Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Kachin(Political Subdivision & Region)Burmese, English From a collective term for various ethnolinguistic groups that inhibit the Kachin Hills in northern Myanmar, itself of unclear origin. This is the name of a state of Myanmar, as well as a geographical region in the northeastern part of the country.
Kajang(Settlement)Malay, English Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Temuan kajang referring to an art of weaving pandanus leaves. Alternately it could be from Buginese berkajang meaning "camp, accommodation". This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Kalmykia(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Калмыкия (Kalmykiya) ultimately from хальмг (xal'mg), the native name of the Kalmyk people. The ethnic name is of probably Mongolian origin meaning "the people moving away", from Mongolian халих (khalikh) meaning "overflow, flood", referring to how the Kalmyk people were originally Mongolians who "leaked away" from their ancestral homeland... [more]
Kandy(Settlement)English From Tamil கண்டி (Kanti) of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from Sinhala කන්ද උඩරට (kanda urarata) meaning "upland" or කන්ද උඩ පාස් රට (kanda ura pas rata) meaning "mountain pass country"... [more]
Kansas(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, named after Kanas river, from French variant of Kansa, native name of the Siouan people who lived there.
Karaganda(Settlement)English, Russian From Kazakh Қарағанды (Qaraghandy), which is derived from қараған (qaraghan) meaning "caragana" (a type of flower). This is the name of a city in Kazakhstan.
Karakalpakstan(Political Subdivision)English, Russian From Karakalpak Қарақалпақстан (Qaraqalpaqstan), itself from the name of the Karakalpak people combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of"... [more]
Karamea(Settlement)Maori, English Means "speargrass" in Maori, peobably from a corruption of kakara taramea meaning "sweet-scented gum (of speargrass leaves)". This is the name of a town in New Zealand.
Karelia(Political Subdivision & Region)English From Russian Карелия (Kareliya), which is from Karelian and Finnish Karjala derived from Finnish karja meaning "cattle, livestock" combined with the suffix -la denoting location... [more]
Kargil(Settlement)English, Urdu Most likely derived from Tibetan དཀར (dkar) meaning "white, pure, bright" and སྐྱིལ (skyil) meaning "expanse" or འཁྱིལ ('khyil) meaning "mountainous amphitheater, place where water flows"... [more]
Kashmir(Region)Hindi, Urdu, Dogri, Persian, English Derived from Sanskrit कश्मीर (kashmira) of uncertain meaning. It could be derived from the name of the sage Kashyapa combined with Sanskrit मीर (mira) meaning "ocean, sea" or मेरु (meru) referring to the legendary Mount Meru in Hindu and Buddhist tradition... [more]
Kathmandu(Settlement)Nepali, English From the name of Kasthamandap, a Hindu temple and shrine in Nepal. The name means "wooden pavilion" from Sanskrit काष्ठ (kashtha) meaning "wood" combined with मण्डप (mandapa) meaning "pavilion, hall, square"... [more]
Kayah(Political Subdivision)English From the name of the Kayah (Karenni) people, derived from Burmese ကယား (kaya). This is the name of a state of Myanmar.
Kayin(Political Subdivision)Burmese, English From the Burmese name for the Karen people, ကရင် (Kayin), which is of uncertain origin and meaning. This is the name of a state of Myanmar.
Kazbek(Mountain)Russian, English From Arabic قاضي (qadi) meaning "judge, arbiter" combined with the Turkish military title beg meaning "chieftain, master". This is the name of a dormant stratovolcano and mountain located in the central Caucasus.
Kearsley(Settlement)English Derived from the words cærse "watercress" and either hlaw "mound, small hill" or leah "woodland, clearing"
Kedah(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Derived from Arabic قتح (qataha), itself from Tamil கடாரம் (kadaram) possibly meaning "boiler, stockpot, cauldron". This is the name of a Malaysian state.
Keighley(Settlement)English Means "Cyhha's clearing", a combination of the Old English name Cyhha and Old English leah "woodland clearing". Keighley is city in Britain.
Kelantan(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Meaning uncertain, possibly from Malay gelam hutam meaning "cajeput" (a type of tree), kilatan meaning "lightning, flash" or kolam tanah meaning "dirt pool". Alternatively, it may be from Tamil கோலம் (kolam) referring to an art form from the Indian subcontinent consisting of stylised designs made of powder... [more]
Kentucky(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally the name of a river, which possibly derived from the Iroquoian word wyandot, meaning meadow.
