Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Oregon(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from the name of a large river in the west of North America, possibly from Algonquin wauregan "beautiful".
Orinoco(River)English, Spanish, Italian The name of a river in Venezuela and Colombia, one of the longest rivers in South America.
Orlando(Political Subdivision)English Name of a city in Florida, named in honor of Orlando Reeves who died in 1835 during a supposed attack by Seminoles in the Second Seminole War.
Ossetia(Country, Political Subdivision & Region)English From Russian Осетия (Osetiya), from Georgian ოსეთი (oseti) derived from ოსი (osi) meaning "Ossetian". The name comes from As, the self-designation of the historic Alan people... [more]
Overbrook(Settlement)English This place name meaning "over the brook" is the name of a city in Kansas.
Oxford(Settlement)English This is the name of a city in England meaning 'ford of the oxen'. It is well known for being the location Oxford University.
Pacific Ocean(Body of Water)English From Portuguese pacífico meaning "peaceful, calm", ultimately derived from Latin pacificus "peacemaking".
Pahang(Political Subdivision & River)Malay, English Uncertain meaning, possibly from mahang, the Malay name for a type of tree native to the area (genus Macaranga), or from Khmer ប៉ាហាំង (paahang) meaning "tin". This is the name of a Malaysian state as well as a river that flows through the region.
Pakokku(Settlement)English From Burmese ပခုက္ကူ (pahkukku), meaning uncertain. This is the name of a city in Myanmar.
Palau(Country)English Palau is an archipelago in Oceania. The flag is a yellow circle in the middle of a blue background, and the country is locally known as Belau.
Palestine(Country & Region)English, Biblical, French From Hebrew Pelesheth, which probably means "land of the Philistines". This is the name of a historical/geographic region in Western Asia. It is also the name of a sovereign state in Western Asia (officially the State of Palestine).
Palestine(Region & Country)English, French From Ancient Greek (via Latin) Παλαιστίνη (Palaistine), itself most likely derived from Hebrew פלשת (peleshet) meaning "Philistia, land of the Philistines". This is the name of a region and country in western Asia.
Palo Alto(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, from Spanish palo "(tree) stick" + alto "tall".
Pangasinan(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Pangasinan, Ilocano, Tagalog, English From the name of the Pangasinan people meaning "place of salt" or "land of salt", derived from Pangasinan pang- meaning "for", asin meaning "salt" and the place marker suffix -an... [more]
Pasadena(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, from Ojibwe pa-sa-de-na, meaning "valley of the valley" "crown of the valley" "key of the valley" or "hill of the valley"... [more]
Pasir Gudang(Settlement)Malay, English From Malay pasir meaning "sand" and gudang meaning "warehouse, barn, deposit". This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Pattaya(Settlement)English From Thai พัทยา (Phattaya) itself from a shortened form of ทัพพระยา (thap Phraya) meaning "army of the Phraya", referring to King Taksin... [more]
Paxson(Settlement)English This is the name of 3 places, two being in America and one being in Canada.... [more]
Pearland(Settlement)English Combination of pear and land. This is the name of a city in Texas, USA.
Pembroke(Settlement)English From the Cantref of Penfro, which was one of the seven cantrefi of the former Kingdom of Dyfed in what is now Wales; which is in turn derived from pen, meaning "head" or "end", and bro, meaning "region", "country", or "land"; therefore, Penfro could be interpreted to mean either "land's end" or "headland".
Penge(Settlement)English A suburb of London, England. Originally named Penceat, it appears to derive from Brythonic *penno, 'head, edge' and *ceid, 'forest, wood', so likely meant 'settlement on the forest's edge'.
Pennsylvania(Political Subdivision)English Name of a state in the United States, literally "Penn's woods". Penn comes from Pennaeth, the welsh word for "head" "top" and Latin silvania (from Latin silvia) "wood, forrest"... [more]
Penrith(Settlement)English A town in Northern England. Its name derives from the Cumbric pen, 'hill, top, summit' (Welsh pen) and rith, 'ford, crossing', (Welsh ryd).
Penshaw(Settlement)English A village in Northern England. The first element seems to be Cumbric pen, which means 'summit, head'. The most obvious explanation for the second is Old English sceaga, meaning 'woods'... [more]
Pen-y-ghent(Mountain)English, Old Celtic A mountain in Yorkshire, Northern England. In the Cumbric Language, the element pen, exactly as in Welsh, meant 'head, top, summit', and y, also as in Welsh, meant the definite article 'the'... [more]
Perak(Political Subdivision)Malay, Tamil, English Means "silver" in Malay, given in reference to the region's abundance of tin. This is the name of a state of Malaysia.
