Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Adan(Settlement & Body of Water)Arabic Arabic form of Aden.
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).
Adriatic(Body of Water)English An arm of the Mediterranean Sea. From Adria, a settlement in Illyria.
Adriatic Sea(Body of Water)Ancient Roman The Adriatic Sea is located near Central Italy. It is named after Adria. See Hadria for more info.
Alimagnet(Body of Water)English A lake in Minnesota. Supposedly a portmanteau of the given names Alice, Maggie, and Nettie, the names of girls who were playing near the lake when American surveyors were deciding on its name.
Allegheny(Body of Water)Lenape The name Allegheny may come from Lenape welhik hane or oolikhanna, which means 'best flowing river of the hills' or 'beautiful stream', and from a Lenape account of an ancient mythical tribe called "Allegewi", who lived along the river before being taken over by the Lenape.
Almodóvar(River, Body of Water & Settlement)Spanish From Arabic المدور (al-mudawwar) meaning "round (place)" referring to a fort, hill or other topographic feature. It is the name of a river and reservoir in the province of Cádiz, Spain, as well as three towns in other provinces.
Ámsvartnir(Body of Water)Norse Mythology Means "red-black one" or "completely black one" in Old Norse. This is the name of a lake in Norse mythology.
Ərəbistan(Region & Body of Water)Azerbaijani Azerbaijani form of Arabestan, referring to both the Arabian Peninsula and the Arabian Sea.
Arctic(Region & Body of Water)English Means "near the bear," from the Greek word ἀρκτικός (arktikos), derived from arctos, meaning "bear." It refers to the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, which are two of the most well known and consistently named constellations in the northern hemisphere... [more]
Athabasca(Settlement, Other, Body of Water & Mountain)Cree (Anglicized) Name of numerous towns, lakes, rivers, a glacier, and a mountain, in Canada, primarily in the province of Alberta... [more]
Ba Bể(Body of Water, Political Subdivision & Other)Vietnamese From Vietnamese ba meaning "three," and bể meaning "lake" or "sea"; literally "three lakes/seas." It is the name of a lake, a county, and a national park in northeast Vietnam.
Baikal(Body of Water)Russian, English From Buryat Байгал (Baygal) of uncertain origin, perhaps from the Turkic roots baj meaning "rich" and kol meaning "lake" or from Mongolian байгалийн нуур (baigaliin nuur) meaning "natural lake"... [more]
Balqaş(Body of Water)Kazakh From Kazakh balkas, meaning "tussocks in a swamp".
Baltic Sea(Body of Water)English Meaning uncertain. Possibly derived from Latin balteus "belt". The Baltic Sea is a sea in Northern Europe. The name was first used, as Mare Balticum, by Adam of Bremen in the 11th century... [more]
Bdoté(Island & Body of Water)Sioux From Dakota bdoté meaning "place where two or more bodies of water converge".
Belegaer(Body of Water)Literature An ocean in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. From the fictional Sindarin language beleg, "great", and gaer, "sea".
Benezie(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. Possibly from Ojibwe binesi, meaning "raptor", perhaps referring to eagles, hawks, or the Thunder Bird spiritual being.
Black(Body of Water)English The Black Sea is a sea lying between Europe and Asia. Its name comes from the English word "black", likely due to the dark color of its waters.
Bottenviken(Body of Water)Swedish Combination of Old Swedish botn "bay, gulf" and the definite form of Swedish vik "bay", making it a tautological place name meaning "the bay bay". Bottenviken is a part of Bottniska viken and the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea.
Buzzards Bay(Body of Water)English Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts.
Caspian(Body of Water)English The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water. Its name comes from the Caspi people, who lived to the sea's southwest.
Celilo(Body of Water)Indigenous American Means: echo of falling water. A famous waterfall used as a Native American fishing ground.
Chisago(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. The name is derived from the Ojibwe kichi, "large", and saga, "beautiful#.
Chuzenji(Body of Water)Japanese Chuzenji Lake is located in Nikko city, Japan.
