Salford(Settlement)English From Old English sealh "willow, sallow" combined with ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of several settlements in England, including a city near Manchester.
Salina(Settlement)English (American) From the English word "saline". The city in Kansas was named for the nearby Saline River.
Samarkand(Settlement)English, Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar From Uzbek Samarqand, derived (via Persian) from Sogdian smʾr/smā́r meaning "stone, rock" and knδh/kąθ meaning "fort, town, city". This is the name of a city in Uzbekistan.
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]
Sandhurst(Settlement)English Old English, meaning "sandy thicket of trees." A place name. In England, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (named after the village it is located) is the prestigious British Army officer training centre.
San Diego(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, meaning "Saint Diego" from Spanish san "Saint" + the given name Diego.
Sandringham(Settlement)English Derived from the Old English: "sand" hring "ring"/"circular" ham "homestead". "Sandy circular homestead". The name of a village in Norfolk, where Sandringham House, one of the Queen's country retreats is located.
San Francisco(Settlement)Spanish, English The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint Francis. One noteworthy place is the city of San Francisco in the US state of California.
San Gabriel(Settlement)Spanish, English The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint Gabriel, including one city in the US state of California.
Sanguinem(Settlement)Popular Culture Means "blood" in Latin. This was used in the Japanese manga and anime series Seraph of the End for the vampire capital city of Sanguinem.
San Juan(Settlement)Filipino San Juan, officially the City of San Juan, is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. It is geographically located at Metro Manila’s approximate center and is also the country’s smallest city in terms of land area... [more]
San Lorenzo(Settlement)Spanish This was one of the principal sites of the Olmec peoples when they were making a life for themselves near the Gulf of Mexico.
Santa Clara(Settlement)English, Spanish Name of a city in California, named for Saint Claire (Spanish for “Saint Claire”)
Santa Clarita(Settlement)English (American) Means “little Saint Clare” in Spanish. This is the name of a city in California.
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 Fe(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Spanish The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, derived from Spanish Santa Fe meaning "Holy Faith".
Sanya(Settlement)Chinese Meaning unclear, perhaps derived from a Hlai name meaning "field with crows", from dax meaning "field, farmland" and eek meaning "crow". This is the name of a Chinese city on the island of Hainan.
Sapporo(Settlement)Japanese From Ainu サッ・ポロ・ペッ (sat poro pet) meaning "dry, great river", referring to the Toyohira River. This is the name of the capital city of Hokkaido prefecture, Japan.
Saragossa(Settlement)English From Çaragoça, the medieval form of the Arabic name سرقسطة (Saraqusṭa), from the Roman name Caesaraugusta, which is the combination of two Roman names Caesar and Augusta.
Sarajevo(Settlement)Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, English From Turkish saray meaning "palace, mansion, house" and ova meaning "plain, lowland" or the Slavic suffix -evo used to indicate place names. This is the name of the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Saratoga(Settlement)English (American) From Mohawk se-rach-ta-gue or sa-ra-ta-ke meaning "the hillside country of the quiet river”. Several places in the United States were named for the city in New York, which was the site of a famous battle during the American Revolutionary War.
Saraybosna(Settlement)Turkish From Turkish saray meaning "place, mansion, house" and Bosna meaning "Bosnia". This is the Turkish name for Sarajevo.
Sartell(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Sartell. The city in Minnesota was named for Joseph B. Sartell, who owned a local flour mill and the Sartell Brothers Lumber Company.
Sassuolo(Settlement)Italian Of uncertain origin: possibly from the presence of petroleum in the area, at the time called olio di sasso ("rock oil"), or from Latin saxum solum ("rocky ground").... [more]
Satporopet(Political Subdivision, Region, Settlement & River)Ainu The source of Sapporo, meaning “Dry, Great River” in reference to the Toyohira river.
Satun(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Derived from Malay sentul meaning "santol" (a type of tropical fruit). This is the name of a province and city in Thailand.
Sauquoit(Settlement & Body of Water)English, Oneida From the Oneida word sa-da-quoit, meaning "smooth pebbles in a stream."
Sausalito(Settlement)English The name of a city in California, derived from Spanish sauzalito meaning "small willow grove".
Savannah(Settlement)English Likely from the Savannah River, which probably derives from a variant name for the Shawnee people (natively called Ša·wano·ki, meaning "Southerners") that began to settle near the river in the 1860s... [more]
Scarborough(Settlement)English The name of a city in England. It is mentioned in the folk song "Scarborough Fair" about a fair held in the Middle Ages. A notable version of this song is the one by Simon and Garfunkel.
Scunthorpe(Settlement)English Scunthorpe is a large industrial town in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative center.... [more]
Seattle(Settlement)English From the given name Seattle, named in honour of Suquamish and Duwamish chief Seattle (1786-1866). This is the name of a city in the United States.
Secacah(Settlement)Biblical A Hebrew girl's name, originating in Israel, meaning "covering, defense"
Sedbergh(Settlement)English A small town in rural Northern England. Its name derives from Old Norse sed, meaning 'sand' and berg, meaning 'mountain', referring to the mountainous location of Sedbergh and possibly the sandstone hills.
Sedona(Settlement)English A city in Arizona. Transferred use of the given name Sedona.
Sejong(Settlement)Korean In honor of King Sejong the Great (1397–1450), creator of the Hangul alphabet. Combination of 世 (세, se, "life, age, generation") and 宗 (종, jong, "school, sect, purpose"), thus "kind river"... [more]
Selkirk(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Scottish, English The city of Selkirk was named after Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, a Scottish nobleman who established the Red River Colony in the early 19th century. The name Selkirk comes from Old English and Old Norse, meaning "hall (or manor) by the church" (sel = "hall, manor," kirk = "church")... [more]
Semarang(Settlement)Indonesian, Javanese From Indonesian asam meaning "tamarind" and jarang meaning "rare, seldom", a reference to the tamarind trees in the area that rarely grew close together. This is the name of the capital city of the Indonesian province of Central Java.