Perlis(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Of unclear origin, possibly from the Thai phrase พร้าวลอย (phrao loi) meaning "floating coconut" or "coconut washed ashore", a reference to the many coconuts once found along the shores of the region... [more]
Peterborough(Settlement)English This is the name of 2 cities, one in Cambridgeshire (UK) and Ontario (Canada), and 3 towns, one in New Hampshire (US), Victoria & South Australia (Australia).... [more]
Philistia(Region)English, Biblical From Hebrew Pleshet. This was the name of a confederation of cities in Southwest Levant inhabited by the Philistines. See also Palestine.
Phnom Penh(Settlement)English, French From Khmer ភ្នំពេញ (Phnum Pin) meaning "Penh's hill", from ភ្នំ (phnum) meaning "hill, mountain" and ពេញ (pin), the name of a legendary woman who supposedly founded the city in 1372... [more]
Phoenix(Settlement)English (American) Phoenix is the capital city of Arizona state in the United States of America.
Piedmont(Political Subdivision & Region)English From Italian piemonte, itself derived from Medieval Latin Pedemontium, ultimately from Latin ad pedem montium, literally "at the foot of the mountains".... [more]
Pierre(Settlement)English This is a city in South Dakota, USA. It comes from the given name Pierre.
Plymouth(Settlement)English The name of a port city in the south-western English county of Devon as well as dozens of locations in the United States, Canada and elsewhere, notably the one in Massachusetts.... [more]
Polynesia(Region)English From Ancient Greek πολύς (polys) meaning "much, many" and νῆσος (nesos) meaning "island". This is the name of a subregion in Oceania.
Pondicherry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English Derived from Tamil புதுச்சேரி (putuccēri) meaning "new town". Pondicherry (Puducherry) is the capital city of an Indian state of the same name.
Pontefract(Settlement)English From Latin ponte fracto, meaning 'broken bridge'.
Portland(Settlement)American In America, it is most likely used as a place name in reference to Portland, Oregon.
Portsmouth(Settlement)English Meaning unknown. This is the name of a port city in Hampshire County, UK.
Potenza(Settlement)Italian, English, French From Latin Potentia, itself from the Latin adjective potens, meaning "powerful", "mighty". This is the name of the capital city of the southern Italian region of Basilicata.
Prater(Settlement)English Taken directly from the surname Prater. This is the name of a community in Virginia.
Prato(Settlement)Italian, English, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish, Dutch Italian for "meadow". This is the name of a city in northern Italy, which was probably chosen because the city was founded on a meadow.
Pripyat(River & Settlement)Russian, English Russian form of the Ukrainian name Прип'ять (Prypyat) of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Belarus. It is also the name of an abandoned Ukrainian city that was evacuated after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Providence(Settlement)English Name chosen by Puritan minister Roger Williams, in honor of "God's merciful Providence". This is the name of several settlements in the United States, including the capital city of the state of Rhode Island.
Provo River(River)English (American) River in Utah, named after the French-Canadian trapper Etienne Provost. The river inspired the name of the city to which it belonged, Provo.
Pudsey(Settlement)English This name is of Anglo - Saxian origin.... [more]
Puducherry(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From the Tamil name புதுச்சேரி (Putucheri) meaning "new town", derived from புது (putu) meaning "new" and சேரி (cheri) meaning "slum, town". This is the name of a union territory and city in India... [more]
Punjab(Political Subdivision & Region)English From Punjabi پنجاب or ਪੰਜਾਬ (Panjab) from Persian پنجاب (panjab) meaning "five rivers" or "five waters", derived from پنج (panj) meaning "five" and آب (ab) meaning "water, river"... [more]
Putrajaya(Settlement)Malay, English Derived from Malay putra or putera meaning "prince", ultimately from Sanskrit पुत्र (putra), combined with jaya meaning "victory", ultimately from Sanskrit जय (jaya)... [more]
Pyay(Settlement)English From Burmese ပြည် (pyi) meaning "country", referring to the main city of the Pyu city-states that existed from the 2nd to 11th centuries. This is the name of a town in Myanmar.
Pyongyang(Settlement)Korean, English From Sino-Korean 平 (pyeong) meaning "flat, level, plane" and 壤 (yang) meaning "soil, land". This is the name of the capital city of North Korea.