Conception Bay(Body of Water)English Calque of Medieval Portuguese Baía da Conceição, "Bay of the Conception," named for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Flores(Island & Body of Water)Indonesian Means "flowers" in Portuguese, from the Portuguese name for the eastern half of the island, Cabo das Flores. This is the name of an island as well as a small sea in Indonesia.
Fundy(Other & Body of Water)French Bay and national park in New Brunswick, Canada. The name comes from the French word 'fendu', meaning "split".
Havasu(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American), Indigenous American Means “blue” in the Mojave language. In July 2024, a 4 month old baby died of heat exposure while her negligent parents partied on Lake Havasu (California-Arizona border).... [more]
Hemet(Settlement, Body of Water & Other)English (American) Etymology uncertain. Possibly from Swedish hemmet meaning "home, homeland". Other theories claim that the name is derived from an unspecified Native American language, possibly meaning "box", "acorn valley", "surrounded by trees", or derived from a female given name, Hemetica... [more]
Hjälmaren(Body of Water)Swedish Derived from Old Swedish *iælmber "noise, rumble". Hjälmaren is the 4th largest lake in Sweden.
Hudson Bay(Body of Water)English (Canadian) This is the name of a bay in Canada. It is named after Henry Hudson, as he had discovered the bay.
Huron(Body of Water)English One of the Great Lakes of the United States of America, so named because it has fresh water, a rarity around the world.
Hvelgelmir(Body of Water)Norse Mythology Possibly means "bubbling cauldron". In Norse mythology this is the name of a spring in Niflheimr where Níðhǫggr lives.
Indian(Body of Water)English Name of an ocean, they named it that because it was by India.
Inle(Body of Water)Burmese From Burmese အင်း (in) meaning "lake" and လေး (le) of unclear meaning. This is the name of a lake in Myanmar.
Itämeri(Body of Water)Finnish Means "east sea" in Finnish. This is the Finnish form of the Baltic Sea, even though the sea is located to the west of Finland... [more]
Itasca(Body of Water)English Lake Itasca in north central Minnesota.... [more]
Jacklin(Body of Water)English Jacklin Lake is located in Wisconsin. Some of its native creatures are the northern pout, the pike, and the panfish.
Kabekona(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. From Ojibwe gabekana meaning "end of the trail".
Kabetogama(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. From Ojibwe gaa-biitoogamaag-zaaga'igan meaning "the lake that lies parallel with another lake, the lake that doubles with another lake, the place where there is one lake after another."
Kāta(Body of Water & Country)Maori Maori form of Chad.
Kego(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. From Ojibwe kego meaning "fish".
Kejimkujik(Other & Body of Water)Mi'kmaq Lake and national park in Canada. From Mi'kmaq, meaning "attempting to escape", or "swollen waters", or "tired muscles".
Khalyma(Body of Water & River)Yakut From Tundra Yukhagir kulumaa meaning river.
Kim(Body of Water & River)Khakas The Khakas variant of Ulug Hem, the Tuvan name of Yenisey.
Kolyma(Body of Water & River)Russian Originated in the tundra Yukaghir word kulumaa, which means river.
Läänemeri(Body of Water)Estonian Means "west sea" in Estonian. This is the Estonian name for the Baltic Sea.
Laccadive(Political Subdivision, Body of Water & Other)English Probably an Anglicized version of Lakṣadvīpa.
Lac Qui Parle(Body of Water)English (American) A lake and city in Minnesota. From French lac qui parle meaning "lake which speaks".
Laguna(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)English, Filipino Means "lake" or "lagoon" in Spanish. In the Philippines, it refers to a lake (Laguna de Bay) or a province which is adjacent to the lake.
Lánao(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)Spanish Spanish form of Lanao.
Lanao(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Maranao ranaw meaning "lake, body of water". This is the name of a lake and two provinces in the southern Philippines.
Lombok(Island & Body of Water)Indonesian Derived from Sasak lomboq meaning "straight, honest". This is the name of an island in Indonesia as well as a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean.
