Canton(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English (Archaic), French, Italian Derived from Portuguese Cantão, which was ultimately from Chinese 广东 (Guǎngdōng) (see Guangdong). Used for both the Chinese province of Guangdong and the city of Guangzhou, it is considered dated in English but still current in French and Italian.
Cao Bằng(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 高 (cao) meaning "tall, high" and 平 (bằng) meaning "level, even, peaceful". This is the name of a city in Vietnam as well as the province in which the city is located.
Carbondale(Settlement)English Various settlements in Canada and the United States. From the English word "carbon" and ville meaning "city".
Cardiff(Settlement)Welsh The capital city of Wales. Cardiff derives from the city's Welsh name Caerdydd, which in turn was derived from the city's Old Welsh name Caerdyf (In Welsh f (v) is often mutated to dd (th)).... [more]
Carperby(Settlement)English A village in Yorkshire, England. The second element is Old Norse -byr, 'farm'. The first element is possibly the Old Gaelic personal name Cairpre. This seems to indicate a farm of an Irish or Scottish Viking, who settled in England... [more]
Carson(Settlement)English (American) Carson City is the capital of the American state of Nevada.
Carson City(Settlement)English It was named after American frontiersman Kit Carson, this is the capital city of the US state of Nevada.
Carteret(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Carteret. The city in North Carolina was named for either Sir George Cartaret or John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville.
Carthage(Settlement)English Carthage is a city in Missouri, and another city with the same name is in Texas.
Casablanca(Settlement)English, French, Spanish Means "white house" in Spanish. The name comes from a Spanish translation of the Arabic name الدار البيضاء (ad-Dar al-Bayda'), which in turn was derived from a calque of the Portuguese name Casa Branca... [more]
Casciago(Settlement)Italian Town in Italy. Possibly the site of the ancient Cassiciacum, a place where Saint Augustine and his friends lived after his conversion to Christianity.
Casper(Settlement)English From the name of Fort Caspar named after United States army officer Caspar Collins (see Caspar). Casper is city in Wyoming, USA.
Castlebar(Settlement)Irish Means "Barry's Castle", from a castle built by the de Barry family, which the town grew around.... [more]
Castleblayney(Settlement)English "Castle", referring to the castle outside the town, + "Blayney", after Sir Edward Blayney, whom the British Crown granted land in the area to.
Castries(Settlement)French Creole Named for Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix de Castries.
Catania(Settlement)Italian, English, German, Sicilian, Spanish From Ancient Greek Kατάvη (Katánē), itself either from Sicel katane ("grater"), due to its proximity to Mount Etna and the resulting rough earth, or from Proto-Italic katina ("basin"), owing to the wide valley around the town... [more]
Catanzaro(Settlement)Italian, English, French, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, German From Latin Catanciarium, itself derived from Catacium, ultimately from Ancient Greek Καταρτάριοι, meaning "silk spinners". This is the name of a city in southern Italy, the second city in Calabria, as well as its capital city.
Catwaba(Settlement & River)English (American) A river as well as several settlements in the United States. From the name of the Catawba Native American people.
Cavite(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Other)English (Hispanicized), Filipino (Hispanicized) Hispanicized form of Tagalog kawit, meaning "hook". This name originally referred to a peninsula where Cavite City is located in, but usage eventually expanded to the entire province.
Cebu(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Cebuano Sugbo, derived from Old Cebuano sibu or sibo meaning "trade", itself a shortened form of the phrase sinibuayng hingpit meaning "place for trading". This is the name of an island, province and city (Cebu City) in the Philippines.
Celephaïs(Settlement)Literature The name refers to a fictional city that appears in Lovecraft's Dream Cycle, including his novella "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath".
Celje(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Slovene From Latin Celeia (the Roman-era name of the settlement), from Ancient Greek Κέλεια (Keleia) of unknown origin... [more]
Celle(Settlement)German Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Ceres(Settlement)English Various cities around the world. The city in California is named for Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.
Cerritos(Settlement)English (American) A city in California. From Spanish cerritos meaning "small hills".
Ceuta(Settlement)English, Spanish, Portuguese The settlement below Jebel Musa was later renamed for the seven hills around the site, collectively referred to as the "Seven Brothers". In particular, the Roman stronghold at the site took the name "Fort at the Seven Brothers"... [more]
Chachoengsao(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Believed to be a corruption of Khmer ស្ទឹងជ្រៅ (stoeng chrau) meaning "deep river", from ស្ទឹង (stoeng) meaning "small river, stream" and ស្ទឹង (chrau) meaning "deep"... [more]
Chainat(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai ชัย (chai) meaning "victory" and นาท (nat) meaning "resounding, roaring". This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Chaiyaphum(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai ชัย (chai) meaning "victory" and ภูมิ (phum) meaning "land, region". This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Champlin(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Champlin. The city in Minnesota is named for U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen Champlin.