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).
Quezon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog, English From the surname Quezon. This is the name of both a province and city in the Philippines, which were named in honour of Manuel Quezon (1878-1844), the second president of the Philippines.
Rabat(Settlement)English, French, Spanish From Arabic الرباط (ar-Ribat) meaning "the ribat", referring to a type of fortification used during the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. It is also used as a shortened form of the city's Arabic nickname, رباط الفتح (ribatu l-fath), which means "fortification of conquest, fortification of victory"... [more]
Racine(Settlement)English, French Means "root" in French. It is the name of a large city in Wisconsin.
Rakhine(Political Subdivision)English From Arakanese ရခိုင် (rahkaing), the name of the Rakhine (or Arakanese) people, which is believed to be derived from Pali Rakkhapura or Rakkhita meaning "land of the Rakshasas" (the name of a legendary creature in Hindu mythology)... [more]
Raleigh(Settlement)English Name of the capital in North Carolina, named for Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of Roanoke, the "lost colony" on Roanoke Island.
Rancho Cucamonga(Settlement)English From the name of a 19th-century land grant (rancho) given to Mexican merchant Tiburcio Tapía (1789-1845), who turned it into a winery. The name was derived from Tongva kukamonga meaning "sandy place"... [more]
Rangoon(Settlement)Danish, Dutch, Swedish, English (Archaic) Historical English form of Yangon based on the Arakanese pronunciation of the city's name. It is also the standard Danish, Dutch and Swedish form.
Rawalpindi(Settlement)English From Punjabi راولپنڈی (Ravalpindi) meaning "village of rawals", derived from راول (raval), a variant of Sanskrit title राज (raja) meaning "king", and پنڈ (pind) meaning "village"... [more]
Red(River)English The Red River goes through the southern states of the USA.
Reedley(Settlement)English (American) A city in Fresno County, California. Named for Thomas Law Reed, a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War who donated most of his land to the city.
Reggio Calabria(Settlement)Italian, English, German, Dutch From Latin Regium, itself from Ancient Greek Ῥήγιoν (Rhéghion), of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a city in southern Italy.... [more]
Reggio Emilia(Settlement)Italian, English, Dutch, German, Spanish From Latin Regium, abbreviation of Regium Lepidi, named after Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, who oversaw the construction of the Via Aemilia. This is the name of a city in northern Italy.... [more]
Retford(Settlement)English Retford, also known as East Retford, is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England, and one of the oldest English market towns having been granted its first charter in 1105
Revere(Settlement)English (American) A city in Massachusetts named after American Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere. Revere is an English word meaning "to admire".
Rhinelander(Settlement)American The name of a town in Oneida County, Wisconsin and the home of the Hodag, a cryptid with the head of a frog, the face of an elephant, and the body of a dinosaur. It was named after Frederic W. Rhinelander.
Rhode Island(Island & Political Subdivision)English Name of a state in the United States, said to have been named by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano when he passed through in 1524, based on an imagined similarity between modern Block Island and the Greek Isle of Rhodes, or possibly from Dutch Roodt Eylandt, literally "red island", a name given by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block.
Richland(Settlement)English Means "Rich's land". This is the name of a city in Washington as well as several other places in the United States.
Riga(Settlement)English, Russian From Latvian Rīga, origin disputed. It may be derived from Livonian ringa meaning "loop", referring to an ancient harbor formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava river, from Riege, the German name of the Rīdzene (a tributary of the Daugava), or from Latvian rija meaning "threshing barn"... [more]
Rio De Janeiro(Settlement)Brazilian, English Means "river of January" in Portuguese. Rio de Janeiro is a major city in Brazil. The city was named after the nearby Guanabara Bay which was discovered by Europeans in January 1502.
Rio Grande Do Sul(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, English Literally "Great River of the South" in Portuguese. This name comes from the Lagoa dos Patos, which was thought to be the mouth of the Rio Grande by Dutch explorers. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
Riverside(Settlement)English This place name meaning "by the side of the river", this the name of multiple cities in the United States.
Riverton(Settlement)English Riverton means "river town", and several cities in the United States have this name.
Riyadh(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Arabic, English Means "meadows, gardens", from the plural of Arabic روضة (rawdah). This is the name of the capital city of Saudi Arabia and a province of the same name. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: الرياض (ar-Riyadh).
Rizal(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English The name of a province of the Philippines, named for Filipino nationalist and writer JoséRizal (1861-1896).