Malacca(Country, Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)English From Malay Melaka, probably derived from the Malay name for the Indian gooseberry (genus Phyllanthus), a type of tree. This is the name of a state in southern Malaysia as well as a city (Malacca City) and a narrow body of water between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra (the Strait of Malacca)... [more]
Mälaren(Body of Water)Swedish Derived from Old Norse mælir meaning "gravel". Mälaren is the third largest lake in Sweden.
Malebo(Political Subdivision, Body of Water & Other)Kongo A riverine lake in the border between Congo Kinshasa and Congo Brazzaville.
Maliujia(Country, Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)Chinese Chinese form of Malacca.
Maninjau(Body of Water)Minangkabau, Indonesian Means "observation, overlook" in Minangkabau, from the word tinjau meaning "to observe, to watch". This is the name of a lake in Indonesia.
Manoominikaani-zaaga'igan(Body of Water)Ojibwe A lake in Minnesota. From the Ojibwe word manoominikaani-zaaga'igan meaning "plenty of wild rice lake".
Marakka(Country, Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)Japanese Japanese form of Malacca.
Mare Nostrum(Body of Water)Ancient Roman, Late Roman Ancient Roman term for the Mediterranean Sea. Meaning "our sea", from Latin mare meaning "sea" and nostrum meaning "our, ours".
Mariana Trench(Body of Water)English From the Mariana Islands nearby, derived from the given name Mariana in honor of the Spanish Queen Mariana of Austria. This is the name of the deepest oceanic trench on Earth.
Marmara(Body of Water)English (Modern, Rare) Place name; the Sea of Marmara is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea in Turkey.
Marquette(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) Transferred use of the French surname Marquette. A city in Michigan and a lake in Minnesota were named for Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary.
Mde Lyedan(Body of Water)Sioux A lake in Minnesota. From Dakota mde lyedan meaning "lake which speaks".
Medelhavet(Body of Water)Swedish Combination of Swedish medel "middle, centre, medium" and havet "the sea". This is the Swedish name of the Mediterranean Sea.
Mediterranean(Region & Body of Water)English, Ganda, Scots From the Latin term Mediterrāneum meaning "in the middle of land", composed of Latin medius "middle", terra "land, earth" and āneus "having the nature of". The Mediterranean Sea is located between Europe, Africa and a small part of Asia... [more]
Melaka(Country, Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)Malay Malay form of Malacca.
Mellieħa(Settlement & Body of Water)Maltese The name of a large village or small town located on the northern tip of Malta's main island, it comes from mellieħa meaning "salt pan," derived from the Semitic root m-l-h (compare melħ meaning "salt"), probably referring to the ancient Punic-Roman salt pans which existed at Mellieħa Bay, the site of which is now occupied by the Għadira Nature Reserve.
Merowe(Region, Settlement & Body of Water)Arabic Of uncertain meaning, likely derived from the Nubian Medewi, via the Greek Meroë.
Mille Lacs(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. From the French mille lacs meaning "thousand lakes".
Miðjarðarhafið(Body of Water)Icelandic Combination of Icelandic mið/ur "middle", jarðar (the genitive singular form of jörð) "earth" and haf "sea". This is the Icelandic name for the Mediterranean Sea.
Mittelmeer(Body of Water)German Combination of German mittel "middle, medium" and Meer "sea". This is the German name for the Mediterranean Sea.
Mtsho Sngon(Body of Water & Political Subdivision)Tibetan From Tibetan མཚོ (mtsho) meaning "lake, ocean" and སྔོན (sngon) meaning "blue". This is the Tibetan name for Qinghai Lake as well as the Chinese province of Qinghai.
Mykle(Body of Water)Norwegian Mykle is a lake in the municipality of Kongsberg in Viken county, Norway.
Nakaumi(Body of Water)Japanese Lake Nakaumi is located in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.
Natron(Body of Water)English (?) Name of a salt or alkaline lake in Africa. Natron is hydrated sodium carbonate, and Lake Natron has a high level of sodium carbonate, hence its name. The world Natron itself derives from the French cognate derived from the Spanish natrón through Latin natrium and the Greek nitron, ultimately deriving from the Ancient Egyptian word nṯrj.
