This is a list of submitted place names in which the usage is English or American.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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.
Scunthorpe(Settlement)English (British) Scunthorpe is a large industrial town in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative center. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016... [more]
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.
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]
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.
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]
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]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tasmania(Political Subdivision & Island)English (Australian) From Abel Tasman, the person who discovered the island.
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]
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.
Tennessee(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from Cherokee tanasi, the name of a Cherokee village. The meaning is unknown.
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".
Tiptree(Settlement)English Tiptree is a village in the East of England. Tiptree comes from Tipper's Tree.
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]
Topeka(Political Subdivision)English Name of the capital city in Kansas, meaning "a good place to dig potatoes". From Kansa to "wild potato" + pi "good" + ke "to dig".
Toronto(Settlement)English The name Toronto is likely derived from the Iroquois word tkaronto, meaning "place where trees stand in the water". This refers to the northern end of what is now Lake Simcoe, where the Huron had planted tree saplings to corral fish... [more]
Transcarpathia(Region)English Means "beyond the Carpathian Mountains", derived from Latin trans meaning "across, beyond" combined with the latinized Greek noun Carpathia meaning "the Carpathian Mountains" as well as the region immediately surrounding them.
Transcaspia(Political Subdivision)English, Italian, Spanish Means "beyond the Caspian Sea", derived from Latin trans meaning "across, beyond" combined with Latin Caspia meaning "Caspian Sea".... [more]
Transcaucasia(Region)English, Italian, Spanish Means "beyond the Caucasus", derived from Latin trans meaning "across, beyond" combined with the latinized Greek noun Caucasia meaning "the Caucasus" (both the mountains and their namesake region)... [more]
Transoxiana(Region)English In English and several other languages, this is the name of a historical region in Central Asia, which was known as Hyperoxiane to the ancient Greeks and as Transoxania to the Romans... [more]
Transylvania(Region)English, Greek Means "beyond the forest", derived from Latin trans meaning "across, beyond" combined with medieval Latin sylvam, which is the accusative singular of the medieval Latin noun sylva meaning "forest, woods" (see Silvius)... [more]
Tripoli(Settlement)Greek, Italian, English Derived from Ancient Greek Τρίπολις (Tripolis) meaning "three cities", from τρι (tri) meaning "three" and πόλις (polis) meaning "city"... [more]
Trowbridge(Settlement)English It could be derived from the Old English treow-brycg which means “tree bridge”... [more]
Truth Or Consequences(Settlement)English Truth or Consequences is a city in the U.S. It was named after "Truth or Consequences", the radio show.
Tucson(Settlement)English Of Spanish origin, meaning "black hill."
Tulsa(Settlement)English From Muscogee Tallasi, meaning "old town". This is the name of a city in the US state of Oklahoma.
Turin(Settlement)English, French, German, Piedmontese, Russian From Latin Augusta Taurinorum, itself from Taurini, the name of a tribe. This is the name of the capital city of Piedmont, in northern Italy.
Turkmenia(Country & Political Subdivision)English (Rare) Anglicization of Turkmeniya, the Russian name for the country of Turkmenistan. In the Anglophone world, this name was primarily used during the Soviet era... [more]
Tuscany(Region)English Tuscany is named after the Etruscans who settled central Italy in the 8th century BC.
Tyne(River)English A river in North-East England. Its meaning is unknown, but some sources relate it to a word in a local Celtic or pre-Celtic language *tei-*, meaning 'river'. However, the evidence for the existence of such a word is insufficient.... [more]
Udmurtia(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Удмуртия (Udmurtiya), which is derived from the name of the Udmurt people. The ethnic name is from odo-mort meaning "meadow people", from the Permic root od(o) meaning "meadow, glade, turf" and Iranian murt meaning "person, man"... [more]
Underwood(Region & Other)English (British) Underwood is an unincorporated community in Monroe Township, Clark County, Indiana, United States. The community took its name from the local Underwood family.... [more]
Ürümqi(Settlement)English From Uyghur ئۈرۈمچى (ürümchi), which may have been derived from Mongolian ᠦᠯᠡᠮᠵᠢ (ülemji) meaning "great", a short form of the phrase ᠦᠯᠡᠮᠵᠢ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠰᠠᠶ᠋ᠢᠬᠠᠨ ᠪᠡᠯᠴᠢᠭᠡᠷ (ülemji-yin say᠋iqan belchiger) meaning "great pasture" or "beautiful pasture"... [more]
Ussuri(Region, Body of Water & River)Russian, English Russian and English variant of the Manchu word Usuri.