Kerala(Political Subdivision)English From Malayalam കേരളം (Keralam) of uncertain meaning. One theory suggests that it means "land of coconuts", derived from Malayalam കേരം (keram) meaning "coconut" and അളം (alam) meaning "place"... [more]
Khakassia(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Хакасия (Khakasiya) derived from the name of the Khakas people, which is of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a republic of Russia.
Kielder(River)English A river and reservoir in Northern England. It's name could come from Celtic words cognate with Welsh clou, 'fast' and dwr 'river'.
Kiev(Settlement)Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian, German, English The name Kiev comes from a medieval legend about the founding of the city told by a Chronicler of Rus-Ukraine. It was three brothers, Kie, Shchek and Khoriv, and their sister Lebid, who were the founders.
Kildare(Region)Irish, English From Irish Cill Dara meaning "church of the oak".
Kinabalu(Mountain)Malay, English Meaning uncertain, possibly from Kadazan-Dusun Aki Nabalu or Ki Nabalu, derived from aki meaning "ancestor, grandfather" or ki meaning "have, exist" and nabalu possibly meaning "mountain" or "spirit"... [more]
King's Lynn(Settlement)English Derived from the Celtic lin meaning "lake" or "pool", referring to the tidal pool on the River Ouse. It became known at Bishop's Lynn in the 12th Century, when Bishop Herbert de Losinga of Thetford began the first Medieval town there... [more]
Kirghizia(Country & Political Subdivision)English (Rare) Anglicization of Kirgiziya, the Russian name for the country of Kyrgyzstan. In the Anglophone world, this name was primarily used during the Soviet era... [more]
Kiska(Island)English The name of a volcanic island of southwestern Alaska; the largest and westernmost of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Klang(Settlement & River)Malay, English Meaning uncertain, possibly of Aslian or Old Malay origin. This is the name of a city and river in Malaysia.
Kluang(Settlement)Malay, English From Malay keluang meaning "flying fox, megabat", so named for the formerly large population of these bats in the area. This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Kolkata(Settlement)Bengali, English From the name of the historical village of কলিকাতা (Kolikata) of uncertain meaning. It may be derived from the name of the Hindu goddess Kali 1 combined with Bengali ক্ষেত্র (khetro) meaning "field, region, area" or ঘাট (ghat) meaning "pier, quay"; from কিলকিলা (kilkila) meaning "flat area" or from খাল (khal) meaning "canal" combined with কাটা (kata) meaning "cut, chop"... [more]
Kota Bharu(Settlement)Malay, English Means "new city" in Malay, from kota meaning "city, town, fort" and baharu meaning "new". This is the name of the capital city of the Malaysian state of Kelantan.
Kota Kinabalu(Settlement)Malay, English From Malay kota meaning "town, city" and Kinabalu referring to Mount Kinabalu. This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Krakatoa(Mountain)English From Indonesian Krakatau of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a volcano in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Krung Thep(Settlement)Thai, English Means "city of gods" from Thai กรุง (krung) meaning "city" and เทพ (thep) meaning "god, deity". This is a Thai name for Bangkok, used as a shortened form of Krung Thep Maha Nakhon... [more]
Kuala Lumpur(Settlement)Malay, English Means "muddy confluence" from Malay kuala meaning "confluence" and lumpur meaning "mud". This is the name of the capital city of Malaysia.
Kuala Terengganu(Settlement)Malay, English From Malay kuala meaning "confluence" and the name Terengganu. This is the name of the capital city of the Malaysian state of Terengganu.
Kuantan(Settlement)Malay, English Uncertain, possibly from the name of a Sumatran village or of Chinese origin. The name was first mentioned by writer Munshi Abdullah (1796-1854) around 1851 or 1852. This is the name of the capital city of the Malaysian state of Pahang.
Kuching(Settlement)Malay, English Probably either derived from Malay kucing meaning "cat" or from Cochin (or Kochi), the name of a city in India. Other theories suggest that the name comes from Malay mata kucing, the name of a type of fruit, or from Chinese 古 (gǔ) meaning "past, classic, old" combined with 井 (jǐng) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit"... [more]
Kyiv(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Ukrainian, English, Danish, Indonesian, Malagasy, Malay, Norwegian, Tagalog From Old East Slavic Киевъ (Kievu) of uncertain meaning. It is traditionally attributed to the given name Кий (Kyi) referring to one of the three legendary founders of the city, although another theory suggests that it is derived from Ukrainian кий (kyi) meaning "stick, pole" (so named because the city was palisaded by poles)... [more]
Laayoune(Settlement)English, Slovene From French Laâyoune derived from Arabic اَلْعَيُون (al-ʿayūn) meaning "the springs". This is the name of the capital city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, though it is administered by Morocco.