Niagara(Body of Water, Settlement & Region)Iroquois Name of a popular waterfall, a town, and region, in Canada. Derived from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra, meaning either "the strait", or "bisected bottom lands"
Nipissing(Body of Water & Settlement)Algonquin Lake and town in Ontario, Canada. From the Algonquin word meaning "big water"
Nokomis(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. Its name derives from the Ojibwe nookomis meaning "my grandmother".
Nyukzha(Region, Settlement, Body of Water & River)Evenki, Russian From nyukhzach meaning ‘to wander’.
Oconomowoc(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) A city and lake in Wisconsin. From Potawatomi coo-no-mo-wauk meaning "waterfall".
Okanagan(Region & Body of Water)Salishan Region and lake in Canada, named after the Okanagan people. Means "the people living where you can see the top", due to the many mountains in the area.
Okoboji(Body of Water)Sioux Legend tells the lake was named for Chief Okoboji; meaning either ‘place of rest’ or ‘reeds or rushes,’-preferred.... [more]
Onalaska(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) Various cities in the United States and a lake in Wisconsin. After Unalaska, a volcanic island in Alaska which was mentioned in the poem "The Pleasures of Hope" by the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell.
Onamia(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) A city and lake in Minnesota. From Ojibwe onamanii-zaaga'iganiing, which itself is derived from onaman meaning "red ochre, vermilion" and zaaga'igan meaning "lake".
Oneka(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. From Dakota onakan meaning "strike, knock off", referring to the practice of gathering wild rice by knocking it into a canoe.
Pokegama(Body of Water & River)English (American) A lake and river in Minnesota. From Ojibwe bakegamaa meaning "the water which juts off from another water".
Pulinkunnoo(Region, Settlement, Island, Body of Water & River)Malayalam Birthplace of Kunchacko.
Qinghai(Body of Water & Political Subdivision)Chinese, English From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green" and 海 (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean". This is the name of a lake in as well as a province of China (the province is directly named after the lake).
Quiulacocha(Body of Water & Mountain)Spanish (Latin American) A mountain and lake in Peru. Possibly meaning "gull lake", from Quecha qillwa, qiwlla, or qiwiña meaning "gull" and qucha meaning "lake".
Sauquoit(Settlement & Body of Water)English, Oneida From the Oneida word sa-da-quoit, meaning "smooth pebbles in a stream."
Shangrila(Body of Water)Pakistani, Tibetan Shangrila is a name of Tibetan origin. The name means "heaven on earth". The name is mainly known in northern Pakistan. The "Shangrila Lake" in northern Pakistan is very famous among the country.
Shinji(Body of Water)Japanese Lake Shinji is located in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.
Siloam(Body of Water)Biblical Hellenized form of Hebrew שִׁלֻּחָה (Shiloach), derived from שילח (shileach) "to send out" and interpreted as meaning "a sending out, gushing forth (of water)". According to the Gospel of John in the New Testament, the Pool of Siloam was a spring in the southeast corner of Jerusalem where Jesus sent the "man born blind" to wash and receive sight... [more]
Somme(Body of Water & River)French, English A river, bay, and department in France. Derived from Samara, a proto-Celtic name for the river, possibly derived from samaro meaning "summery, quiet" or samo meaning "summer"... [more]
Stilla Havet(Body of Water)Swedish Means "the calm sea" in Swedish, from stilla "still, calm" and havet "the sea". This is the Swedish name for the Pacific Ocean.
Storsjön(Body of Water)Swedish Means "the great lake" in Swedish (from stor "big, great, large" and sjön "the lake"). Storsjön is the 5th largest lake in Sweden, but it's also known for being the supposed home of Storsjöodjuret ("The Great-Lake monster"), a lake monster similar to the one in Loch Ness.