Utah(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from Spanish yuta, name of the indigenous Uto-Aztecan people of the Great Basin perhaps from Western Apache (Athabaskan) yudah "high" (in reference to living in the mountains).
Vail(Settlement)English Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States.
Vallejo(Settlement)Spanish, English The name of a city in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, which was founded by Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (1807-1890), a Californio military leader and landowner... [more]
Valletta(Settlement)Maltese, English From the name of 16th century French nobleman Jean de Valette. This is the name of the capital city of Malta.
Van(Settlement)English Derived from the surname Vance. Van is a town Texas, USA.
Vancouver(Settlement & Island)English (Canadian) City and Island in Canadian province British Columbia, named after the explorer George Vancouver.
Vatican City(Country)English Vatican City (/ˈvætɪkən/), officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano; Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae), is the Holy See's independent city state, an enclave within Rome, Italy... [more]
Vermont(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, literally "green mountain" from French verde "green" + mont "mountain".
Vientiane(Settlement)English, French French form of Lao ວຽງຈັນ (Wiangchan) meaning "city of sandalwood" or "city of the moon" from Lao ວຽງ (wiang) meaning "city, town" and ຈັນ (chan) meaning "sandalwood" or "moon"... [more]
Vilnius(Settlement)Lithuanian, English From the name of the Vilnia River, which is derived from Lithuanian vilnis meaning "wave, ripple". This is the name of the capital city of Lithuania.
Virginia(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, "country of the Virgin", after Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married.
Viroqua(Settlement)English From the Spanish Veragua. A town in Wisconsin.
Volga(River)English, Russian English and Russian name for the largest river in Europe. The Old Mari name of the river is Volgydo, which means "bright". The name volgydo is cognate to Finno-Ugric valkea meaning "white" or "bright"... [more]
Wadsley(Other)English Name of a suburb of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England.
Walkden(Settlement)English (British) The name Walkden or Walkeden derives from the Old English 'denu', a valley, belonging to a man possibly called Wealca.
Walton(Settlement)English The name of several villages in England, particularly Lancashire. Named from Old English wale, meaning 'Celt, foreigner' (Compare Wales) and tun, meaning 'town, village'.
Waterloo(Settlement)Flemish, English The name of multiple town and cities throughout the world, most notably the Battle of Waterloo, in 1815, where Napoleon was defeated. From the Flemish and Middle Dutch words 'water' and 'loo' (meaning forest, marsh).
Watonga(Settlement)English Watonga is a city in Blaine County, Oklahoma that is named after Arapaho Chief Watonga whose name means "Black Coyote".
Waveney(River)English The name of a river that forms much of the boundary between the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk in eastern England. It is derived from Old English wagen meaning "quagmire" and ēa "meaning "river; running water, stream."
Waverton(Settlement)English Possibly means "Weaver Town" from Old English waver meaning weaver, and ton meaning town.
Wear(River)English A river in North-East England. It is taken to be of Old Celtic origin and meant 'blood-colored water', referring to the reddish-brown color of the river. In modern Welsh, the name would be waed dwr, 'blood water'... [more]
Wellington(Settlement)English From Old English Weolingtun meaning "wealthy estate". Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. It is also the name of several settlements throughout the English-speaking world.
West Virginia(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, The western, transmontane, counties of Virginia; separated from Virginia during Civil War.
Wetherby(Settlement)English A town in West Yorkshire. It's name derives from Old Norse veðra, 'ram' (Swedish vadur, Norwegian vær) and byr, 'farm'. See Waterford.
Wichita(Settlement)English Name of a city in Kansas, named after the Native American tribe Wichita. Possibly from Wichita We-chate hatchee, "Red Water River".
Wigan(Settlement)English A town in Northern England. Its etymology is uncertain but may represent Brittonic *wig, "a dwelling" (c.f. Welsh gwig), with the nominal suffix -an. Another possibility is that Wigan preserves a personal name corresponding to Gaulish Vicanus, Old Breton Uuicon or Welsh Uuicant.