Roraima(Political Subdivision, Region & Mountain)Portuguese, Spanish, English Of Peron origin, meaning either "parrot mountain" or "green peak," referring to Mount Roraima, located on the border between Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela. Since 1962, the name has also been used on a federal territory in north-western Brazil, which became a state in 1988.
Sabah(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Of uncertain meaning, possibly from the name of the saba banana (a cultivar originally from the Philippines), which comes from a Visayan word meaning "loud, noisy". Other theories suggest that it is derived from a Brunei Malay word meaning "upstream, northerly", from Malay sabak referring to a place where palm sugar is extracted, or from Arabic صباح (sabah) meaning "morning"... [more]
Sacramento(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, from Spanish sacramento, in honor of the Holy Sacrament.
Sagaing(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English From Burmese စစ်ကိုင်း (zagaing) of uncertain meaning. This is the name of an administrative division of, as well as a city in, Myanmar.
Sahara(Region)English, French, Italian, Spanish Derived from Arabic صحارى (sahara) meaning "deserts", the plural of صحراء (sahra') meaning "desert". This is the name of a desert in Northern Africa.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic(Political Subdivision & Region)English Following the Spanish evacuation, consequence of the Moroccan Green March, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed the Madrid Accords on November 14, 1975, six days before Franco died, leading to both Morocco and Mauritania moving in to annex the territory of Western Sahara... [more]
Saigon(Settlement & River)English From Vietnamese Sài Gòn of unclear origin. It may have come from Khmer ព្រៃនគរ (Prey Nokor), the Khmer Empire-era name that was used to refer to the region before it was annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century (the name itself comes from Khmer ព្រៃ (prey) meaning "jungle, forest, woods" and នគរ (nokor) meaning "kingdom, city")... [more]
Saint John(Settlement)English Variant of St John. This is the name of several settlements, mostly in North America.
Saint Kitts and Nevis(Country)English Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country in the West Indies. Located in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population... [more]
Saint Paul(Settlement)English After St. Paul's Chapel, built for French Catholic missionary Lucien Galtier around 1841. This is the name of the capital city of the US state of Minnesota.
Saint Petersburg(Settlement)English English translation of Russian Санкт-Петербург (Sankt-Peterburg), which is derived from the German name Sankt Petersburg meaning "Saint Peter's City", named in honour of Saint Peter the Apostle as well as Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725)... [more]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines(Country)English Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, also often known simply as Saint Vincent, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lies in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean... [more]
Sakhalin(Political Subdivision & Island)Russian, English Derived from Manchu ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ (sahaliyan) meaning "black", itself most likely from the expression ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ ᡠᠯᠠ ᠠᡢᡤᠠ ᡥᠠᡩ᠋ᠠ (sahaliyan ula angga hada) meaning "island (peak) at the mouth of the Amur River"... [more]
Samarkand(Settlement)English, Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar From Uzbek Samarqand, derived (via Persian) from Sogdian smʾr/smā́r meaning "stone, rock" and knδh/kąθ meaning "fort, town, city". This is the name of a city in Uzbekistan.
Samoa(Country)English An island country in Oceania.
San Antonio(Settlement & River)English Means "Saint Anthony" from Spanish san "Saint" + Antonio, a Spanish form of the given name Anthony. The river was named after San Antonio de Padua by the first governor of Spanish Texas, Domingo Terán de los Ríos in 1691... [more]
Sandhurst(Settlement)English Old English, meaning "sandy thicket of trees." A place name. In England, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (named after the village it is located) is the prestigious British Army officer training centre.
San Diego(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, meaning "Saint Diego" from Spanish san "Saint" + the given name Diego.
Sandringham(Settlement)English Derived from the Old English: "sand" hring "ring"/"circular" ham "homestead". "Sandy circular homestead". The name of a village in Norfolk, where Sandringham House, one of the Queen's country retreats is located.
San Francisco(Settlement)Spanish, English The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint Francis. One noteworthy place is the city of San Francisco in the US state of California.
San Gabriel(Settlement)Spanish, English The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint Gabriel, including one city in the US state of California.
San Jose(Settlement)English Name of a city in California, meaning "Saint Joseph" from Spanish san "Saint" + Jose, a Spanish form of Joseph.
