Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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]
Bangalore(Settlement)English From Kannada ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು (Bengaluru) of uncertain meaning, possibly from Old Kannada beṅga-val-ūru meaning "city of guards" or benda-kāl-ūru meaning "town of boiled beans" (referring to a story from Kannada folklore)... [more]
Bangkok(Settlement)Thai, English Believed to be from Thai บาง (bang) meaning "village, settlement" and กอก (kok) meaning "olive" (so named because of the olive trees that used to grow in the area) or perhaps เกาะ (ko) meaning "island"... [more]
Bangor(Settlement)English, Welsh From Old Welsh bancor "wattled enclosure". This is the name of a city in Wales, and the namesake of the associated University.
Banjarmasin(Settlement)Indonesian, Banjar Possibly a corruption of Bandar Masih meaning "Port Masih", referring to a local ruler named Patih Masih (likely a nickname). This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
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.
Barad-dûr(Settlement)Literature A tower in JRR Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' series. From the fictional Sindarin language barad meaning “tower” and dûr meaning “dark, somber”.
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.
Barnet(Settlement)English Means "land cleared by burning". This is the name of a large town in Barnet Borough, England. Named after it is a small town in Vermont State, US.
Batam(Island & Settlement)Indonesian, Malay Meaning uncertain. This is the name of an island and city in Indonesia.
Batangas(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog, English Derived from Tagalog batangan meaning "timberland, place of wooden rafts", itself from batang meaning "log" combined with the place marker suffix -an. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, the Philippines.
Batavia(Region & Settlement)English, Dutch, Indonesian From Latin Batavia, itself from Proto-Germanic Batawjō meaning "good island", derived from bataz meaning "good" and awjō meaning "island". This is the name of a historical and geographical region located in what is now the Netherlands... [more]
Batdambang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Alternate transcription of Khmer បាត់ដំបង (see Battambang).
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]
Battambang(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Khmer Means "lost stick" in Khmer, from បាត់ (bat) meaning "lost, gone, missing" and ដំបង (dambang) meaning "stick, staff", named in reference to a local legend of a king who lost a stick in the area... [more]
Batu Gajah(Settlement)Malay, English Means "elephant rock" from Malay batu meaning "stone, rock" and gajah meaning "elephant", most likely named for two large boulders that resembled elephants located along a nearby river... [more]
Batumi(Settlement)Georgian The name of a city in Georgia, derived from Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathus) meaning "deep" combined with the Georgian toponymic suffix -ომი (-omi).
Baudette(Settlement & River)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Baudette. The town and river in Minnesota were named for Joseph Baudette, a French-Canadian trapper.
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.
Bắc Ninh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 北 (bắc) meaning "north" and 寧 (ninh) meaning "peaceful".
Bắc Ninh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 北 (bắc) meaning "north, northern" and 寧 (ninh) meaning "peaceful, tranquil, serene". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Beatrice(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English given name Beatrice. The city in Nebraska was named for Julia Beatrice Kinney, the daughter of Judge John F. Kinney.
Bécs(Settlement)Hungarian Either derived from Avar becs meaning "guarding place" or Old Hungarian bécs meaning "coal-burning furnace" (itself of Turkic origin). This is the Hungarian name of Vienna.
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]
Bedok(Settlement)English, Malay Derived from Malay beduk meaning "drum", referring specifically to a type of drum used to signal prayer times. This is the name of a planning area and town in Singapore.
Beersheba(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English Beersheba is a city in Israel, whose name is derived from the Hebrew Be'er Sheva, which means “Well of the Oath”.
Belgorod(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Russian Means "white city" from Russian белый (beliy) meaning "white" and город (gorod) meaning "city, town". This is the name of an oblast (a type of administrative division) of, as well as a city in, Russia.
Belgrade(Settlement)English, French From Serbian Београд (Beograd) meaning "white city", derived from the Slavic root beli or beo meaning "white" combined with grad meaning "city, town". This is the name of the capital city of Serbia.
Bella Coola(Region & Settlement)Salishan (Anglicized) Town and valley in British Columbia, Canada. From the Heiltsuk word bḷ́xʷlá, meaning "someone from Bella Coola", referring to the general ethnic group in the area
Bellefontaine Neighbors(Settlement)English Bellefontaine Neighbors is an inner-ring suburb city in the U.S. In 1804, a treaty was made with the Sac and Fox Indians that led to the establishment of a trading post on the south bank of the Missouri River... [more]
Belleville(Settlement)English Name of a city in Canada and various others in America. Means "beautiful town" from the French belle (beautiful) and ville (city or town).
Bellevue(Settlement)English Means "beautiful view", from French "belle" meaning "beautiful" and "vue" meaning "view", the name of several cities in the United States.
Belmopan(Settlement)English Belmopan, the capital city of Belize, got its name from combining "Belize" and "Mopan," which is one of the indigenous Maya groups in Belize. The name was chosen in 1970 when the government decided to move the capital from Belize City to a more centrally located area.
