Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Pekanbaru(Settlement)Indonesian, Malay Means "new market" from Indonesian pekan meaning "market" and baru meaning "new". This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Pekang(Settlement)Khmer Khmer form of Beijing via the French form Pékin.
Pembroke(Settlement)English From the Cantref of Penfro, which was one of the seven cantrefi of the former Kingdom of Dyfed in what is now Wales; which is in turn derived from pen, meaning "head" or "end", and bro, meaning "region", "country", or "land"; therefore, Penfro could be interpreted to mean either "land's end" or "headland".
Peñarroya(Settlement, Mountain & Other)Spanish Means "red rock," from peña meaning "rock, stone, cliff" combined with roya meaning "red" (usual word is rojo/roja).... [more]
Penge(Settlement)English A suburb of London, England. Originally named Penceat, it appears to derive from Brythonic *penno, 'head, edge' and *ceid, 'forest, wood', so likely meant 'settlement on the forest's edge'.
Penistone(Settlement)English (British) Penistone is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 22,909 at the 2011 census. ... [more]
Penrith(Settlement)English A town in Northern England. Its name derives from the Cumbric pen, 'hill, top, summit' (Welsh pen) and rith, 'ford, crossing', (Welsh ryd).
Pensacola(Settlement)Indigenous American Pensacola is the Westmost city in Florida USA.Found in Escambia County Florida.... [more]
Penshaw(Settlement)English A village in Northern England. The first element seems to be Cumbric pen, which means 'summit, head'. The most obvious explanation for the second is Old English sceaga, meaning 'woods'... [more]
Pepperell(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Pepperell. The town in Massachusetts was named for Sir William Pepperell, a colonial soldier who led the Siege of Louisbourg during the French and Indian War.
Persley(Settlement)Scottish A small hamlet in North-East Scotland, now encompassed by the city of Aberdeen. There are several explanations as to the origin of the name of this small settlement:... [more]
Perth(Settlement)Scottish A city in central Scotland. The name is of Pictish origin and derived from *perth, meaning 'bush, copse' (Welsh perth, 'bush, hedge').
Peshawar(Settlement)English From Pashto پېښور (Pekhawar) ultimately derived from Sanskrit पुरुषपुर (purushapura) meaning "city of men", from पुरुष (purusha) meaning "man, person" combined with पुर (pura) meaning "city"... [more]
Peterborough(Settlement)English This is the name of 2 cities, one in Cambridgeshire (UK) and Ontario (Canada), and 3 towns, one in New Hampshire (US), Victoria & South Australia (Australia).... [more]
Phan Rang – Tháp Chàm(Settlement)Vietnamese Derived from Eastern Cham Pandarang, itself from Sanskrit पाण्डुरङ्ग (panduranga) meaning "white god" (an epithet of the Hindu god Vithoba), combined with Vietnamese tháp Chàm meaning "Cham tower" or "Cham temple"... [more]
Phan Thiết(Settlement)Vietnamese The meaning of the name is not certain, but it is widely believed to be of Cham origin. The first element, Phan, may come from Eastern Cham Pandarang, itself derived from Sanskrit पाण्डुरङ्ग (panduranga) meaning "white god", an epithet of the Hindu god Vithoba... [more]
Phasis(Settlement & River)Ancient Greek The ancient Greek name for the Rioni River as well as a historical town along that river, meaning unclear. It may be of Georgian-Zan (Mingrelian and Laz), Svan or Semitic origin.
Phatthalung(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Thai form of the Malay name Mardelong of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Phayao(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Possibly from a corruption of Thai ภูกามยาว (Phu Kamyao), the name of a local sacred mountain. This is the name of a province of Thailand, as well as a district and city within that province.
Phetchabun(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "full of diamonds" from Thai เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond" and บูรณ์ (bun) meaning "full, perfect, complete". It is believed to be a corruption of the original name เพชรบุระ (Phetchabura) meaning "city of diamonds", from เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond" and บุระ (bura) meaning "city"... [more]
Phetchaburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "city of diamonds" from Thai เพชร (phet) meaning "diamond" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Phichit(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "beautiful" in Thai, ultimately from Sanskrit विचित्र (vichitra). This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Philippi(Settlement)Biblical Greek Renamed after Philip II of Macedon, was originally named Crenides (Greek: Κρηνῖδες, Krenides "Fountains")
Phitsanulok(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Derived from Thai พิษณุ (Phitsanu) referring to the Hindu god Vishnu and โลก (lok) meaning "land, world". This is the name of a province of and city in Thailand.