Laconia(Settlement)English Laconia is a place in New Hampshire.
Ladakh(Region & Political Subdivision)English, Persian From Persian لداخ (ladakh), itself derived from Tibetan ལ་དྭགས (la dwags) meaning "land of high passes", from the words ལ (la) meaning "hillside, mountain pass" and དྭགས (dwags) meaning "open place"... [more]
Lagos(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Western African, Hausa, Igbo, English From Portuguese lagos meaning "lakes". This is the name of a city in Nigeria as well as a state of the same name.
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.
Lakeland(Region, River & Other)English (Rare) The Lake District, a rural area in northwest England.... [more]
Lakeside(Settlement)English Lakeside means "at the side of the lake". Multiple cities have this name in the United States.
Lakewood(Settlement)English This place name meaning "lake by the wood" is a very common city name in the United States.
Lampert(Settlement)English A tiny hamlet in Northumberland, near the border with Cumbria. Despite this location's small size, several theories have emerged relating to the etymology of this unique name, which was first recorded in c.1290 as Lythel Lampard.... [more]
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.
Lanchester(Settlement)English Derived from the words lang "long" and chester "camp, fortress".
Langkawi(Island)Malay, English Meaning uncertain, possibly from a colloquial name for the brahminy kite (a type of eagle), derived from Malay helang meaning "eagle" and kawi referring to a reddish-brown chalk. This is the name of an island and archipelago in Malaysia.
Lansing(Settlement)English The English usage is a place name originally derived from the town of Lancing in West Sussex (and which has also given names to other towns such as Lansing, Michigan and Lansing, New York). ''Lancing'' comes from the Old English personal name ''Wlanc'', meaning ''proud, imperious'', with the added suffix ''-ing'', indicating ''family of or follower of''.
Las Vegas(Settlement)English, Spanish Means "the meadows" in Spanish, from vega meaning "meadow". This is the name of a city in the American state of Nevada.
Latina(Settlement)Italian, English, Finnish, French Derived from the former name Latinia, itself adopted in 1944 to replace the name Littoria, which had been chosen by the Fascist government upon the inauguration of the city in 1932... [more]
Lausanne(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English, English (British), French From Latin Lausanna or Lausonium, ultimately from Proto-Celtic lausa meaning “slab.” This is the name of the fourth most populated city of Switzerland... [more]
Lebanon(Country & Mountain)English, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai Derived from the Pro-West Semitic root laban meaning "white". This is the name of a country and mountain range in Western Asia.
Leh(Settlement)English, Hindi, Urdu Possibly derived from Tibetan གླེ (gle) meaning "grove, small uncultivated island". This is the name of a city in India.
Lesotho(Country)English The name of the Country in Southern Africa. Lesotho, a high-altitude, landlocked kingdom encircled by South Africa, is crisscrossed by a network of rivers and mountain ranges including the 3,482m-high peak of Thabana Ntlenyana... [more]
Lewisville(Political Subdivision)English A city in Denton county, Texas.
Lexington(Settlement)English A place name meaning "Leaxa's town" in Old English.
Lhasa(Settlement)Tibetan, English Probably from Tibetan ལྷ་ས (lha sa) meaning "land of gods", derived from ལྷ (lha) meaning "deity, god" and ས (sa) meaning "land, earth". Alternatively, it may have been an alteration of Old Tibetan ར་ས (ra sa) meaning "land of goats" or "fortified land" from ར (ra) meaning "goat" or "enclosure" and ས (sa) meaning "land, earth"... [more]
Limerick(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Irish, English Possibly derives from loimeanach, meaning "bare marsh" or "spot made bare by feeding horses". Other potential derivations connect with luimnigthe "cloaked" and luimnechda, meaning "shielded"... [more]
Lindley(Settlement)English This is the name of several places located in England, United States and South Africa.... [more]
Linley(Settlement)English This is the name of a hamlet, located in Shropshire in England.... [more]
Linz(Settlement)English From *lentos (“bend” in Proto-Celtic), describing the bend in the Danube where the original Celtic settlement was placed.
Lisbon(Settlement)English From Portuguese Lisboa derived from Latin Olisīpō, which is of uncertain meaning. Folk etymologies state that it comes from the name Odysseus or Ulysses, though it may have been derived from Phoenician ʿlyṣ ʿbʾ or ʿaliṣ-ʿuboʾ meaning "safe harbour"... [more]
Liss(Other)English The place name, Liss, originally Lyss, was first recorded in the Domesday Book. The meaning of 'Liss' is unknown.