Sápmi(Region)Sami, Swedish, English Perhaps ultimately derived from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źemē meaning "earth". Suomi, the Finnish name for Finland, is believed to be derived from the same root... [more]
Saragossa(Settlement)English From Çaragoça, the medieval form of the Arabic name سرقسطة (Saraqusṭa), from the Roman name Caesaraugusta, which is the combination of two Roman names Caesar and Augusta.
Sarajevo(Settlement)Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, English From Turkish saray meaning "palace, mansion, house" and ova meaning "plain, lowland" or the Slavic suffix -evo used to indicate place names. This is the name of the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sarawak(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Probably from Sarawak Malay serawak or serewa meaning "antimony". This is the name of a state in eastern Malaysia.
Sark(Island)English, Ancient Semitic, Medieval Scandinavian One of the Channel Islands in England. Could be derived from the Proto-Semetic 'śrq', meaning "redden", "rise", or "east", as Sark is the easternmost island. Alternatively, it come from Old Norse 'serkr', meaning "shirt".
Savannah(Settlement)English Likely from the Savannah River, which probably derives from a variant name for the Shawnee people (natively called Ša·wano·ki, meaning "Southerners") that began to settle near the river in the 1860s... [more]
Sawel(Mountain)English, Irish (Anglicized) Sawel Mountain (historically known as Slieve Sawel) is the highest peak in the Sperrins, a mountain range in Northern Ireland. This is an Anglicized form of Irish samhail meaning "likeness", taken from its Irish name Samhail Phite Méabha "likeness to Méabh's vulva", referring to a glen or hollow on the side of the mountain.
Scandinavia(Region)English Likely derived from the Germanic root *Skaðin-awjō, a combination of the reconstructed elements *skaðan- "danger, damage" and *awjō "island". Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe and usually refers to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
Scarborough(Settlement)English The name of a city in England. It is mentioned in the folk song "Scarborough Fair" about a fair held in the Middle Ages. A notable version of this song is the one by Simon and Garfunkel.
Seattle(Settlement)English From the given name Seattle, named in honour of Suquamish and Duwamish chief Seattle (1786-1866). This is the name of a city in the United States.
Sedbergh(Settlement)English A small town in rural Northern England. Its name derives from Old Norse sed, meaning 'sand' and berg, meaning 'mountain', referring to the mountainous location of Sedbergh and possibly the sandstone hills.
Selangor(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from Malay langau meaning "horsefly", from the name Salang Ur meaning "Salang village" (itself from the name of the Salang people and Tamil ஊர் (ur) meaning "village, town") or from Malay salang possibly meaning "stabbing" combined with jemur meaning "to burn, to dry (in the sun)"... [more]
Seoul(Settlement)Korean, English Means "capital" in Korean, probably derived from Sillan 서라벌 (Seorabeol), the name of the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (which is now the present-day city of Gyeongju). This is the name of the capital city of South Korea.
Seremban(Settlement)Malay, English Possibly from Malay seremban, the name of a children's stone-tossing game. This is the name of a city in Malaysia.
Seton(Settlement)English A Scottish place, Seaton near Longniddry, "is so named because it was held from the 12th century by a Norman family de Sey, from Say in Indre. Other places of this name, for example those in Cumbria, Devon, County Durham, Northumbria, and Yorkshire, are mostly named with Old English sæ "sea, lake" and tun "enclosure, settlement"... [more]
Seville(Settlement)English From Spanish Sevilla, ultimately derived (via Arabic and Latin) from Phoenician 𐤔𐤐𐤋𐤄 (shplh) meaning "plain, valley, lowland". This is the name of a city in Spain.
Seychelles(Country)French, English, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Malay, Maltese, Romanian, Spanish, Tagalog From the name of Jean Moreau de Séchelles (1690-1761), a French politician who served as Minister of Finance during the reign of King Louis XV. This is the name of an East African island country in the Indian Ocean.
Shah Alam(Settlement)Malay, English From the name of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah (1898-1960), the second monarch of Malaysia and the sixth sultan of Selangor. This is the name of the capital city of the Malaysian state of Selangor.
Shan(Political Subdivision)Burmese, English From the Burmese name for the Shan (Tai) people, which was derived from Thai สยาม (sayam) referring to Siam, the former name of Thailand... [more]
Siam(Country)English, Khmer From Portuguese Sciam, which was derived from Thai สยาม (sayam) of contested origin. It may have come from Pali suvaṇṇabhūmi meaning "land of gold", from Sanskrit श्याम (shyama) meaning "dark, black, blue" or from Mon ရာမည (ramanya) meaning "stranger"... [more]
Siargao(Island)Filipino, Cebuano, English Derived from Cebuano saliargaw referring to a type of flowering plant (genus Premna). This is the name of an island in the Philippines.
