Aberdeen(Settlement)English A city in Scotland, derived from Scottish Gaelic aber "river mouth" and the name of the river Don.
Abergele(Settlement)English, Welsh A market town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. From Welsh aber ("river mouth, estuary") and Gele, the name of the river which flows through the town, which is from gelau "spear".
Abuja(Settlement)Western African, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, English From Abu-Ja, a nickname of 19th-century monarch Abubakar Jatau (sometimes referred to as "Abu"), who founded what is now the city of Abuja in 1828. By some accounts, he was described as having fair skin, which possibly earned him the nickname Ja meaning "red" in Hausa... [more]
Acajutla(Settlement)English The name of a city in El Salvador, on its Pacific coast. It is the country's principal seaport.
Accra(Settlement)English Derived from Akan nkran meaning "fire ant". This is the name of the capital city of Ghana.
Acushnet(Settlement & River)English (American) Name of a river, city, and several other places in Massachusetts. From Wampanoag or Algonquin cushnea meaning "as far as the waters".
Ada(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English feminine given name Ada. The city in Oklahoma was named for the daughter of Jeff Reed, the owner of a local store.
Addis Ababa(Settlement)English, Danish, Turkish From Amharic አዲስ አበባ (ʾädis ʾäbäba), meaning "new flower". This is the name of the capital city of Ethiopia.
Adelanto(Settlement)English (American) A city in California. From Spanish adelanto meaning "progress, advance".
Aden(Settlement & Body of Water)English From Arabic عدن ('Adan) derived from Akkadian edinu meaning "plain, lowland", itself from Sumerian eden meaning "plain, open country". This is the name of a city in Yemen as well as a gulf between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea (the Gulf of Aden).
Agadir(Settlement)Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber, English, French Means "fortified fortress, wall" in Central Atlas Tamazight, ultimately from Phoenician gdr meaning "wall, compound". This is the name of a city in Morocco.
Agra(Settlement)Hindi, Urdu, English Most likely derived from Sanskrit अग्रेवण (agrevana) meaning "forest border", from अग्र (agra) meaning "border, in front of, foremost point" and वन (vana) meaning "forest, wood, grove"... [more]
Ahmedabad(Settlement)English From Urdu احمد آباد (Ahmad Abad) or Hindi अहमदाबाद (Ahmadabad) both derived from the given name Ahmad combined with the place name suffix -آباد/-आबाद (-abad) (of Persian origin)... [more]
Aiea(Settlement)English (American), Hawaiian A city in Hawaiʻi. From Hawaiian ʻaiea meaning "Hawai'i holly", a type of tree native to the area.
Aiken(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Aiken. The city in South Carolina was named for William Aiken, the president of the South Carolina Railroad.
Airdrie(Settlement)English (Canadian), Scottish Gaelic The name Airdrie is of Scottish origin and is thought to mean "high pasture" or "level height," derived from the Gaelic elements àrd meaning "high" and druim meaning "ridge." Airdrie is located in southern Alberta, Canada, near Calgary.
Airton(Settlement)English The name of a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire in England, also known as Airton-in-Craven. It is derived from a combination of Aire (referring to the river) and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town."
Aizawl(Settlement)Mizo, English The capital city of Mizoram in far eastern India.
Akron(Settlement)English A city in Ohio. From the Ancient Greek word ἄκρον (akron), meaning "summit, high point".
Aktau(Settlement)Russian, English From Kazakh Ақтау (Aqtau) meaning "white mountain", derived from ақ (aq) meaning "white" and тау (tau) meaning "mountain". This is the name of a city in Kazakhstan.
Alamogordo(Settlement)English (American) A city in New Mexico. From Spanish alamo gordo meaning "large cottonwood, fat cottonwood".
Alamosa(Settlement)English (American) A city in Colorado. From the Spanish alamosa meaning “of cottonwood”.
Albany(Settlement)English Name of the capital in New York, renamed after British acquisition in 1664 in honor of the Dukes of Albany (House of Stuart), hence a name borne by their retainers.
Albemarle(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Albemarle. The city in North Carolina was named for General George Monck, the first Duke of Albemarle.
Albuquerque(Settlement)English (American) Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, sits in the high desert. Its modern Downtown core contrasts with Old Town Albuquerque, dating to the city’s 1706 founding as a Spanish colony.