Sulu(Political Subdivision, Region & Body of Water)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Suluk, the Malay name for the Tausug people, in turn derived from Tausug Tau Sūg meaning "people of the current", from tau meaning "man, person" and sūg meaning "(sea) current, flow of water"... [more]
Superior(Settlement & Body of Water)English Name of the largest of the North American Great Lake Chain as well as a city in Wisconsin bordering it. In the case of the lake, it is an Anglicization of French superieur meaning "upper" (referring to its position north of Lake Huron)... [more]
Taal(Body of Water, Mountain & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog The name of a lake, volcano and municipality in the Philippines, meaning "true, genuine, native" in Tagalog.
Tahoe(Body of Water)American Tahoe is a lake on the California/Nevada border in America.
Thái Bình(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 太 (thái) meaning "very, extreme, great" and 平 (bình) meaning "level, even". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Vietnam. It is also the Vietnamese name of the Pacific Ocean.
Tiberias(Settlement & Body of Water)English, Biblical Derived from Tiberius, the name of the second Roman emperor. This is the name of a city located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee... [more]
Uluğ-Hem(Body of Water & River)Tuvan The Tuvan word for mother river.
Ussuri(Region, Body of Water & River)Russian, English Russian and English variant of the Manchu word Usuri.
Usuri(Region, Body of Water & River)Manchu The naming source of Ussuri.
Vahemeri(Body of Water)Estonian Combination of Estonian vahe "gap" and meri "sea". This is the Estonian name for the Mediterranean sea.
Välimeri(Body of Water)Finnish Combination of Finnish väli "gap, space" and meri "sea". This is the Finnish name for the Mediterranean Sea.
Vänern(Body of Water)Swedish Meaning uncertain. One theory is that the name is derived from Old Swedish vænir and therefore related to Archaic Swedish words vån "hope, prospect" and vän "beautiful, fair"... [more]
Vättern(Body of Water)Swedish Meaning uncertain, but possibly derived from Swedish vatten "water". Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden and the sixth largest lake in Europe.
Veyatie(Body of Water)Scottish The name of a loch in north-west Scotland, from the Gaelic Mheathadaidh, which is of uncertain derivation. It appears to be a tri-thematic name composed of meatha-, a derivative of Old Norse mjó or mjór "narrow", combined with an uncertain second element (presumably the name of the river that led to the loch, which is lost) and the suffix -aidh, derived from Old Norse á "river".
Visayas(Region & Body of Water)Filipino The Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao... [more]
Vostok(Body of Water)Russian Lake Vostok is the largest subglacial lake in Antarctica. Its name ultimately derives from Russian vostok meaning "east".
Waconia(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) A city and lake in Minnesota. From Dakota meday wa ko ni ya meaning "lake of the fountain, lake of the spring" or "out of the water comes life".
Wawa(Settlement & Body of Water)Ojibwe Name of a town and lake in Ontario, Canada. From the Ojibwe wording wewe, meaning "wild goose"
Wenji-maajiijiwang(Body of Water)Ojibwe Ojibwe name for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. From the Ojibwe word wenji-maajiijiwang meaning "where the river begins".
Winnibigoshish(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. From Ojibwe wiinibiigoonzhish meaning "filthy water, brackish water".
Wusuli(Region, Body of Water & River)Chinese Sinicisation of Usuri. The wording used in Mainland PRC is 乌苏里, while the wording used in Taiwan is 烏蘇里.
Xiangtian(Body of Water & Mountain)Chinese Xiangtian is a mountain in Taipei. It's also the name of a lake.
Yankton(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) The city in South Dakota was named for the Yankton tribe of the Western Dakota, who are indigenous to the area; Yankton itself is derived from Dakota Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ, meaning "village at the end".
Yuno(Body of Water)Japanese Another name for Lake Yunoko.
Yunoko(Body of Water)Japanese Yunoko Lake is in Nikko city, Tochigi prefecture.
Yuriria(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water)Mexican Short form of Purépecha Yuririapundaro meaning "lake of blood" or "place of the bloody lake". This is the name of a lake, town and municipality in central Mexico, located in the 'Bajío', or lowlands, of Guanajuato (state)... [more]