Phnom Penh(Settlement)English, French From Khmer ភ្នំពេញ (Phnum Pin) meaning "Penh's hill", from ភ្នំ (phnum) meaning "hill, mountain" and ពេញ (pin), the name of a legendary woman who supposedly founded the city in 1372... [more]
Phoenice(Settlement)Ancient Greek Phoenice or Phoenike was an ancient Greek city in Epirus and capital of the Chaonians. It was also the location of the Treaty of Phoenice which ended the First Macedonian War, as well as one of the wealthiest cities in Epirus until the Roman conquest.... [more]
Phoenix(Settlement)English (American) Phoenix is the capital city of Arizona state in the United States of America.
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai พระ (phra), an honorific term for gods and royal individuals, นคร (nakhon) meaning "city", ศรี (si), an honorific meaning "glory, honour, splendour", and อยุธยา (ayutthaya) referring to the kingdom of Ayutthaya... [more]
Phuket(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island)Thai Derived from Malay bukit meaning "hill". This is the name of an island province and city in southern Thailand.
Phú Thọ(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 富 (phú) meaning "abundant, wealthy" and 壽 (thọ) meaning "long-lived, long life". This is the name of a province of, as well as a town in, Vietnam.
Pittsburgh(Settlement)English From the English surname Pitt and burg meaning "fortress, citadel". The city in Pennsylvania was named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, a Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Pleiku(Settlement)Vietnamese Derived from Jarai Plơi Kơdưr meaning "northern village" or "high village", from plơi meaning "village" and kơdưr meaning "north, upper". This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
Plovdiv(Settlement)Bulgarian From a Thracian translation of the Latin name Pulpudeva, which was possibly derived from the given name Phillip combined with Dacian dava meaning "city, town, fortress"... [more]
Plymouth(Settlement)English The name of a port city in the south-western English county of Devon as well as dozens of locations in the United States, Canada and elsewhere, notably the one in Massachusetts.... [more]
Pocatello(Settlement)English (American) A city in Idaho named for the Shoshone leader Tondzaosha, who was called Pocatello in American military accounts. The name Pocatello is of unclear etymology and does not appear to be derived from the Shoshoni language.
Podgorica(Settlement)Montenegrin Podgorica literally means "area below Gorica", Gorica meaning "little hill", refering to the cypress-covered hillocks that overlook the city center. This is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.
Pokhara(Settlement)Nepali Means "pool, pond" in Nepali, ultimately from Sanskrit पौष्कर (paushkara) or पुष्कर (pushkara) meaning "lotus". This is the name of a city in Nepal.
Pompeii(Settlement)Ancient Roman Possibly derived from the Oscan pompe "five", becoming the Latin second declension plural, pompeii. This may be because the community formerly consisted of five hamlets, or was perhaps settled by a family group (gens Pompeia).... [more]
Pondicherry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English Derived from Tamil புதுச்சேரி (putuccēri) meaning "new town". Pondicherry (Puducherry) is the capital city of an Indian state of the same name.
Pontefract(Settlement)English From Latin ponte fracto, meaning 'broken bridge'.
Pontiac(Settlement)English Various cities in Canada and the United States. After the Odawa chief Pontiac, also known as Obwaandi'eyaag.
Pontianak(Settlement)Indonesian From the name of a female ghost in Indonesian folklore that is said to be the spirit of a woman who died pregnant. This is the name of a city in Indonesia, so named because the region was once believed to be inhabited by pontianaks.
Poquoson(Settlement)English (American) A city in Virginia. From the English word "pocosin", which refers to a type of wetland and is derived from an unknown Algonquian word, possibly Abenaki pôgwaso meaning “very shallow”.