Alderwood(Settlement)English The name Alderwood is derived from the alder tree, a type of tree that thrives in wetlands and along rivers. The name combines "alder" (a tree species) and "wood" (meaning a forested area). It was likely chosen to reflect the natural landscape of the area before development.... [more]
Algonquin(Settlement)English (American) A city in Illinois. From the name of the Algonquin Native American people.
Alhambra(Settlement)English From the name of the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, itself derived from Arabic الحمراء (al-hamra') meaning "the red (one)". This is the name of a city in California.
Allegan(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) A city and man-made lake in Michigan. The name was coined by the geographer Henry Schoolcraft, and has no meaning but was intended to replicate the sounds of Native American languages.
Allentown(Settlement)English From the English surname Allen and the word "town". The city in Pennsylvania was named for William Allen, a wealthy shipping merchant and former mayor of Philadelphia.
Alor Setar(Settlement)Malay, English From Malay alor meaning "river, stream" and setar meaning "gandaria" (a type of fruit). This is the name of the capital city of the Malaysian state of Kedah.
Alpharetta(Settlement)English (American) A city in Georgia. Possibly from the fictional name Alfarata, a character in the 19th-century song The Blue Juniata.
Alpine(Settlement & Mountain)English A name belonging to settlements and locations, typically referring to the Alps or any mountain.
Altham(Settlement)English Meaning "river meadow of the swans" hamm elfitu.
Amadeo(Settlement)English, Filipino Named after King Amadeo I of Spain. This is a municipality in Cavite, Philippines formerly called Masilao.
Amahai(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English, Indonesian The name of a village and administrative district on the south coast of the Indonesian island of Seram, in Central Maluku Regency.
Amherst(Settlement)English Name of a town in Massachusetts, and name of a college, UMass Amherst.
Amherst(Settlement)English, Anglo-Saxon The name Amherst is derived from the surname of Jeffrey Amherst, a British Army officer who played a role in the French and Indian War. The town in Nova Scotia and other places were named in his honor... [more]
Amiens(Settlement)French, English A city and commune in France. Derived from the name of the Ambiani people, a Belgic tribe who lived in the region.
Amoy(Settlement)English (Archaic) Older variant of Xiamen based on the Zhangzhou Hokkien romanization 廈門 (Ēe-mûi).
Amritsar(Settlement)English, Hindi Means "pool of nectar" from Sanskrit अमृत (amrita) meaning "nectar, elixir" and सरस् (saras) meaning "pool, lake, pond". This is the name of a city in India.
Anaconda(Settlement)English From the English word "anaconda". A city in Montana, which was named for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company smelter located nearby.
Anaheim(Settlement)English Union of Ana, referring to the nearby Santa Ana River, and the German suffix heim ("home"). This is the name of a city in the US state of California.
Andover(Settlement)English Various cities around the world are named for the city in England. From Old English Andferas, a place name likely of Celtic origin.
Anmer(Settlement)English Derived from the village of Anmer, in Norfolk. It stems from the Old English aened "duck" and mere "pool".
Ann Arbor(Settlement)English (American) The name of a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the county seat of Washtenaw County located in the south of the state.... [more]
Anoka(Settlement)English (American) A city in Minnesota. Possibly from Dakota anoka meaning "on both sides, from both sides" or Ojibwe anoki meaning "I work".
Antananarivo(Settlement)Malagasy, French, English Means "city of thousand" in Malagasy, from the prefix an- combined with tanana meaning "city, town" and arivo meaning "one thousand". The name was chosen by Merina King Andriamasinavalona (1675-1710), who renamed the city in honour of the thousand soldiers who captured the site under the rule of King Andrianjaka... [more]
Apperley(Settlement)English Means "apple clearing". From æppel "apple" and leah "woodland, clearing"
Apple Valley(Settlement)English Various cities around the United States. From the English words "apple" and "valley".
Aquinnah(Settlement)English (American) A town in Massachusetts. From Wampanoag Âhqunah, a Wampanoag tribe also known as the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head.
Arcadia(Region & Settlement)English, Italian, Spanish From Greek Ἀρκαδία (Arkadia) named for the mythological character Arcas. This is the name of a region in the Peloponnese in southern Greece, as well as the name of numerous cities in various countries.