Little Rock(Settlement)English From the name of a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River, used as a landmark by early river traffic. This is the name of the capital city of the US state of Arkansas.
Liverpool(Settlement)English, Welsh A port city in western England on the mouth of the River Mersey. Uncertain origin. Possibly derived from Cumbric words equivalent to the Welsh leidiau, meaning 'mud' and pwll, meaning 'pool', or else the Old English formation *Liferpōl, 'thick, muddy pool'.
Ljubljana(Settlement)Slovene, Croatian, English The origin of the city's name is unclear. In the Middle Ages, both the river and the town were also known by the German name Laibach. This name was in official use as an endonym until 1918, and it remains frequent as a German exonym, both in common speech and official use... [more]
Los Ángeles(Other)American, Spanish A city and county in Southern California in the United States of America. Its full name being El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (English: The town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciúncula).
Los Gatos(Settlement)English Means "the cats" in Spanish, named after the wild cats that used to live in the area. This is the name of a city in California.
Louisville(Settlement)English Named in honor of King Louis XVI of France, whose soldiers were aiding the Americans during the Revolution. This is the name of several settlements in the United States, including the lagrest city in the state of Kentucky.
Loveland(Settlement)English This is the name of multiple cities in different English speaking countries. One is the city in Colorado.
Lucknow(Settlement)English Anglicised form of Hindi लखनऊ (Lakhnau) of uncertain meaning, perhaps from Sanskrit लक्ष्मणपुरी (lakshmanapuri) meaning "city of Lakshmana" or लक्ष्मणवती (lakshmanavati) meaning "fortunate"... [more]
Luzon(Island)Filipino, Tagalog, Ilocano, Pampangan, English Of uncertain meaning, probably from Tagalog lusong meaning "mortar (for pounding rice)". This is the name of the largest island in the Philippines.
Lyd(River)English The name of a river in Devon, England, perhaps derived from a Celtic source such as Lludd, though the usual derivation is Old English hlȳde "noisy stream" - which the Saxons may have assumed was the river's name.
Lydbrook(Settlement)English This is a village in the Forest of Dean, Old English for "dwell by the river"
Machelonia(Country, Political Subdivision & Region)Ancient Greek, English, Italian Derived from Μαχελονία (Machelonia), the ancient Greek name for a region and satrapy of the Sasanian Empire. It was named after the Colchian (i.e. Kartvelian) tribe that lived there, who were known to the ancient Greeks as the Μαχελῶνες (Machelones) or the Μαχελονοι (Machelonoi)... [more]
Madison(Settlement)English Named after James Madison (1751–1836), Founding Father and fourth President of the United States. This is the name of several settlements, including the capital city of the State of Wisconsin.
Madison Heights(Settlement)English (American) Madison Heights ranked as fifth highest populated City in South Oakland County. The first City Hall was located at 26305 John R Road, the former township offices. On April 5, 1963, a new municipal building was constructed which is on the present location at 300 West Thirteen Mile Road.
Madras(Settlement)English, Hindi Meaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a fishing village. This is the former name of the Indian city of Chennai.
Maguindanao(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Spanish Maguindanao, a corruption of Magindanaw, the endonym of the Maguindanao people. The ethnic name means "people of the flood plains" or "people of the lake" from the word danao meaning "lake"... [more]
Magway(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (magwe) of uncertain meaning. This is the name of an administrative division of, as well as a town in, Myanmar.
Magway(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (Magwe) derived from a corruption of မြစ် (myit) meaning "river" and ကွေ့ (gwe) meaning "turn, curve, bend", referring to the city's location along a bend of the Irrawaddy River... [more]
Magwe(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မကွေး (Magwe) derived from a corruption of မြစ် (myit) meaning "river" and ကွေ့ (gwe) meaning "turn, curve, bend", referring to the city's location along a bend of the Irrawaddy River... [more]
Maine(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, possibly from French Maine, a region in France (named for the river that runs through it, which has a name of Gaulish origin).
Majapahit(Country & Settlement)Indonesian, Malay, English Means "bitter maja", from Javanese maja referring to the bael tree (genus Aegle) and Malay pahit meaning "bitter, acrid". This was the name of a kingdom (as well as its capital city) based on the island of Java that existed from 1293 to 1527.
Majorca(Island)English Majorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The local language, as on the rest of the Balearic Islands, is Catalan, which is co-official with Spanish.