Chandigarh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, English From the name of the Hindu goddess Chandi combined with Hindi गढ़ (garh) meaning "fort". This is the name of a union territory and city in northern India.
Changan(Settlement)Chinese Changan was the capital of the Tang dynasty from A.D 618 to A.D 907. It was even the largest city in the world. But it was lost due to rebellion and invasion.
Changsha(Settlement)Chinese Means "long sandbar" from Chinese 长 (cháng) meaning "long" and 沙 (shā) meaning "sand, gravel"... [more]
Changwon(Settlement)Korean Combination of 昌 (창, chang, "prosperity") and 原 (원, won, "meadow"), thus "prosperous meadow". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Chanhassen(Settlement)English (American) From the Dakota word chanhasen meaning "sugar-maple tree", which itself comes from chan, "tree" and haza, "tree with sap".
Chanthaburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai Most likely derived from Thai จันทร์ (chan) meaning "moon" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town". This is the name of a province of, as well as a district and town in, Thailand.
Chantilly(Settlement)French From the name of a town in France near Paris, ultimately derived from the Gallo-Roman name Cantilius. The city gave its name to a type of delicate lace originally made there.
Chardonnay(Settlement)French The name of a famous village for the white wine produced here. Means "a place of thistles" from the latin cardonnacum.
Charlotte(Settlement)English Name of a city in North Carolina, named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who had become the Queen of Great Britain just seven years before the town's incorporation.
Chartreux(Settlement)French A village in Dauphine, France, named from words meaning "Battle King" (location of the Carthusian Monastery on Chartreuse Mountain)
Chattogram(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Bengali, English Alternate transcription of Bengali চট্টগ্রাম (see Chottogram) officially used by the government of Bangladesh.
Cheltenham(Settlement)English (British) First recorded in 803, as Celtan hom; the meaning has not been resolved with certainty, but latest scholarship concludes that the first element preserves a pre-British noun cilta, 'steep hill', here referring to the Cotswold scarp; the second element may mean 'settlement' or 'water-meadow'... [more]
Chengdu(Settlement)Chinese From Chinese 成 (chéng) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" and 都 (dū) meaning "capital city, large city", supposedly named during the city's founding by the ninth king of the Kaiming dyntasty of the ancient state of Shu... [more]
Chengwatana(Settlement)English (American) An abandoned village in Minnesota. From Ojibwe zhingwaadena, a contraction of zhingwaak-oodena meaning "white pine town".
Chennai(Settlement)Indian, Tamil, English Most likely from the name of 17th-century Telugu monarch Damarla Chennapa Nayaka (or Chennappa Naicker). This is the name of the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which was officially called Madras until 1996.
Cheonan(Settlement)Korean Combination of 天 (천, cheon, "sky, heaven") and 安 (안, ān, "peace"), thus "heavenly peace". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Cheongju(Settlement)Korean Combination of 淸 (청, cheong, "clear, clean") and 州 (주, ju, "province"), thus "clear province", or "perfect province". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Cheragh(Settlement)Persian This is the name of a village in Lorestan Province in western Iran. This is also used as a place name element (first or last) in other villages across Iran.... [more]
Chiang Mai(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai, English Means "new city" from Thai เชียง (chiang) meaning "(walled) city" and ใหม่ (mai) meaning "new". This is the name of a province of and city in Thailand.
Chiang Mai(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai, Northern Thai Means "new city" from Thai เชียง (chiang) or Northern Thai ᨩ᩠ᨿᨦ (chiang) both meaning "city" and Thai ใหม่ (mai) or Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨾᩲ᩵ (mai) meaning "new"... [more]
Chiang Rai(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai เชียง (chiang) meaning "walled city" and ราย (rai) referring to Mangrai (1238-1311), the first king of the Lan Na Kingdom who established the city. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Thailand.
Chiba(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf". This is the name of a city in Japan, as well as the prefecture in which the city is located.
Chickasha(Settlement)English (American) A city in Oklahoma. From Choctaw chikashsha meaning "Chickasaw", a Native American people.
Chicomoztoc(Settlement & Other)Nahuatl, Aztec From Nahuatl chicome (“seven”), oztotl (“cave”), and -c (“place”).