Arecibo(Settlement)Spanish, English A city in Puerto Rico. From the name of the Taíno cacique Arasibo. The name Arasibo itself likely comes from Taíno ara, possibly meaning "people" and siba, possibly meaning "rock, stone".
Arezzo(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English, Italian The name of a city, comune and province in Tuscany, Italy.
Arlandria(Settlement)English (American) The name of a neighbourhood in north-eastern Alexandria, Virginia. It is a portmanteau of Arlington and Alexandria, reflecting its location on the border of Arlington County and Alexandria.
Arlington(Settlement)English Three possible places called Arlington in Gloucestershire, Devon, and East Sussex.
Arrington(Settlement)English Arrington, a place in Cambridgeshire, named from an Old English byname, Earn(a), meaning ‘eagle’ + -inga- ‘people or followers of’ + tūn ‘settlement’.
Asbestos(Settlement)English (Canadian) The previous name of the Canadian town Val-des-Sources. This name was given because the town was located next to the world's largest asbestos mine.
Ashgabat(Settlement)English From Turkmen Aşgabat, from Persian عشقآباد (eshq abad) meaning "city of love", derived from عشق (eshq) meaning "love, passion" and آباد (abad)# meaning "city"... [more]
Ashwaubenon(Settlement)English (American) A city in Wisconsin. From Ojibwe ashiwabiwining meaning "place where they watch, keep a lookout" or Menominee es-wāpanoh, "thither see the dawning".
Askrigg(Settlement)English A village in rural Northeast England. It is derived from the Old Norse askr, 'ash tree' (c.f Swedish ask, 'ash tree') and hryggr, 'ridge' (c.f Swedish rygg, 'ridge, spine', German rücken, 'spine', Scots rig, 'ridge').
Astana(Settlement)Kazakh, English, Russian Means "capital city" in Kazakh, ultimately from Persian آستانه (astaneh). This was the name of the capital city of Kazakhstan until 2019, when it was renamed Nur-Sultan.
Athlacca(Settlement, Political Subdivision & Other)English From Irish An tÁth Leacach, meaning "the flagstone ford." It is the name of a settlement, ford, civil parish, and electoral division in County Limerick, Ireland.
Atlanta(Settlement)English Name of a city in Georgia, named by J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad.
Atoka(Settlement)English (American) A city in Oklahoma, named after Choctaw leader Captain Atoka. The name Atoka is derived from Choctaw hitoka or hetoka meaning "ball ground".
Auckland(Settlement)English The Baron Auckland and the Earl of Auckland are titles of the English nobility. The first Baron Auckland, William Eden, had the city of Auckland in New Zealand named after him. Bishop Auckland is a town in the county of Durham in Britain which has lent its name to the title... [more]
Auroville(Settlement)English The name of an indian town built by UNESCO located in southern India. It was built as an experimental town to see how is the world without politics, money or polution.
Austin(Settlement)English Named after several people bearing the first name Austin or its surname counterpart Austin... [more]
Ayutthaya(Country & Settlement)Thai, English Derived from Sanskrit अयुध्य (ayudhya) meaning "invincible, unconquerable". This was the name of a kingdom (as well as one of its capital cities) that reigned from 1350 to 1767, considered the precursor of modern Thailand.
Azle(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the surname Azle. The city in Texas was named for James Azle Steward, a local doctor and landowner.
Azov(Settlement & Body of Water)Russian, Ukrainian, English From the Arabic Bahr al-Azuf meaning "dark blue sea" or from Kipchak азакъ (azaq), meaning "river mouth, lowlands". The Sea of Azov is a sea on the borders of Southeast Ukraine and Southwest Russia, connected to the Black Sea... [more]
Bacolod(Settlement)Hiligaynon, Tagalog, English Derived from Hiligaynon bakolod meaning "hill, mound". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Badley(Settlement)English Habitational name from Badley in Suffolk or Baddeley Green in Staffordshire, both named with the Old English personal name Bad(d)a + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.