Makati(Settlement)Tagalog, English Derived from the phrase makati na, kumakati na meaning "ebbing tide". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Makuria(Country & Region)History, English Derived from Μακουρια (Makouria), which is the hellenized form of the autochthonous name of a Nubian kingdom that existed from the 5th century AD to the late 15th century AD. The original Nubian name is unknown, as is its meaning... [more]
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]
Malaya(Country & Region)English From the name of the Malay people, meaning uncertain (see Malaysia).... [more]
Malden(Political Subdivision & River)English Malden is a suburban city in Middlesex county, Massachusetts. It is near the Malden river.
Maldives(Country)Catalan, English, French, Greek, Malay Uncertain, possibly means "Malé islands" from Dhivehi މާލެ (māle) referring to Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, combined with Sanskrit द्वीप (dvīpá) meaning "island"... [more]
Maluku(Region & Political Subdivision)Indonesian, English Meaning uncertain. This is the name of an archipelago in eastern Indonesia, the Maluku Islands, as well as the name of two Indonesian provinces, Maluku and North Maluku.
Manama(Settlement)Arabic, English Means "place of sleep, place of rest" in Arabic. This is the name of the capital city of Bahrain, usually written with the definite article: المنامة (al-Manama) in Arabic.
Manchester(Settlement)English A large city in North-West England. Manchester is an Anglicization of the town's Latin name Mancunium. This was likely derived from an earlier name in a language similar to Welsh. It may have derived from words equivalent to Welsh mamau, meaning 'mother', in reference to a local river goddess... [more]
Manchuria(Region)English, Indonesian, Malay, Spanish, Tagalog Likely from a Dutch calque of Japanese 満州 (Manshū) derived from the name of the Manchu people, ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ (manju), of uncertain origin. The ethnic name is probably derived from the name of the bodhisattva Manjushri in Buddhist tradition... [more]
Mandalay(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese မန္တလေး (mandale) of unclear origin, possibly from Sanskrit मण्डल (mandala) meaning "circle, disk". This is the name of an administrative division of Myanmar as well as its regional capital.
Manhattan(Island)English (American) It is named after the Algonquin tribe from whom the Dutch settlers claimed to have bought the island in 1626.
Manila(Settlement)Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Maranao, English, Spanish From Tagalog Maynila, which is derived from the term may-nila meaning "where indigo is found", ultimately from Sanskrit नील (nila) referring to the indigo plant as well as indigo dye... [more]
Manitoba(Political Subdivision)English Name of a province in Canada, from Cree manitou-wapow or Ojibwa manidoobaa, both meaning "straits of Manitou, the Great Spirit",
Mapleton(Settlement)English The name Mapleton is derived from the old English words of maple and tūn. The word maple plainly refers to the deciduous species of tree native to the area, with tūn being a descriptive term for an enclosure, a farmstead, a village or an estate.
Marinduque(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English From a Spanish corruption of Tagalog malindig meaning "elegant, tall", also referring to a volcano on the island. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Marlborough(Other)English Originating from the name of a market town in Wiltshire. Legend has it that the Mound is the burial site of Merlin and that the name of the town, Marlborough comes from Merlin's Barrow.... [more]
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.
Marrowbone(Other)English Marrowbone is a census-designated place in Cumberland County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 217. The Marrowbone Historic District, which includes three properties, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marseille(Settlement)French, English From the name of the ancient Greek colony and city of Μασσαλία (Massalia), of uncertain meaning. It may have been derived from Ligurian mas meaning "spring" or from Greek meaning "(city) on the far end of the sea", derived from μάσσων (masson) meaning "further" and ἅλς (hals) meaning "sea"... [more]
Marshall Islands(Country)English The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ), is an island country near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line and an Associated state of the United States... [more]
Maryland(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, named after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England.
Massachusetts(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, named for the Algonquian native people who lived around the bay, from Algonquian massachusett "at the large hill," in reference to Great Blue Hill, southwest of Boston.
Maui(Island)Hawaiian, English Likely from the name of the Hawaiian trickster god Māui. This is the name of an island in the U.S. state of Hawaii.
Mawlamyine(Settlement)English From Burmese မော်လမြိုင် (mawlamyaing) derived from Mon မတ်မလီု (motmalam) meaning "damaged eye", ultimately from မတ် (mot) meaning "eye" and လီု (lam) meaning "spoiled, damaged, ruined"... [more]
Mayfair(Other)English Mayfair was named after the May Fair, an annual event. It took place in the area, on the site that now plays host to today's popular Shepherd Market. It comes from Old English mæg, of Germanic origin, from a base meaning ‘have power’; related to Dutch mogen and German mögen and Old English fæger ‘pleasing, attractive’, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German fagar.