Chicopee(Settlement & River)English (American) A city and river in Massachusetts. From Nipmuc chekee meaning "violently" and pe, a suffix used in the names of bodies of water, or chikkupee meaning "of red cedar".
Chihuahua(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Spanish Meaning unknown, possibly of Nahuatl origin meaning "the place where water of the rivers meet, confluence". This is the name of a state of, as well as a city in, Mexico.
Chippenham(Settlement)English One possibility for its naming may have been from Cyppa's Hamme which comes from the words ce-ap meaning market, and Hamme meaning enclosed by the river or an enclosed water meadow both of which Chippenham was.... [more]
Chittagong(Settlement)Bengali, English The etymology of Chittagong is uncertain. One explanation credits the first Arab traders for shatt ghangh, where shatt means "delta" and ghangh stood for the Ganges. The Arakanese chronicle states that a king named Tsu-la-taing Tsandaya, after conquering Bengal, set up a stone pillar as a trophy or memorial at the place since called Tst-ta-gaung as the limit of conquest... [more]
Chittagong(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Bengali চট্টগ্রাম (Chottogram) of uncertain meaning. This is the name of an administrative division of, as well as a city in, Bangladesh (officially named Chattogram).
Chiyoda(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand", 代 (yo) meaning "generation" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy"... [more]
Choctaw(Settlement)English (American) A city in Oklahoma. From the name of the Choctaw people, although the city has no cultural relation to the Choctaw nation.
Choibalsan(Settlement)Mongolian In honor of Communist leader Khorloogin Choibalsan, who took part in the Mongolian Revolution of 1920. This is the name of a city in Mongolia.
Chonburi(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai ชล (chon) meaning "(body of) water" and บุรี (buri) meaning "city, town", so named for the nearby Gulf of Thailand. This is the name of a province of Thailand as well as said province's capital city.
Christiania(Settlement)Norwegian (Archaic) Named in honor of Christian IV (1577-1648), king of Denmark-Norway. This was the name of the capital of Norway between 1624 and 1925.
Chumphon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Thai From Thai ชุม (chum) meaning "come together, assemble, gather" and พร (phon) meaning "blessing". The second element may be a corruption of พล (phon) meaning "force, strength, power" or, alternately, the entire name may come from a corruption of อุทุมพร (uthumphon) meaning "gular fig tree"... [more]
Chūō(Settlement)Japanese From Japanese 中央 (chūō) meaning "centre, middle, central". This is the name of a special ward of Tokyo as well the name of wards in multiple other cities throughout Japan. It is also the name of a city in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Cidra(Settlement)Spanish A city in Puerto Rico. Most likely from Spanish cidra meaning "citron".
Cilacap(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian, Javanese, Sundanese Derived from Javanese tlacap meaning "corner, point, end", so named for the sharp angle made by the end of a local bay. This is the name of a regency and city in Indonesia.
Cilegon(Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese Derived from Sundanese cai meaning "water" and legon meaning "arch, bay, cove". This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Cill Airne(Settlement)Irish A town in County Kerry, Ireland. Meaning "church of the sloes" from Irish cill meaning "church". and airne meaning "sloe".
Cill Dara(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish The Irish name for County Kildare. Means "church of the oak" in Irish.... [more]
Cill Mhantáin(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Irish name for the county of Wicklow. Meaning "church of Mantan". It is named after a peer of Saint Patrick. Mantan had his teeth knocked out by Irish pagans, and then he was renamed Mantan, which means "toothless one".
Cimahi(Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese From the name of a river derived from Sundanese cai mahi meaning "enough water". This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Cirebon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese, Javanese Either derived from Javanese caruban meaning "mixed, assorted" (likely a reference to the region's mixed cultural influences) or from Sundanese cai meaning "water" and rebon meaning "shrimp, prawn"... [more]
Clare(Settlement)English Possibly derives from Latin clarus, meaning "clear, bright", describing the clear nature of the Chilton Stream that flows through the town. The name first appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Clara.... [more]
Clarecastle(Settlement)Irish A town in Clare, Ireland, named after Clare Castle, which stands on an island in the narrowest part of the River Fergus... [more]
Cleveland(Settlement & Other)English This is the name of several settlements, mainly in the United States, as well as a geographical region in Yorkshire, England; in both cases, the name comes from the combination of the Middle English words cleve ("cliff") and land.... [more]
Cloquet(Settlement & River)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Cloquet. The river in Minnesota may have been named for French doctors Hippolyte and Jules Cloquet, and the city was named for the river.
Coachella(Settlement)English (American) A city in California. Possibly from Spanish conchilla, referring to a type of seashell commonly found in the area.