Baghdad(Settlement)English, Italian, Malay, Uyghur From Arabic بغداد (baḡdād), itself from Persian بغداد (baǧdâd), probably from Middle Persian bgdt, meaning "given by god", from Old Persian *Bagadātaʰ... [more]
Baghdad(Settlement)Arabic, English, Armenian, Hindi, Italian, Malay, Pashto, Persian, Urdu, Uyghur From Persian بغداد (Baghdad) most likely derived from Middle Persian 𐭡𐭢𐭣𐭲 (bgdt) meaning "given by god", itself from Old Persian 𐏎 (baga) meaning "god" and 𐎭𐎠𐎫 (dātaʰ) meaning "given, created"... [more]
Bagshaw(Settlement)English Means "Bacga's thicket" or "Bacga's copse". Derived from the Anglo-Saxon given name Bacga and the word sceaga "thicket, copse"
Baguio(Settlement)Filipino, Ilocano, Tagalog, English Hispanicized form of Ibaloi bagiw meaning "moss". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Baikonur(Settlement)Russian, English From Kazakh Байқоңыр (Bayqonyr) meaning "wealthy brown" or "fertile land with many plants", derived from бай (bay) meaning "rich, wealthy" and қоңыр (qonyr) meaning "brown"... [more]
Bakersfield(Settlement)English Named after a person bearing the surname Baker. The city in California was named after former colonel Thomas Baker of the Ohio Militia, who moved to the area in 1863.
Baku(Settlement)English, Russian, Persian From Azerbaijani Bakı from Persian باکو (baku), which is of uncertain meaning. One popular etymology suggests that it means "wind-pounded city" from Persian باد (bad) meaning "wind" and کوبیدن (kubidan) meaning "to pound, to beat", given in reference to the area's frequent storms and high winds... [more]
Baltimore(Settlement)English Baltimore is an independent city in the state of Maryland within the United States.
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]
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)Welsh, English From Old Welsh bancor "wattled enclosure". This is the name of a city in Wales, and the namesake of the associated University.
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.
Barnum(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English (American, Americanized, Modern) Barnum (population: 175; in Johnson Township), Iowa, USA, is a town located on the southeastern margin of Manson crater, that was named after P.T. Barnum's third cousin William Barnum, a senator from Connecticut who was connected to the railroad that brought the town increased business... [more]
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]
Bathurst(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English The name Bathurst is of English origin, likely named after Henry Bathurst, the 3rd Earl Bathurst, an English politician. The name is derived from "bath" (a place for bathing) and "hurst" (a wooded hill), with the meaning potentially being "a bath near a wooded hill" or "a hill by the baths." The place name was popularized by British colonialists in the 19th century.
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]
Battleford(Settlement)English Battleford was named after the Battle River, which itself was named due to historical conflicts between Indigenous groups, particularly the Cree and Blackfoot... [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]
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.
Bay Roberts(Settlement)English The name Bay Roberts likely refers to its location by a bay and is named after an early settler or landowner named Roberts. "Bay" refers to its coastal setting... [more]
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.
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”.
Beirut(Settlement)English The capital of Lebanon. It is derived from Hebrew be'erot which means "the wells".
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bhopal(Settlement)Hindi, English Means "Bhoja's dam" from Hindi भोज (bhoj) referring to the legendary king Bhoja and पाल (pal) meaning "dam"... [more]
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.
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]
Biwabik(Settlement)English (American) A city and township in Minnesota. From Ojibwe biiwaabik meaning "iron".
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]
Boise(Settlement)English Most likely from French, but of uncertain ultimate origin. One account states that it may come from a story of a French-speaking person who yelled "Les bois! Les bois!" ("The woods! The woods!"); another account is that the name comes from the phrase la rivière boisée ("the wooded river").... [more]
Bolton(Settlement)English (British) A town in Greater Manchester, England. Derived from the Old English bothl-tun
Bonita(Settlement)English (American) Various cities in the United States. From Spanish bonita meaning "pretty".
Boughton Malherbe(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English (British) From Boughton, which means "farmstead where the beech-tree grows" from Old English boc meaning "beech tree" and tun "enclosure, farmstead", combined with Malherbe, a manorial affix taken from the 13th-century owner Robert de Malherbe, distinguishing the village from others with the same name (all of which Domesday Book records as Boltune or Boltone).... [more]
Boulder(Settlement)English Name of a city in Colorado, from Middle English bulderston, from a Scandinavian source akin to Swedish dialectal bullersten "noisy stone", (Swedish buller "rumbling noise" + sten "stone".