Mecca(Settlement)English, Italian, Romanian From Arabic مكة (Makka) which is from بكة (bakka), an ancient name for the region. The name is of uncertain origin and meaning; it may be from Arabic بكى (baka) meaning "to cry, to mourn" or Ge'ez ምኵራብ (məkʷrab) meaning "temple, sanctuary"... [more]
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]
Meknes(Settlement)English From French Meknès, itself from Arabic مكناس (Maknas) ultimately derived from Miknasa (Imeknasen), the name of a Berber tribe. This is the name of a city in Morocco.
Mekong(River)English From Thai แม่โขง (Mae Khong), a contraction of แม่น้ำโขง (Mae Nam Khong) from แม่น้ำ (mae nam) meaning "river" (literally "mother of waters") and โขง (khong) derived from Proto-Austroasiatic ruŋ meaning "river"... [more]
Melanesia(Region)English From Greek μέλας, meaning black, and νῆσος, meaning island. It was named for the dark skin of the islands’ inhabitants.
Melilla(Settlement)Spanish, English The etymology of Melilla is uncertain. Since Melilla was an active beekeeping location in the past, the name has been related to honey; this is tentatively backed up by two ancient coins featuring a bee as well as the inscriptions RSADR and RSA... [more]
Mesa(Settlement)English, Spanish From Spanish mesa, literally "table", referring to a flat-topped elevation. This is the name of a city in the US state of Arizona.
Miami(Settlement)English Name of a city in Florida. The name was first mentioned by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a captive of Indians in southern Florida for 17 years, when he referred to what is now Lake Okeechobee as the "Lake of Mayaimi, which is called Mayaimi because it is very large"... [more]
Michigan(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally applied to Lake Michigan, perhaps from Old Ojibwa (Algonquian) meshi-gami "big lake".
Micronesia(Country & Region)Dutch, English, Italian, Spanish, Tagalog From Greek μικρός (mikrós) meaning "small, little" and νῆσος (nesos) meaning "island". This is the name of a subregion of Oceania as well as an island country... [more]
Middlesex(Political Subdivision)English Middlesex is a city in New Jersey. It is also the name of a county in Massachusetts and a historic one in England.
Milpitas(Settlement)English Means "little cornfields" from a diminutive of Spanish milpa meaning "cornfield". This is the name of a city in California.
Milton(Settlement)English Name of a town in Ontario, Canada.
Milwaukee(Settlement)English From Algonquian millioke, meaning "good", "beautiful" and "pleasant land". This is the name of several settlements in the United States, including the largest city in the state of Wisconsin.
Mindanao(Island)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From a Spanish corruption of Magindanaw, the endonym of the Maguindanao people. The ethnic name means "people of the flood plains" or "people of the lake" from Maguindanao danao meaning "lake"... [more]
Minneapolis(Political Subdivision)English Name of a city in Minnesota, from Dakota mni "river, stream" + Ancient Greek polis "city".
Minnesota(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally the name of a river, from Dakota (Siouan) mnisota, literally "cloudy water", "milky water", from mni "river, stream" + sota "slightly clouded".
Minnetonka(Settlement)English Name of a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, means "great water" from Dakota mni "river, stream" and tanka "freat".
Minquier(Island)Breton, Norman, English An island chain in the Channel Islands, England. Could be from Breton 'minihi', meaning "sanctuary, or from 'minkier' meaning "seller of fish".
Minsk(Settlement)Belarusian, English, Russian From Old East Slavic Мѣньскъ (Menisku), which was derived from a river named Men. This is the name of the capital city of Belarus.
Mississippi(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally the name of a river, from Ojibwe misi-ziibi "Great river".
Missouri(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from Illinois mihsoori, "dugout canoe".
Molise(Political Subdivision)Italian, English, French Most likely derived from the Norman family de Moulins of Moulins-la-Marche. Rodolphe de Moulins, forefather of the family, became count of Bojano in 1053, which would go on to form the County of Molise.... [more]
Mon(Political Subdivision)Mon, English, Thai From the Mon ethnic name မန် (mon) derived from the older name ရမာန် (raman), ultimately from Pali Rāmañña referring to the Mon homeland along the Burmese coast... [more]
Monaco(Country)English, French This is the name of a sovereign city-state and microstate bordering France on three sides and the Mediterranean Sea on one side.... [more]
Montego Bay(Settlement)English Possibly from Spanish manteca meaning "fat, lard", allegedly because lard, leather and beef were exported there during the Spanish period. This is the name of a city in Jamaica.
