Madison(Settlement)English Named after James Madison (1751–1836), Founding Father and fourth President of the United States. This is the name of several settlements, including the capital city of the State of Wisconsin.
Madison Heights(Settlement)English (American) Madison Heights ranked as fifth highest populated City in South Oakland County. The first City Hall was located at 26305 John R Road, the former township offices. On April 5, 1963, a new municipal building was constructed which is on the present location at 300 West Thirteen Mile Road.
Madras(Settlement)English, Hindi Meaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a fishing village. This is the former name of the Indian city of Chennai.
Maebashi(Settlement)Japanese From earlier 厩橋 (Umayabashi), derived from 駅家 (umaya), meaning "stable", denoting a small refreshment house with a stable, not far from a bridge (橋, hashi) that crossed the Tone River... [more]
Mae Hong Son(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai, Northern Thai Possibly from a Lanna or Shan name meaning "valley of the Son stream", referring to a local body of water. This is the name of a province and city in Thailand.
Magadan(Settlement)Biblical Hebrew Derived from Hebrew מגדל (Migdal) meaning "tower"; ultimately from Aramaic מגדלא (Magdala) "elegant, great" or "tower". The King James' Version of the Bible provide the name Magdala, while some Greek manuscripts and the Revised Version provide the name "Magadan"... [more]
Magalia(Settlement)English (American) A city in California. From Latin magalia meaning "little dwellings, huts, tents".
Magway(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (magwe) of uncertain meaning. This is the name of an administrative division of, as well as a town in, Myanmar.
Magway(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (Magwe) derived from a corruption of မြစ် (myit) meaning "river" and ကွေ့ (gwe) meaning "turn, curve, bend", referring to the city's location along a bend of the Irrawaddy River... [more]
Magwe(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Burmese Burmese form of Magway.
Magwe(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (Magwe) derived from a corruption of မြစ် (myit) meaning "river" and ကွေ့ (gwe) meaning "turn, curve, bend", referring to the city's location along a bend of the Irrawaddy River... [more]
Mahanuwara(Settlement)Sinhalese Means "great city" derived from Sanskrit महा (maha) meaning "great" combined with Sinhala නුවර (nuwara) meaning "city, town". This is the Sinhala name for Kandy.
Mahnomen(Settlement)English (American) A city in Minnnesota. From the Ojibwe manoomin meaning "wild rice".
Mahtomedi(Settlement)English (American) A city in Minnesota. Its name is derived from Dakota mathó, "bear", and bdé, "lake".
Majapahit(Country & Settlement)Indonesian, Malay, English Means "bitter maja", from Javanese maja referring to the bael tree (genus Aegle) and Malay pahit meaning "bitter, acrid". This was the name of a kingdom (as well as its capital city) based on the island of Java that existed from 1293 to 1527.
Makassar(Settlement)Indonesian, Buginese From the Makassarese phrase akkasaraki nabbiya meaning "appearance of the prophet", taken from a legend in which a 16th-century king was supposedly approached by Muhammad himself... [more]
Makati(Settlement)Tagalog, English Derived from the phrase makati na, kumakati na meaning "ebbing tide". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Makhachkala(Settlement)Russian Means "Makhach's fortress", from the given name Makhach and Kumyk къала (qala) meaning "fortress". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Dagestan, named in honour of Magomed-Ali "Makhach" Dadaev (1882-1918), a Dagestani revolutionary.
Malabon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino The City of Malabon was founded on May 21, 1599. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 15.71 km2 and has 365,525 people living in it as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Malacca(Country, Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)English From Malay Melaka, probably derived from the Malay name for the Indian gooseberry (genus Phyllanthus), a type of tree. This is the name of a state in southern Malaysia as well as a city (Malacca City) and a narrow body of water between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra (the Strait of Malacca)... [more]
Málaga(Settlement)Spanish The city name of Málaga came from the latin name "Malacca".
Malang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian, Javanese Meaning uncertain, possibly from Malangkuçeçwara, the name of a legendary temple meaning "God has destroyed vanity". This is the name of a regency of, as well as a separately administered city in, the Indonesian province of East Java.