Beltrami(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the Italian surname Beltrami. The city and lake in Minnesota were named for Giacomo Costantino Beltrami, a Italian explorer.
Bemidji(Settlement)English From Ojibwe bemijigamaag meaning "a lake with crossing waters". The name of a city in Minnesota.
Ben(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Khmer Khmer form of Bern.
Bena(Settlement)English (American) A city in Minnesota. From Ojibwe bine or bina' meaning "partridge".
Bennington(Settlement)English Derived from the Old English personal name Beonna combined with -ing-, a connective particle denoting association, and tūn "farmstead, settlement". Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, in the United States.
Bentaberri(Settlement)Basque, Spanish Means "new inn" in Basque from benta meaning "inn" and berri meaning "new". It is the name of several places in Basque Country.
Bentaberria(Settlement)Basque, French, Spanish Means "new inn" in Basque from benta meaning "inn" and berri meaning "new". It is the name of several places in Basque Country.
Bến Tre(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese biển meaning "sea" and tre meaning "to know".
Bến Tre(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese Means "bamboo wharf" from Vietnamese bến meaning "port, wharf" and tre meaning "bamboo". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam.
Berea(Settlement)Biblical (All) Berea (also Beroea) was an ancient city of the Hellenistic period and Roman Empire now known as Veria (or Veroia) in Macedonia, northern Greece. It is a small city on the eastern side of the Vermio Mountains north of Mount Olympus... [more]
Bergen(Settlement)Dutch, Norwegian, German Newer form of Bjǫrgvin, a combination of Old Norse bjarg "mountain" and vin "meadow". This is the 2nd largest city in Norway.
Bern(Settlement)Swiss Bern is the capital city of Switzerland. The etymology of the name Bern is uncertain; according to the local legend, based on folk etymology, Berchtold V, Duke of Zähringen, the founder of the city of Bern, vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt, and this turned out to be a bear.
Betws-y-coed(Settlement)Welsh A village in rural North-West Wales. The element betws, in Welsh means 'prayer house'. The y is the definite article 'the'. The final element coed means 'trees'. This gives a full name meaning 'prayer house in the forest'... [more]
Beulah(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the given name Beulah. The city in North Dakota was named for Beulah Stinchcombe, the niece of a local land developer.
Billings(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Billings. The city in Montana was named for Frederick H. Billings, a former president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Binangonan(Settlement)Filipino Binangonan, officially the Municipality of Binangonan, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Biratnagar(Settlement)Nepali Fom the name of the mythological king Virata combined with Sanskrit नगर (nagara) meaning "town, city". This is the name of a city in Nepal.
Birka(Settlement)Old Norse, Old Swedish Possibly taken from a Latinization of Norse Bjǫrkey "Birch island", although some believe it's derived from Old Norse birk "market place". Birka was a Viking age town and an important trading and market place during the Viking Age located on the island Björkö (modern form of Bjǫrkey) in Lake Mälaren, outside of Stockholm, Sweden.
Birkirkara(Settlement)Maltese Means "running water" or "cold water". Birkirkara is the second largest city in Malta.
Bir Lehlou(Settlement)English Derived from Hassaniya Arabic bir lehlou meaning "sweet water well". Bir Lehlou is an oasis town in the Polisario-controlled region in northeastern Western Sahara.
Birmingham(Settlement)English A city in central England. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon words meaning 'the farm of Beormund's people', from the personal name Beormund, ingas, meaning 'people' and ham, meaning 'farm'.
Bishkek(Settlement)Kyrgyz, English, Russian Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests that it comes from a word meaning "whorl, whisk" in Kyrgyz, referring to a tool used to prepare kumis, a traditional dairy product. It could also mean "five heights" from Kyrgyz беш (besh) meaning "five" and бийик (biyik) meaning "tall, high", or it could mean "five chiefs" from беш (besh) meaning "five" and the Turkish title beg meaning "chieftain, master"... [more]
Björneborg(Settlement)Finland Swedish Combination of Swedish björn "bear" and borg "castle, fortress". This is the Swedish name for Pori (whose name is a Finnicized form of -borg).
Blackpool(Settlement)English A coastal town in Lancashire. Literally means 'black pool', so named from a nearby drainage stream which ran through a peat bog, discharging discoloured water into the nearby Irish Sea. (Compare Dublin).
Blaine(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From the English surname Blaine.
Bloomington(Settlement)English From Old English blōma “flower" and tūn “settlement”.
Blythburgh(Settlement)English (British) Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Southwold and 5 miles (8.0 km) south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth... [more]
Bobrownik(Settlement)Polish From bobrownik ("beaver hunter" or "beaver breeder"), a calque of Prussian *Bebriniks or *Beb(i)rniks, from the owner's surname. A village in northeastern Poland.
Bobrowniki(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Polish Plural of bobrownik, meaning "beaver hunters" or "beaver breeders." It is the name of multiple villages and current and former political subdivisions across Poland. The settlements in Lower Silesia, Pomerania, and West Pomerania come from German Biebersdorf, Bewersdorf and Beweringen respectively.