Bozeman(Settlement)English (American) A settlement in Montana.Originally was travelled through by indigenous people like Shoshone and Blackfeet.... [more]
Brainerd(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Brainerd. The city in Minnesota was named for Anne Eliza Brainerd Smith and Lawrence Brainerd, the wife and father-in-law of Northern Pacific railroad president John Gregory Smith.
Brampton(Settlement)English A city in the Great Toronto-Hamilton area of Ontario, Canada. From the surveyor of the same name.
Brandon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English The name "Brandon" is believed to have been inspired by Brandon House, a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post established in 1793. The post was likely named after Brandon, Suffolk, England... [more]
Bridge(Settlement)English Bridge is a city in Texas.
Bridgemont(Settlement)English This very old and rare medieval English surname is almost certainly locational and derives from a now "lost" medieval village called "Bridgemont". Meaning, "mount of the bridge."
Bridgewater(Settlement)English The name Bridgewater comes from the combination of two Old English elements: "bridge" (from "brycg" meaning a structure built to span a watercourse) and "water" (meaning water). The name likely refers to a town or settlement located near a bridge over a river or waterway.
Brighton(Settlement)English The name of an English city, meaning "bright town" in Old English.
Brill(Settlement)English, Dutch (Anglicized) English form of Brielle, the name of a town and historic seaport in the Netherlands, which comes from Proto-Celtic *brogilo meaning "enclosed area, hunting preserve".
Broughton(Settlement)English Broughton (Welsh: Brychdyn) is a district in Flintshire, Wales, close to the Wales–England border, located to the west of the City of Chester, England.
Brussels(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English Union of Proto-Germanic elements brōk, "marsh", and sali, "building, room"; influenced by Dutch Brussel. This is the name of the capital city of Belgium.
Bucharest(Settlement)English Meaning uncertain. Traditional etymologies state that the city's name is derived from Bucur, the name of a prince, outlaw, fisherman, shepherd, or hunter (depending on the specific legend), whose name is derived from Romanian bucurie meaning "joy, happiness", probably of Dacian origin... [more]
Bucharest(Settlement)English, Malay, Tagalog From Romanian București, which is believed to be derived from the given name Bucur (referring to a figure in Romanian legend) combined with the suffix -ești used for place names... [more]
Buffalo(Settlement & River)English Various cities in the United States. From the English word "buffalo". The city in New York was named for the Buffalo River.
Bukhara(Settlement)English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Kazakh, Russian, Ukrainian From Uzbek Buxoro, itself derived from Persian بخارا (bokhara) of uncertain meaning, possibly from Sogdian βuxārak meaning "place of good fortune". Alternately it may have come from Sanskrit विहार (vihara) referring to a Buddhist monastery... [more]
Bukit Merah(Settlement)Malay, English Means "red hill" in Malay from bukit meaning "hill" and merah meaning "red", referring to the red-coloured soil of a hill in the area. This is the name of a planning area and town in Singapore, also called Redhill.
Bukit Panjang(Settlement)Malay, English Means "long hill" in Malay, from bukit meaning "hill" and panjang meaning "long". This is the name of a planning area and town in Singapore.
Bukit Timah(Settlement)Malay, English Literally means "tin hill" in Malay, from bukit meaning "hill" and timah meaning "tin". However, the name is more likely a corrupted form of the original Malay name Bukit Temak meaning "temak hill", from bukit meaning "hill" and temak referring to a type of tree (genus Shorea)... [more]
Burlington(Settlement)English Burlington is a city in Vermont and other states, it could be named this from Richard Boyle, the third Earl of Burlington, or a family with he surname Burling.
Burnaby(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English The name "Burnaby" is thought to have originated from the surname of a British colonial official, Sir Francis Burnaby. It may also be tied to the Old English words "burna" (stream) and "by" (town or village), potentially meaning "town near the stream."
Burnsville(Settlement)English From the English surname Burns and ville, "town". The city in Minnesota is named for the settler William Byrne, whose surname was recorded incorrectly.
Butte(Settlement)English This is a city in Montana, USA.
Byblos(Settlement)English, Arabic, Greek Byblos, also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon.
Caernarfon(Settlement)English, Welsh From the Welsh words caer "fort", yn "in" and Arfon "opposite Môn (Anglesey)", therefore altogether translating to "the fort in the land opposite Anglesey"... [more]
Cahokia(Settlement)English (American) A city in Illinois and the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city whose original name is unknown. The name is derived from Cahokia people, who lived in the area before their relocation.