Montevideo(Settlement)English, Spanish All agree that "Monte" refers to the Cerro de Montevideo, the hill situated across the Bay of Montevideo, but there is disagreement about the etymological origin of the "video" part. This is name of Uruguay’s capital city.
Montreal(Settlement)English Name of a city in Canada, from French le mont Royal "mont royal". Jacques Cartier named it after the nearby mountain, but it is uncertain how royal became real... [more]
Mordovia(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Мордовия (Mordoviya) derived from the name of the Mordvin (or Mordva) people. The name is thought to be derived from the Iranian root mard meaning "man". This is the name of a republic of Russia.
Moscow(Settlement)English From the name of the Moskva River, which is of uncertain origin. It may be from the Proto-Indo-European root meu meaning "wet" or mesg meaning "to dip, to sink" or from the Finno-Ugric name Mustajoki meaning "black river"... [more]
Moskva(Settlement & River)Russian, English Russian form of Moscow. In Russian this name refers to both the city and the river, while it only refers to the river in English.
Mount Everest(Mountain)English This is a 8848 meter tall mountain on the border of Nepal and China, it’s the highest mountain on Earth above sea level. The mountain was named after the British surveyor Sir George Everest, when the surveyor general of India Andrew Waugh couldn’t find a commonly used local name for the mountain.
Mumbai(Settlement)Indian, Marathi, English From Marathi मुंबा (mumba) referring to Mumba, a local incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess Devi, combined with आई (ai) meaning "mother"... [more]
Muscat(Settlement)English, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Tagalog From Arabic مسقط (Masqat) of disputed meaning, perhaps of Arabic or Old Persian origin. This is the name of the capital city of Oman.
Nagorno-Karabakh(Country & Region)English Means "mountainous Karabakh" from Russian нагорный (nagorny) meaning "mountainous, highland" combined with the name of the region of Karabakh... [more]
Nassau(Settlement)English Capital of the Bahamas, named after William the Orange who was a branch in the house of Nassau.
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.
Naypyidaw(Settlement)English From Burmese နေပြည်တော် (Nepyidaw) meaning "abode of the king" or "royal abode", from နေပြည် (ne pyi) meaning "abode" and တော် (taw) meaning "royal, sacred"... [more]
Nebraska(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from Otoe Ñí Brásge meaning "flat water".
Negeri Sembilan(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Means "nine states" from Malay negeri meaning "state, country" and sembilan meaning "nine". The name refers to the nine original villages founded by Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra. This is the name of a state in Malaysia.
Nent(River)English A river in the North Pennines. Its name is derived from Cumbric nent, meaning 'stream'. It is a tributary of the Tyne.
Nevada(Political Subdivision)English Means "snow-capped, snow-covered" in Spanish. This is the name of an American state.
New Bern(Settlement)English New Bern was settled in 1710 by Swiss and Palatine immigrants led by Christoph von Graffenried. They named the settlement after Bern, the capital of Switzerland.
Newcastle(Settlement)English A city in North-East England. It simply denoted the site of a New Castle, as this is where a castle was erected by William the Conquer in 1080.... [more]
Newfoundland(Country)English From 1907 to 1949, Newfoundland existed as the self-governing Dominion of Newfoundland. In 1949, Newfoundland joined Canada as a province.
New Guinea(Island)English New Guinea is a large island in the South West Pacific region. It is the world's second-largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 785,753 km², and the largest wholly or partly within the Southern Hemisphere.
New York(Political Subdivision)English Name of a state in the United States, also the name of a city in that state, named after the then Duke of York, later King James II of England.
Niamey(Settlement)English, Armenian, Danish, Finnish, French, Italian, Slovak, Spanish Of uncertain origin; there are several theories on the origin of the name. It may be derived from a combination of Zarma words nia ("tree") and me ("shore where water is drawn"), or from the phrase "Wa niammané" ("take this city"), reportedly said by a Kalle clan chief... [more]
Nicaragua(Country)English The name of the Country in Central America. Nicaragua, set between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is a Central American nation known for its dramatic terrain of lakes, volcanoes and beaches... [more]
Nice(Settlement)French, English Founded by Greek colonists and given the name Νίκαια (Nikaia), ultimately derived from Greek νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". Nice is a city on the south east coast of France.
Nicosia(Settlement)English From a French corruption of Greek Λευκωσία (Lefkosia), which is of uncertain meaning. The most probable theory states that it is derived from the Greek phrase λευκό περιουσία (lefko periousia) meaning "white estate"... [more]
Niue(Country & Island)English Niue is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean.