Posyolok Central'noj Usad'by` Sovxoza Imeni Sorok-letiya Velikogo Oktyabrya(Settlement)Russian Posyolok Central'noj usad'by` sovxoza imeni 40-letiya Velikogo Oktyabrya is a settlement in Russia. It translates to "A settlement of The Central Farmstead of the Sovkhoz named after the 40-years Anniversary of the Great October" from Russian.
Potenza(Settlement)Italian, English, French From Latin Potentia, itself from the Latin adjective potens, meaning "powerful", "mighty". This is the name of the capital city of the southern Italian region of Basilicata.
Poti(Settlement)Georgian The name of a city in Georgia, meaning uncertain. It is most likely related to Phasis (Φᾶσις), the ancient Greek name for the Rioni River (which flows through Georgia) as well as an ancient city along that river... [more]
Potomac(Settlement)English A river and various cities in the United States. From the name of the Patawomeck people, who are indigenous to the river area.
Prato(Settlement)Italian, English, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish, Dutch Italian for "meadow". This is the name of a city in northern Italy, which was probably chosen because the city was founded on a meadow.
Preah Sihanouk(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Named in honour of Cambodian king Norodom Sihanouk (1922-2012), who reigned from 1941-1955 and again from 1993-2004. This is the Khmer name of the province and city of Sihanoukville.
Preah Vihear(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer From the name of an ancient temple itself meaning "temple, sanctuary", derived from Khmer ព្រះ (preah) meaning "god, lord" and វិហារ (vihear) meaning "temple, monastery"... [more]
Précy(Settlement)French Précy is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Prey Veng(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "long forest" from Khmer ព្រៃ (prey) meaning "jungle, forest, woods" and វែង (veng) meaning "long". This is the name of a province of, as well as a town in, Cambodia.
Pripyat(River & Settlement)Russian, English Russian form of the Ukrainian name Прип'ять (Prypyat) of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Belarus. It is also the name of an abandoned Ukrainian city that was evacuated after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Pristina(Settlement)Kosovar City in Kosovo. Possibly from the Proto-Slavic '*pryščina', meaning "spring of water".
Providence(Settlement)English Name chosen by Puritan minister Roger Williams, in honor of "God's merciful Providence". This is the name of several settlements in the United States, including the capital city of the state of Rhode Island.
Pudsey(Settlement)English This name is of Anglo - Saxian origin.... [more]
Puducherry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From the Tamil name புதுச்சேரி (Putucheri) meaning "new town", derived from புது (putu) meaning "new" and சேரி (cheri) meaning "slum, town". This is the name of a union territory and city in India... [more]
Pueblo(Settlement)English (American) A city in Colorado. From Spanish pueblo meaning "town, people".
Pulaski(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the Polish surname Pulaski. The city in Virginia was named for Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-born hero of the American Revolutionary War.
Pulinkunnoo(Region, Settlement, Island, Body of Water & River)Malayalam Birthplace of Kunchacko.
Punxsutawney(Settlement)Lenape the name (for the base-city of the Groundhog Day woodchuck Punxsutawney Phil) comes from the indigenous word for "Town of the Sandflies"
Purbalingga(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian, Javanese Derived from Indonesian purba meaning "ancient" or "east" (from Sanskrit पूर्व (purva)) and lingga meaning "lingam", referring to a type of abstract representation of the Hindu god Shiva (from Sanskrit लिङ्ग (linga))... [more]
Pursat(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "floating banyan" from Khmer ពោធិ៍ (po) meaning "banyan tree" and សាត់ (sat) meaning "to float". This is the name of a province of, as well as a town in, Cambodia.
Purwakarta(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese Derived from Sanskrit पूर्व (purva) meaning "beginning, ancient, old" and Sanskrit कृत (krta) meaning "done, accomplished". This is the name of a regency and town in Indonesia.
Putrajaya(Settlement)Malay, English Derived from Malay putra or putera meaning "prince", ultimately from Sanskrit पुत्र (putra), combined with jaya meaning "victory", ultimately from Sanskrit जय (jaya)... [more]
Pyay(Settlement)English From Burmese ပြည် (pyi) meaning "country", referring to the main city of the Pyu city-states that existed from the 2nd to 11th centuries. This is the name of a town in Myanmar.