Sicily(Political Subdivision & Island)English This is the name of one of the islands of Italy. It is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.... [more]
Siem Reap(Settlement)Khmer, English Means "submission of Siam", from Khmer សៀម (Siem) referring to Siam (or Thailand) and រាប (reap) meaning "submissive, obedient, tame"... [more]
Sierra Leone(Country)English The name of the Country in West Africa. Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s known for the white-sand beaches lining the Freetown Peninsula. The capital city, Freetown, commemorates the nation’s slave-trade history with the Cotton Tree landmark and King’s Yard Gate... [more]
Sihanoukville(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English, French From the name of king Norodom Sihanouk (1922-2012) combined with French ville meaning "town, city". This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, Cambodia.
Sikkim(Country)English Now part of far northern India, Sikkim was an independent monarchy from the 17th century until 1975.
Sindh(Political Subdivision)Sindhi, Urdu, English Derived from Sanskrit सिन्धु (sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". This is the name of a province of Pakistan.
Skipton(Settlement)English A town in North Yorkshire, England meaning "sheep town".
Smara(Settlement)English Meaning unknown. Smara is a Moroccan-controlled city in the disputed Western Sahara.
Snowdon(Mountain)English Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa, pronounced ər ˈwɪðva) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands.e
Socotra(Island)English Scholars don't agree about the origin of the name of the island. After that the name Socotra may derive from:... [more]
Sofia(Settlement)Bulgarian, English Capital of Bulgaria named after the Saint Sofia Church located in the city. The name was first used by Bulgarian tsar Ivan Shishman in the 14th century.
Soquel(Settlement)English Soquel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, United States approximately 75 miles (120 km) south of San Francisco, and forms part of the north coast of Monterey Bay.... [more]
Sortobe(Settlement)Kazakh, Russian, English, Ukrainian Meaning uncertain, possibly of Dungan origin. This is the name of a town in southern Kazakhstan.
South Africa(Country)English Combination of south and Africa, named after its geographic location. This is the name of a country in southern Africa.
South America(Region)English Combination of south and America, named after it’s geographic location. This is the name of a continent in the Southern Hemisphere.
South Carolina(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, Named after King Charles I of England.
South 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".
South Holland(Political Subdivision)English Combination of South and Holland 1, named after it’s geographic location. This is the name of a province of the Netherlands.
South Korea(Country)English South Korea (Korean: 한국/韓國, RR: Hanguk; literally 남한/南韓, RR: Namhan, or 남조선, MR: Namchosŏn in North Korean usage), officially the Republic of Korea (ROK; Korean: 대한민국/大韓民國, RR: Daehan Minguk), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea... [more]
Spalding(Settlement)English This is the name of several places in England, USA, Canada and Australia, including one located in the eastern English county of Lincolnshire.... [more]
Sparta(Settlement)English, Czech, Danish, Finnish, German, Icelandic, Manx, Polish, Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman From Doric Greek Σπάρτα (Sparta) and Attic Greek Σπάρτη (Spartē), which is of uncertain origin but possibly derived from σπάρτον (sparton) meaning "rope, cable" - a reference to the cords laid as the city’s foundation boundaries, though this could be just a folk etymology.... [more]
Springville(Settlement)English (American) The city of Springville in Utah was named after Fort Springville, a fort that religious leader Brigham Young ordered to be built to be turned into a town as soon as possible.
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte(Settlement)English From Sinhalese ශ්රී ජයවර්ධනපුර කෝට්ටේ (shri jayawardhanapura kotte) meaning "blessed fortress city of growing victory" or "fortified city of victory"... [more]
Srinagar(Settlement)English From Hindi श्रीनगर (shrinagar) comprised of श्री (shri) meaning "radiance, splendour, beauty" and नगर (nagara) meaning "town, city"... [more]
Srivijaya(Country)Malay, English From Sanskrit श्रीविजय (Shrivijaya) meaning "shining victory", from श्री (shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty" combined with विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory"... [more]
Staffordshire(Political Subdivision)English County in England. From Old English 'stæð' meaning "landing place, ford, and scir, meaning "shire".
Stamps(Settlement)English Stamps is a city in Arkansas, a state in the southern United States of America. This is where the author and actress Maya Angelou spent most of her childhood.
