakara taramea meaning "sweet-scented gum (of speargrass leaves)". This is the name of a town in New Zealand.
Karasjok(Settlement)Norwegian Norwegianized form of the Northern Sami language name Kárášjohka. The meaning of the first element could be káráš from Northern Sami which could mean "food plate of wood", or from Finnish, kara, "something that sticks"... [more]
Karasu(Settlement)Japanese This is the name of a former town located in Japan's Mie Prefecture which merged and expanded, along with a few other towns and municipalities, into the city of Tsu.... [more]
Kargil(Settlement)English, Urdu Most likely derived from Tibetan དཀར (dkar) meaning "white, pure, bright" and སྐྱིལ (skyil) meaning "expanse" or འཁྱིལ ('khyil) meaning "mountainous amphitheater, place where water flows"... [more]
Karkamu(Settlement)Basque Possibly derived from Spanish cárcamo "waterwheel pit". Alternatively, it could be from Basque harri "stone, rock" and the toponymic suffix -ama. This is the name of a hamlet in Álava, Spain.
Karlshamn(Settlement)Swedish Means "Karl's port" in Swedish. It was named after Swedish king Karl X Gustav. ... [more]
Karlskrona(Settlement)Swedish Means "Karl's crown" in Swedish. It was named after Swedish king Karl XI. ... [more]
Karlstad(Settlement)Swedish Means "Karl's town" in Swedish. It was named after the Swedish king Karl IX who founded the town in 1584. ... [more]
Karti(Settlement)Mingrelian From the Kartvelian root kart- referring to a Georgian person (compare the Georgian endonym ქართველი (kartveli)). This is the Mingrelian name for Tbilisi.
Kathmandu(Settlement)Nepali, English From the name of Kasthamandap, a Hindu temple and shrine in Nepal. The name means "wooden pavilion" from Sanskrit काष्ठ (kashtha) meaning "wood" combined with मण्डप (mandapa) meaning "pavilion, hall, square"... [more]
Katrineholm(Settlement)Swedish Swedish city located in Södermanland. It was originally the name of a ducal residence located in the area. The residence was named after the owner's wife Catharina.
Kaukauna(Settlement)English (American) A city in Wisconsin. The name is apparently of unknown Native American origin and is said to mean "portage, long portage", "place where pickerel are caught", or "place of pike".
Kaunas(Settlement)Lithuanian Probably derived from a personal name. Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania.
Kawaguchi(Settlement)Japanese Means "estuary, mouth of a river" in Japanese, from 川 (kawa), meaning "river", and 口 (kuchi), meaning "mouth-like opening"... [more]
Kawasaki(Settlement)Japanese Means "river bank" in Japanese. The kanji that make up the name are 川 (kawa), meaning "river, stream, brook", and 崎 (saki), meaning "peninsula, promontory, cape, spit"... [more]
Kazabazua(River & Settlement)Algonquin (Gallicized) River and town in Quebec. From 'kachibadjiwan', meaning "hidden current" in Algonquin, as the river is primarily underground.
Kazan(Settlement)Tatar, Russian Probably derived from Turkic qazan meaning "kettle, cauldron". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Tatarstan.
Ke(Settlement)Khmer Khmer form of Cairo via the French form Le Caire.
Kearsley(Settlement)English Derived from the words cærse "watercress" and either hlaw "mound, small hill" or leah "woodland, clearing"
Keighley(Settlement)English Means "Cyhha's clearing", a combination of the Old English name Cyhha and Old English leah "woodland clearing". Keighley is city in Britain.
Keith(Settlement)Scottish A small town in Moray, North-East Scotland. It's name is derived from a Pictish word kit, which meant 'forest' (Welsh coed, 'wood').
Kelowna(Settlement)Salishan Name of a large town in British Columbia, from the Okanagan word kelowna, meaning "grizzly bear"
Kelso(Settlement & Mountain)English Transferred usage of the surname Kelso or Kelsall, used for various settlements in English-speaking countries... [more]
Kenai(Region, River & Settlement)Indigenous American, Dena'ina, Russian From a Dena'ina word meaning "flat, meadow, open area with few trees; base, low ridge." This is the name of a town, peninsula, borough and river in Alaska.
Kenitra(Settlement)English, Spanish, Italian English, Spanish and Italian name for a city in northwestern Morocco, derived from Arabic القُنَيْطَرَة (al-Qunayṭara) meaning "the little bridge".
Kennebunk(Settlement)English (American) A town in Maine. The name is said to be derived from an Algonquian phrase meaning "the long-cut bank".
Kennesaw(Settlement)English (American) A city in Georgia. The name is derived from the Cherokee word gah-nee-sah, meaning "cemetery, burial ground".
Kennewick(Settlement)English (American) A city in Washington. Possibly from a phrase meaning "grassy place" in an unknown Native American language, or derived from the surname Chenoythe, which belonged to a member of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Kenosha(Settlement)English (American) A city in Wisconsin. From the Ojibwe kinoje meaning "pike, pickerel".
Kenwyn(Settlement)Cornish This is the name of a town and river, located in the south-western English county of Cornwall, which is called Keynwynn in Cornish. It is said that the name is derived from Cornish keyn meaning "back, keel, ridge" and gwynn meaning "white, fair, blessed."
Kerak(Settlement)Arabic A castle named after Al-karak, the city it is built in.
Keraman(Political Subdivision, Region, Settlement & Island)Italian Keraman is a Continental European variant of Kuraman.
Ketchikan(Settlement & River)English (American) The city in Alaska is named for the nearby Ketchikan Creek, which itself comes from Tlingit kichx̱áan, of disputed meaning.
Kęty(Settlement)Polish From Polish kąt meaning "corner". This is the name of a town in southern Poland.
Kewanee(Settlement)English (American) Various cities in the United States. The name is derived from a Winnebago word meaning "greater prairie-chicken".