Caledon(Region & Settlement)Spanish (Latin American), Scottish, English Caledon originates from the Latin "Caledonia," the name used by the Romans for what is now Scotland. The term was likely derived from the Caledonii, an ancient Pictish or Celtic tribe in the region.... [more]
Calimesa(Settlement)English (American) A city in California. From a portmanteau of California and the English word "mesa" or the Spanish word mesa meaning "table, mesa".
Callifae(Settlement)English From the name of a town in ancient Italy, of uncertain origin. It was mentioned only by the Roman historian Livy, and may correspond to the village Calvisi, at the foot of the Monte Matese.
Caloocan(Settlement)Tagalog, English Derived from Tagalog kalookan meaning "interior, inland, innermost region". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Cambridge(Settlement)English Cambridge is a university city and the county town of Cambridgeshire, England, on the River Cam approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of London.... [more]
Campobasso(Settlement)Italian, English, French, German, Spanish Literally "low field"; derived from Latin Campus Vassorum, denoting that the city was host to vassals. This is the name of the capital city of the southern Italian region of Molise.
Canberra(Settlement)English From the city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
Carbondale(Settlement)English Various settlements in Canada and the United States. From the English word "carbon" and ville meaning "city".
Carnarvon(Settlement)Welsh (Anglicized), English Anglicised form of Caernarfon. It has rarely been used in the context of the Welsh town since the 1970s, but this spelling is still used for some namesake settlements abroad.
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.
Carveth(Settlement)English From Cornish Karvergh ("fort of horses"), from kar ("fort") and mergh ("horse"). This is the name of a village in Cornwall.
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]
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.
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.
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.
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]
Chalmette(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Chalmette. The city in Louisiana is named for Louis-Xavier Martin de Lino de Chalmette, a local plantation owner.
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.
Chanhassen(Settlement)English (American) From the Dakota word chanhasen meaning "sugar-maple tree", which itself comes from chan, "tree" and haza, "tree with sap".
Channahon(Settlement)English (American) A city in Illinois. The name is reportedly derived from a Potawatomi phrase meaning "meeting of the waters".
Charlevoix(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) Transferred usage of the French surname Charlevoix. The lake and city in Michigan are named for Fr. Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, a French explorer.
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.
Chattanooga(Settlement)English (American) A city in Tennessee. The name may be derived from the Muskogean word cvto meaning "rock" and the suffix -nuga meaning "dwelling, dwelling place", or from the Creek word chat-to-to-noog-gee meaning "rock rising to a point".
Chattogram(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Bengali, English Alternate transcription of Bengali চট্টগ্রাম (see Chottogram) officially used by the government of Bangladesh.
Cheektowaga(Settlement)English (American) A city in New York. The name is derived from the Seneca word chictawauga meaning "land of the crabapples".
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]
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.
Chesapeake(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) A bay and a city in Virginia. The name is derived from the Algonquian word chesepiooc meaning "at a big river" or "great water". A local legend claims that the name means "great shellfish bay".
Cheyenne(Settlement)English The capital of Wyoming, in the United States.
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.
Chickasha(Settlement)English (American) A city in Oklahoma. From Choctaw chikashsha meaning "Chickasaw", a Native American people.
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".
Chino(Settlement)English (American) A city in California. From Spanish chino meaning "curly".
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).
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.
Cinnaminson(Settlement)English (American) A township in New Jersey. Possibly from senamensing, a word in a Lenape language meaning "sweet water".
Claddagh(Settlement)Irish, English The name of an ancient village in Ireland, where the tradition of the Claddagh ring developed.
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]
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".
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]
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.
Cooksville(Settlement)English Cooksville was named after Jacob Cook, an American settler who established a stagecoach stop and inn in the early 19th century. The area was originally known as "Harrisville" but was renamed after Cook, who became a prominent figure in the community.... [more]
Copperopolis(Settlement)English From the English word "copper" and the Greek polis meaning "city". Copperopolis was a mining community in Montana.
Coquitlam(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English The name "Coquitlam" comes from the Halkomelem word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm, meaning "red fish up the river," referring to the traditional importance of salmon to the local Coast Salish peoples.
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.
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.