Starkville(Political Subdivision)English Starkville is the most populous city in Mississippi.
Statham(Settlement)English This is the name of a hamlet in the civil parish of Lymm, part of the borough of Warrington in Cheshire (Lancashire before 1974) in northern England. See Statham on the surname site for more information.
Stockton(Political Subdivision)English Stockton is the name of a city in California, and it's the name of borough in New Jersey. It is the home of Stockton University.
Stoneleigh(Settlement)English Stoneleigh is a small village in Warwickshire, England.
Sudbury(Settlement)English City in Ontario, Canada. Meaning "south fortress" from Old English suð (south) and byrig (fortified place).
Sudetes(Mountain)English, Spanish A mountain range in Central Europe, which in the Anglosphere is also known under its German name Sudeten.
Sukhumi(Settlement)English From Georgian სოხუმი (sokhumi) of uncertain origin. It may be from Georgian ციხე (tsikhe) meaning "fortress" combined with the suffix ომი (omi) denoting a geographical location or from Svan ცხუმ (tskhum) meaning "hornbeam"... [more]
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]
Sumatra(Political Subdivision & Island)Indonesian, Acehnese, Minangkabau, Malay, English From Sanskrit समुद्र (samudra) meaning "sea, ocean". This is the name of an island in Indonesia as well as three Indonesian provinces.
Sunderland(Settlement)English A port city in North-East England. Derives from Old English sundor, 'separate' (c.f German sondern, 'but, instead') and land, 'land'.
Sunnyvale(Settlement)English From the English words sunny and vale meaning "valley". This is the name of a city in California.
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]
Surat(Settlement)Gujarati, English A city in India, derived from Arabic سورة (surah) meaning "surah", the name for the chapters of the Qur'an.... [more]
Suriname(Country)English The name of the Country in South America. Suriname is a small country on the northeastern coast of South America. It's defined by vast swaths of tropical rainforest, Dutch colonial architecture and a melting-pot culture... [more]
Svalbard(Political Subdivision)Norwegian, English, Swedish Originally from Old Norse Svalbarð, composed of svalr "cold" and barð "edge, ridge". Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean located right between continental Norway and the North Pole.
Swaziland(Country)English The name of the Country in Southern Africa. Swaziland, a small, landlocked monarchy in southern Africa, is known for its wilderness reserves and festivals showcasing traditional Swazi culture. Marking its northeastern border with Mozambique and stretching down to South Africa, the Lebombo Mountains are a backdrop for Mlawula Nature Reserve’s many hiking trails... [more]
Swindon(Settlement)English Previously it was called Suindune which could have been derived from the Old English words "swine" and "dun" meaning "pig hill" or possibly Sweyn's hill which was probably the owner’s name
Tahoe(Body of Water)American Tahoe is a lake on the California/Nevada border in America.
Taichung(Settlement)English From Chinese 台中 (Táizhōng) literally meaning "Taiwan center", from 台 (tái) referring to Taiwan and 中 (zhōng) meaning "middle"... [more]
Taipei(Settlement)English, Japanese From Chinese 臺北 (Táiběi) derived from 臺 (tái) referring to Taiwan and 北 (běi) meaning "north". This is the name of the capital city of Taiwan.
Taiwan(Country)English While Taiwan still exists, it is not always considered an independent country. However, it did represent China in the United Nations until 1971.
Tajikistan(Country)English, Indonesian, Malay, Filipino, Tagalog From Tajik Тоҷикистон (Tojikiston), which is derived from the name of the Tajik people combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of"... [more]
Takéo(Political Subdivision)English From the Khmer name តាកែវ (Takaew) meaning "crystal grandfather", derived from តា (ta) meaning "grandfather" and កែវ (kaew) meaning "crystal, glass". This is the name of a province of Cambodia.
Tallentire(Settlement)English A village in Cumbria, England. From Cumbric tal-y-tir, probably meaning 'end of the land'.
Tamil Nadu(Political Subdivision)English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu From Tamil தமிழ் நாடு (Tamil Natu) meaning "Tamil country", derived from தமிழ் (tamil) referring to the Tamil people and நாடு (natu) meaning "country"... [more]
Tampa(Settlement)English After the city of Tampa in the state of Florida. Tampa is from a Calusa word, the Calusa being the Native American tribe that once lived in the area. The exact word in unknown; it may have meant "sticks of fire", possibly referring to lightning, or "the place to gather sticks"... [more]
Tangier(Settlement)English From Latin Tingis, itself from the Punic root tng of uncertain origin. It may have been derived from Berber tingis meaning "marsh", based on the old Berber name ⵜⵉⵏⴳⵉ (Tingi)... [more]
Tarlac(Political Subdivision, Settlement & River)Pampangan, Pangasinan, Ilocano, Tagalog, English Derived from Pampangan malatarlak referring to a type of grass. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city and river in, the Philippines.