Malmö(Settlement)Swedish Newer form of Malmhaug meaning "gravel pile" or "ore hill". Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden.
Malolos(Settlement)Filipino Malolos, officially the City of Malolos, is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines... [more]
Manado(Settlement)Indonesian From Sangir manaro meaning "on the far coast, in the distance", referring to the farther of two islands that can be seen from the mainland. This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Manama(Settlement)Arabic, English Means "place of sleep, place of rest" in Arabic. This is the name of the capital city of Bahrain, usually written with the definite article: المنامة (al-Manama) in Arabic.
Manamah(Settlement)Arabic, Indonesian, Urdu Arabic and Urdu alternate transcription of Manama as well as the Indonesian form. In Arabic it is usually written with the definite article: منامة (al-Manamah), which is also used in Indonesian.
Manchester(Settlement)English A large city in North-West England. Manchester is an Anglicization of the town's Latin name Mancunium. This was likely derived from an earlier name in a language similar to Welsh. It may have derived from words equivalent to Welsh mamau, meaning 'mother', in reference to a local river goddess... [more]
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]
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.
Marakka(Country, Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)Japanese Japanese form of Malacca.
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.
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]
Marion(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Marion. The city in Iowa was named after Francis Marion, a hero of the Revolutionary War.
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]
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.
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]
Mar'yinka(Settlement & Other)Ukrainian Probably derived from the given name Mar'yana. 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.
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".
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]
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]
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]
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.
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, Malay, Batak Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from Batak Karo madan meaning "healed, blessed, recovered" or Malay medan meaning "field" (ultimately of Iranian origin). This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
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.
Meguro(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 目 (me) meaning "eye, look, appearance" and 黒 (kuro) meaning "black", so named for a black-eyed statue that was placed on the outskirts of Edo for protection... [more]
Meknes(Settlement)English From French Meknès, itself from Arabic مكناس (Maknas) ultimately derived from Miknasa (Imeknasen), the name of a Berber tribe. This is the name of a city in Morocco.
Melilla(Settlement)Spanish, English The etymology of Melilla is uncertain. Since Melilla was an active beekeeping location in the past, the name has been related to honey; this is tentatively backed up by two ancient coins featuring a bee as well as the inscriptions RSADR and RSA... [more]
Mellieħa(Settlement & Body of Water)Maltese The name of a large village or small town located on the northern tip of Malta's main island, it comes from mellieħa meaning "salt pan," derived from the Semitic root m-l-h (compare melħ meaning "salt"), probably referring to the ancient Punic-Roman salt pans which existed at Mellieħa Bay, the site of which is now occupied by the Għadira Nature Reserve.
Melrose(Settlement)Scottish Habitational namefor a place near Galashiels in the Scottish borders, so named from British words that were ansetors of Welsh moel 'bare', 'barren' rhos 'heath'.... [more]
Menahga(Settlement)English (American) A city in Minnesota. From Ojibwe miinikaa meaning "there are blueberries".
Mendota(Settlement)English (American) A city in Minnesota. Its name is derived from the Dakota word bdóte, which refers to the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.
Menifee(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the given name Menifee. The city in California was named for Luther Menifee Wilson, a local miner.
Mequon(Settlement)English (American) A city in Wisconsin. From Ojibwe emikwaan or miguan meaning "ladle", or possibly Menominee mēkon meaning "feather".
Mesa(Settlement)English, Spanish From Spanish mesa, literally "table", referring to a flat-topped elevation. This is the name of a city in the US state of Arizona.
Methuen(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the surname Methuen. The city in Massachusetts was named for Sir Paul Methuen, an English diplomat and politician.
Mexic(Country & Settlement)Occitan, Romanian Occitan and Romanian form of Mexico. The Occitan name refers to both the country and city, whereas the Romanian name is used only for the country.
Miami(Settlement)English Name of a city in Florida. The name was first mentioned by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a captive of Indians in southern Florida for 17 years, when he referred to what is now Lake Okeechobee as the "Lake of Mayaimi, which is called Mayaimi because it is very large"... [more]
Milpitas(Settlement)English Means "little cornfields" from a diminutive of Spanish milpa meaning "cornfield". This is the name of a city in California.