Semporna(Settlement)Malay Derived from Malay sempurna meaning "perfect", from the older name Labuan Semporna meaning "perfect port" or "perfect anchorage". This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Sendai(Settlement)Japanese Evolved from earlier 仙臺; originally 千代 ("a thousand generations"), due to the presence of a temple with a thousand Buddha statues in Aoyama.... [more]
Seongnam(Settlement)Korean Combination of 城 (성, seong, "castle") and 南 (남, nam, "south"), thus "southern castle". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Seoul(Settlement)Korean, English Means "capital" in Korean, probably derived from Sillan 서라벌 (Seorabeol), the name of the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (which is now the present-day city of Gyeongju). This is the name of the capital city of South Korea.
Serang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian Means "rice field" in Sundanese. This is the name of a city in Indonesia as well as a regency of the Indonesian province of Banten.
Serdica(Settlement)Ancient Greek Latin and Ancient Greek name for the Bulgarian city now known as Sofia. Named after the Celtic tribe Serdi.
Seremban(Settlement)Malay, English Possibly from Malay seremban, the name of a children's stone-tossing game. This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Seria(Settlement)Malay The name of a town in Brunei, derived from an acronym of South East Reserved Industrial Area.
Setagaya(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 世 (se) meaning "world, generation, era", 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley"... [more]
Seton(Settlement)English A Scottish place, Seaton near Longniddry, "is so named because it was held from the 12th century by a Norman family de Sey, from Say in Indre. Other places of this name, for example those in Cumbria, Devon, County Durham, Northumbria, and Yorkshire, are mostly named with Old English sæ "sea, lake" and tun "enclosure, settlement"... [more]
Seville(Settlement)English From Spanish Sevilla, ultimately derived (via Arabic and Latin) from Phoenician 𐤔𐤐𐤋𐤄 (shplh) meaning "plain, valley, lowland". This is the name of a city in Spain.
Shah Alam(Settlement)Malay, English From the name of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah (1898-1960), the second monarch of Malaysia and the sixth sultan of Selangor. This is the name of the capital city of the Malaysian state of Selangor.
Shakopee(Settlement & River)English (American) A city and creek in Minnesota, named for the Chief Shakopee III, a leader of the Dakota people, who are indigenous to the area.
Shandora(Settlement & Other)Popular Culture Shandora is an ancient city on the Spring island of Jaya in the One Piece franchise. In the language of the Shandorians, it means “The Skull’s Right Eye”.
Sheboygan(Settlement & River)English (American) A city and river in Wisconsin. From Menominee sāpīwǣhekaneh meaning "at a hearing distance in the woods".
Shenyang(Settlement)Chinese Means "sunny side of the Shen River", from Chinese 沈 (shěn) referring to the Hun River (previously known as the Shen) and 阳 (yáng) meaning "light, sun"... [more]
Shenzhen(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 深 (shēn) meaning "deep" and 圳 (zhèn) meaning "furrow, drainage, ditch". This is the name of a city in China.
Sherbrooke(Settlement)English Sherbrooke is believed to be named after Sir John Sherbrooke, a British military officer and governor of Nova Scotia. The name likely follows the English naming tradition of using the surname of notable figures to name towns or settlements... [more]
Sheridan(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Sheridan. The city in Wyoming was named for General Philip Sheridan, who fought for the Union in the American Civil War.
Sherrwood Park(Settlement)English The name Sherwood Park likely draws inspiration from Sherwood Forest in England, a name associated with the legendary tales of Robin Hood.... [more]
Shibuya(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 渋 (shibu) meaning "astringent, tough" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Shime(Settlement)Japanese This is the name of a town in Japan's Fukuoka prefecture.... [more]
Shimonoseki(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 下 (shimo) meaning "under, below" and 関 (seki) meaning "frontier, pass". This is the name of a city in Japan.
Shinagawa(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 品 (shina) meaning "goods, articles, stock" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Shinjuku(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 新 (shin) meaning "new" and 宿 (juku) meaning "inn, lodge, home". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo.
Shiojiri(Settlement)Japanese Shiojiri is a city in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is spelled with 塩 (shio) meaning "salt" and 尻 (jiri) meaning "rear, end, back".
Shunhua(Settlement)Chinese The Chinese name for the Vietnamese city of Huế, derived from the city's historical name, 順化 (Thuận Hoá).
Shymkent(Settlement)Kazakh, Russian From Kazakh шым (shym) meaning "sod, turf, meadow" and кент (kent) meaning "town". This is the name of a city in Kazakhstan.
Sidon(Settlement)Arabic, English Sidon or Saida is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast.
Siem Reap(Settlement)Khmer, English Means "submission of Siam", from Khmer សៀម (Siem) referring to Siam (or Thailand) and រាប (reap) meaning "submissive, obedient, tame"... [more]
Sihanoukville(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English, French From the name of king Norodom Sihanouk (1922-2012) combined with French ville meaning "town, city". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Cambodia.
Simunul(Settlement)Filipino, Sama-Bajau, Tagalog The name of a city in the Philippines, derived from the Arabic phrase اسمي نور (ismi nur) meaning "my name is light".
Sing Buri(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Means "lion city" from Thai สิงห์ (sing) meaning "lion" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.