Nixa(Settlement)English Named after one of the towns first civic leaders, Nicholas A. Inman. Originally supposed to be called 'Nix' before the inclusion of Inman's middle initial.
Nizhny Novgorod(Other)Russian, Medieval Russian, English Derived from "нижний (nizhny)" meaning lower, "новый (novy)" meaning new, and "город (gorod)" meaning city. It joins together to mean "Lower New City" or could also be called "Lower Novgorod".
Nolita(Other)English A neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Derived from "NOrth of Little ITAly"123... [more]
North America(Region)English Combination of north and America, named after it’s geographic location. This is the name of a continent in the Northern Hemisphere.
Northampton(Political Subdivision)English From Ham tune, literally meaning "home town" in Old English. The prefix north was added later to distinguish it from other towns called Hampton.
North Carolina(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, Named after King Charles I of England.
North Dakota(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, also the name of indigenous people of the Great Plains, from the Dakota word dakhóta "friend".
Northern Cyprus(Region)English Northern Cyprus (Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, KKTC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus... [more]
Northern Mariana Islands(Political Subdivision & Island)American (Hispanic) The "Northern Mariana Islands" is a U.S. commonwealth territory in the western Pacific Ocean. The name "Mariana" is derived from the Spanish Queen Mariana of Austria. The islands were named by Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century.
North Holland(Political Subdivision)English Combination of north and Holland 1, named after it’s geographic location. This is the name of a province of the Netherlands.
North Korea(Country)English North Korea (Korean: 조선, MR: Chosŏn; literally 북조선, MR: Pukchosŏn, or 북한/北韓, RR: Bukhan in South Korean usage), officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or DPR Korea; Korean: 조선민주주의인민공화국, Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk), is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula... [more]
North Macedonia(Country)English North Macedonia (Macedonia until February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a country in the Balkans, southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia... [more]
Northumberland(Region)English From the much larger Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, meaning 'land north of the Humber'.
Norwich(Settlement)English From Old English "north" and wic "trading center"/"harbor". Name of a city in the county of Norfolk.
Nottingham(Settlement)English Dervied from its Old English name "homestead of Snot's people"; the initial S was lost in the 12th century, due to the influence of Anglo-Norman French (the combination of sn- is alien to French). Name of a city in Nottinghamshire, from which the county gets its name.
Nouakchott(Settlement)French, English From Arabic نواكشوط (Nuwakshut), itself from Tamazight Nawākšūṭ meaning "place of the winds" or inua u-kshut meaning "made of wood, made of sticks". This is the name of the capital of Mauritania.
Nunavut(Political Subdivision)Inuit, English, French Means "our land" in Inuktitut. This is the name of a territory of Canada.
Nur-Sultan(Settlement)Kazakh, English, Russian From the given name Nursultan. This is the name of the capital city of Kazakhstan, which was renamed in honour of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev (1940-)... [more]
Nusa Tenggara(Region & Political Subdivision)Indonesian, English Means "southeastern island" from Indonesian nusa meaning "island" and tenggara meaning "southeast". This is the Indonesian name for the archipelago of the Lesser Sunda Islands as well as the name of two Indonesian provinces (West and East Nusa Tenggara).
Oakland(Settlement)English This is name of places in the United States and Canada (including the one in California).... [more]
Occitania(Region)English The name of a historical region in southern Europe where Occitan was historically the main language spoken. Not to be confused with Occitanie.
Occitanie(Region)French, English The name of a southernmost administrative region in France. Not to be confused with Occitania, the historical region which it is named after.
Ohio(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, originally used of the river, from Seneca ohi:yo "good river".
Ojai(Settlement)English Derived from a hispanicized form of the Ventureño Chumash word ʼawhaʼy which meant "moon". This is the name of a city and valley in Southern California.
Oklahoma(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from Choctaw okla "people" "tribe" "nation" + homma "red".
Olathe(Settlement)English This is the name of Kansas's fourth largest city, said to be derived from a Shawnee word meaning "beautiful".
Onslow(Settlement)English Meaning, "a place within the liberty of Shrewsbury, in Salop', the original and still confusingly used, name for the county of Shropshire.
Opelika(Settlement)English Derived from Muscogee (Creek) opilwa lako meaning "large swamp". This is the name of a small city in the American state of Alabama.
Oran(Settlement)English, French From the Arabic name وهران (Wahran), which is ultimately derived from the Berber root hr meaning "lion". This is the name of a city in Algeria.