Pyongyang(Settlement)Korean, English From Sino-Korean 平 (pyeong) meaning "flat, level, plane" and 壤 (yang) meaning "soil, land". This is the name of the capital city of North Korea.
Qadis(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Arabic Arabic form of Cádiz.
Qahera(Settlement)Arabic (Egyptian) Egyptian Arabic transcription of قاهرة (see Qahirah), usually written with the definite article: القاهره (el-Qahera).
Qiantadi(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 前 (qián) meaning "front," 塔 (tǎ) meaning "tower," and 底 (dǐ) meaning "base" (literally "base of the front tower")... [more]
Quảng Ngãi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 廣 (quảng) meaning "broad, wide, extensive" and 義 (ngãi) meaning "righteousness, faithfulness" (a South Central Vietnamese word). This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Quanzhou(Settlement)Chinese Literally means "spring prefecture" from Chinese 泉 (quán) meaning "spring, fountain" (also referring to the ancient prefecture of Quan) and 州 (zhōu) meaning "province, prefecture"... [more]
Quezon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog, English From the surname Quezon. This is the name of both a province and city in the Philippines, which were named in honour of Manuel Quezon (1878-1844), the second president of the Philippines.
Quyang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 曲 (qū) meaning "song" and 阳 (yáng) meaning "light, son, male." It is the name of a county in Hebei, and a historical county and a modern township and village in Jiangsu.
Quy Nhơn(Settlement)Vietnamese Most likely derived from Sino-Vietnamese 歸 (quy) meaning "return, come back to" and 仁 (nhơn) meaning "benevolence, compassion". This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
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]
Rabat(Settlement)English, French, Spanish From Arabic الرباط (ar-Ribat) meaning "the ribat", referring to a type of fortification used during the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. It is also used as a shortened form of the city's Arabic nickname, رباط الفتح (ribatu l-fath), which means "fortification of conquest, fortification of victory"... [more]
Rabka(Settlement)Polish Name of Rabka-Zdrój until 1999, as well as its present colloquial name.
Rabka-Zdrój(Settlement)Polish Named after the river Raba with the diminutive suffix -ka, and zdrój meaning "spring, source". It is the name of a town in southern Poland.
Rạch Giá(Settlement)Vietnamese Most likely derived from Vietnamese rạch meaning "small irrigation canal, ditch" and giá meaning "bean sprouts". This is the name of a city in Vietnam.
Racine(Settlement)English, French Means "root" in French. It is the name of a large city in Wisconsin.
Rəḥōḇōṯ(Settlement)Biblical Hebrew From Hebrew רְחוֹבוֹת (rəḥōḇōṯ) meaning "broad places".
Rakoti(Settlement)Coptic (Bohairic) Derived from Egyptian rꜥ-qdyt possibly from rꜥ meaning "sun, day" (also the name of the Egyptian sun god Ra) and qdy meaning "to go around, to return, to surround"... [more]
Raleigh(Settlement)English Name of the capital in North Carolina, named for Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of Roanoke, the "lost colony" on Roanoke Island.
Ramona(Settlement)English Transferred use of the given name Ramona. The settlement in California was named for Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona, which was set in southern California.
Rancho Cucamonga(Settlement)English From the name of a 19th-century land grant (rancho) given to Mexican merchant Tiburcio Tapía (1789-1845), who turned it into a winery. The name was derived from Tongva kukamonga meaning "sandy place"... [more]
Rangkasbitung(Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese Derived from Sundanese rangkas meaning "cut, broken" and awi bitung referring to a type of bamboo (genus Dendrocalamus). This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Rangoon(Settlement)Danish, Dutch, Swedish, English (Archaic) Historical English form of Yangon based on the Arakanese pronunciation of the city's name. It is also the standard Danish, Dutch and Swedish form.
Ranong(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Most likely a corruption of the original name แร่นอง (Raenong) meaning "full of minerals", from แร่ (rae) meaning "mineral, ore" and นอง (nong) meaning "flood, overflow"... [more]
Rantoul(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Rantoul. The city in Illinois was named for Robert Rantoul, Jr., a a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illinois Central Railroad.