Tashkent(Settlement)English, Russian From Uzbek Toshkent meaning "stone city", from tosh meaning "stone" combined with Turkic kend meaning "city". This is the name of the capital city of Uzbekistan.
Tawi-Tawi(Political Subdivision & Island)Filipino, Tausug, Tagalog, English From Sinama Jawi Jawi, which is derived from Malay jejawi meaning "banyan tree". This is the name of an island and province in the southern Philippines.
Tbilisi(Settlement)Georgian, English, Russian Derived from Georgian თბილი (tbili) meaning "warm", given in reference to the area's sulfuric hot springs. This is the name of the capital city of Georgia (the country).
Tees(River)English A river in Northeast England. The precise origin of name is not known for sure. But, given that it is one of Britain's major rivers, several theories have emerged:... [more]
Teluk Intan(Settlement)Malay, English Means "diamond bay" in Malay, from teluk meaning "bay, bend, gulf" and intan meaning "diamond". This is the name of a town in Malaysia.
Tenasserim(Mountain & Political Subdivision)English Older variant of Tanintharyi, also used for a chain of mountains that runs through Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.
Tenerife(Island)Spanish, English Means "snow mountain" or "white mountain" in Guanche, probably referring to the volcano Teide. Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, Spain.
Terengganu(Political Subdivision)Malay, English Possibly from Malay terang ganu meaning "bright rainbow" or taring anu meaning "fang of something", a phrase supposedly uttered by a hunter when he discovered the tooth of an unknown animal... [more]
Teslin(Other)English Name of a mountain, plateau, river, and small lake in Yukon, Canada, and of a larger lake spanning the Yukon-British Columbia border. The word comes from the Tlingit name for the river, Teslintoo or Teslintuh, meaning "long, deep water."
Texarkana(Region & Settlement)English Portmanteau of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. This refers to a Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana border region, as well as the region's principal cities: Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas.
Thames(River)English The name of the river in southern England on which London is situated. This is a Brythonic river-name, explained as a derivative of Common Brythonic *temēlos, 'darkness' (compare Old Welsh timuil, 'darkness').
Thebes(Settlement)English, Ancient Greek (Anglicized) Perhaps ultimately from Semitic teba "chest, box". This is the name of a city in Boeotia, Greece, which played an important role in many Greek myths (as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus, Heracles and others).
The Hague(Settlement)English Originally named des Graven Hage, literally meaning "the count's wood" in medieval Dutch. This is the administrative and royal capital city of the Netherlands and the capital city of the South Holland province.
Thessaloniki(Settlement)English, Greek The city's name derives from the Greek words Θεσσαλός (Thessalós) referring to the region of Thessaly and νῑ́κη (nī́kē) "victory, success"; literally translating to "Thessalian victory"... [more]
Thetford(Settlement)English From the Old English þeodo "people" and "ford". The name of a town in Norfolk.
Thibet(Region, Political Subdivision & Country)Thai, French, English (Archaic) Thai form of Tibet. It is also a French variant as well as an older English form of the name.
Thimphu(Settlement)Bhutanese, Tibetan, English From Bhutanese ཐིམ་ (thim) meaning "to sink" and ཕུ་ (phu) meaning "high ground, foothill, upland" or "to fly". This is the name of the capital city of Bhutan.
Thingwall(Settlement)English A town in England. From the Scandinavian 'Þingvöllr', meaning "the meeting place of the assembly".
Tibet(Country)English A kingdom established in the 7th century, Tibet was invaded by China in 1950 and has since been known as the Xizang Autonomous Region of China.
Timperley(Settlement)English Timperley is a suburban village in Altrincham in the borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.... [more]
Tingwall(Other)English The name of various places in Britain, including a parish, town, and airport. From the Scandinavian 'Þingvöllr', meaning "the meeting place of the assembly".
Tobago(Island)English The name of the Island in Trinidad and Tobago. Tobago is the smaller of the 2 Caribbean islands comprising the nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It’s known for its wide, sandy beaches and biodiverse tropical rainforest... [more]