Cohasset(Settlement)English (American) A town in Massachusetts. From Massachusett conahasset possibly meaning "long rocky place" or "fishing promontory".
Coimbra(Settlement)Portuguese From Latin Conimbriga, itself derived from the name of an ancient tribe known as the Conii and Old Celtic brigā meaning "hill, fortress". This is the name of a city in Portugal.
Colombo(Settlement)English Probably from the old Sinhalese word kolamba meaning "ferry" or "port". It is popularly believed to be derived from Sinhalese කොලොන් තොට (kolon tota) meaning "port on the river Kelani" or කොල අඹ (kola amba) meaning "leafy mango grove", altered with influence from the name of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus or Latin columba meaning "dove"... [more]
Colossae(Settlement)Greek either "Establishing a Temple or Shrine" or "to Punish" or "Dyed Wool," but no direct connection to "the Colossus of Rhodes"
Columbus(Settlement)English Named after famous Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. This is the name of several settlements in the United States, including the capital city of the state of Ohio.
Conakry(Settlement)French, English The capital of Guinea. Its name is derived from Kɔnakiri, a local village populated by the Susu, a Mande speaking ethnic group.
Conroe(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Conroe. The city in Texas was named for Isaac Conroe, a cavalry officer for the Union during the American Civil War.
Constanța(Settlement)Romanian This is the name of a romanian city which is also the biggest port in Romania. It's greek name is Tomis.
Copperopolis(Settlement)English From the English word "copper" and the Greek polis meaning "city". Copperopolis was a mining community in Montana.
Coralville(Settlement)English From the English word "coral" and ville meaning "city". The name of the city in Iowa was derived from coral fossils found along the nearby Iowa River.
Corcaigh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish Irish form of Cork.
Cordele(Settlement)English From the English given name Cordelia. The city in Georgia was named for Cordelia Hawkins, the daughter of Colonel Samuel Hawkins, the president of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway.
Cork(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Irish A county and city in Ireland. Meaning "swamp".
Corleone(Settlement)Italian From Sicilian Cunigghiuni or Curliuni of uncertain meaning, possibly of Arabic or Latin origin. This is the name of a town in Sicily.
Cotabato(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Tagalog, English From Maguindanao Kutawatu meaning "stone city", from kuta meaning "city, fort" and wato meaning "stone, rock". This is the name of both a province and a city in the southern Philippines.
Cotonou(Settlement)French The name Cotonou comes from Fon origins, meaning, "by the river of death".
Courtaney(Settlement)English Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Crawfordjohn(Settlement)Scottish A village in Southern Scotland. It's name is of Scots origin and means 'Crow's ford of John'. See Crawford.
Crompton(Settlement)English From Old English crumbe ("bent") + tun ("town"), referring to its location on a river bend. It is the name of a former town now part of Shaw and Crompton.
Cudahy(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the Irish surname Cudahy. The city in California was named for Michael Cudahy, a meat-packing baron and local landowner.
Cumbernauld(Settlement)Scottish A town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The name in its present form is most likely derived from Gaelic comar nan allt meaning 'meeting of the waters'. However, early forms containing Cumyr- hint at a Cumbric predecessor derived possibly from Common Brittonic *cömber-ïn-alt (Welsh cymer-yn-allt), perhaps meaning 'confluence at the hill'.
Cupertino(Settlement)English From the name of Italian saint Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663), who hailed from the town of Copertino in Apulia, Italy. This is the name of a city in California.
Cuzco(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Inca (Hispanicized), Quechua (Hispanicized), Spanish (Archaic) Traditional spelling of Cusco, a city in Peru which was the capital of the Inca Empire. Cusco is the Hispanicized form of Quechua Qusqu meaning "rock, boundary stone; heap of earth and stones; nucleus; navel; bed, dry bed of a lake".
Cwm Gwaun(Settlement)Welsh Cwm Gwaun (English: Gwaun Valley) is a community and valley in north Pembrokeshire, Wales. The name itself is derived from Welsh cwm "valley" and gwaun "heath, moor".
Daedeok(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Korean From Sino-Korean 大德, meaning "great virtue." It is the name of numerous districts and settlements in South Korea.
Daegu(Settlement)Korean Combination of 大 (대, dae, "big, large") and 邱 (구, gu, "hill"), thus "large hill". This is the name of a city in South Korea.
Daejeon(Settlement)Korean Combination of 大 (대, dae, "big, large") and 田 (전, jeon, "cultivated piece of land"). This is the name of a city in South Korea.