Windhoek(Settlement)Afrikaans, Dutch, English This is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It’s unknown how this place got it’s name, most think it’s from the Afrikaans word wind-hoek, which means ''wind corner''... [more]
Windsor(Settlement)English City in Ontario, Canada, from an English surname that was from a place name meaning "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English (a windlass is a lifting apparatus). This has been the surname of the royal family of the United Kingdom since 1917.
Winnipeg(Settlement)English Name of a city in Manitoba, Canada Ojibwe wiinibig "dirty waters", from wini "dirty" + nibi "water".
Wisconsin(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from French Ouisconsin, likely from the Miami word Meskonsing "it lies red".
Wisley(Settlement)English It is a small village in Surrey, England.
Worthington(Settlement)English Place name meaning either "Wurð's settlement" or "enclosed settlement" in Old English.
Wryeton(Settlement)English Middle English Wry(e) may mean "bent", "twisted" combined with the "ton" ending.
Württemberg(Political Subdivision & Region)German, English Etymology uncertain. Originally referred to a castle near Stuttgart, and increased its scope as the owners increased their possessions. Scholars have rejected the derivation Wirth am Berg, meaning "innkeeper/host on the hill/mountain"... [more]
Wyoming(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from Algonquian chwewamink "at the big river flat," from xw "big" + e:wam "river flat" + enk "place".
Yakutia(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Якутия (Yakutiya), which is from the name of the Yakut people. The ethnic name ultimately comes from Yаkо, the Evenki name for the Yakuts, which was eventually transferred to Russian... [more]
Yamoussoukro(Political Subdivision & Settlement)English, French, Danish, Portuguese In honor of Yamousso, a Baoulé queen and great-aunt of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny (1905–1993), with the addition of the suffix kro ("village"). This is the name of the de iure capital city of Côte d'Ivoire, as well as the name of the district around it.
Yangon(Settlement)Burmese, English Means "end of strife" in Burmese, from ရန် (yan) meaning "enemy, danger" or "quarrel" combined with ကုန် (gon) meaning "to run out, end". This is the name of the largest city in Myanmar, which served as the country's capital until 2006... [more]
Yaoundé(Settlement)English, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Welsh, Yoruba From the outpost of Jaundo, founded between 1887 and 1889 by German explorers Lt. Richard Kund and Hans Tappenbeck and named so after the local Ewondo people, also known as Yaunde. The name could also have been a German rendition of the Ewondo expression mia wondo ("peanut farmers")... [more]
Yellowknife(Settlement)English (Canadian) Yellowknife is the name of the capital and only city of Northwest Territories in Canada.... [more]
Yenisey(River)Russian, English, Turkish, Azerbaijani The name of a river in northern Mongolian and the Siberian federal district of Russia. It may be derived from either Evenki Ионэсси (Ionəssi) meaning "big water" or Old Kyrgyz Эне-Сай (Ene-Sai) meaning "mother river."
Yeovil(Settlement)English (British) Derived from the Celtic river name, 'gifl' meaning forked river - which was an earlier name for the River Yeo, which runs through Yeovil.
Yerevan(Settlement)Armenian, English, Russian Meaning unknown. It may be from Yervand, the name of a 3rd-century BC Armenian king (also known as Orontes IV), or from Էրեբունի (Erebuni), an ancient Urartian fortification and city... [more]
Yonkers(Settlement)English Name of the 4th most populous city in New York state, a variant of Dutch Jonkers, jonker, "young gentleman", derived from Dutch jong "young".
Yorkshire(Region)English Newer form of Old English Eoferwicscir, a combination of Eoferwic "York" and scīr "shire, district".
Yosemite(Other)English (American), Indigenous American (Anglicized, Rare) A national park and a valley located in Mariposa County, California, the name is derived from the Southern Sierra Miwok joh-heˀ-HmetiH-, meaning "warriors, killers, those not afraid to die"... [more]
Youngstown(Political Subdivision)English Youngstown is a city in Ohio, USA.
Yugoslavia(Country)English From Serbo-Croatian Jugoslavija meaning "land of the South Slavs", derived from jug meaning "south" and slavija meaning "land of Slavs". This was the name of a European country that existed from 1918 to 1941 (as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), from 1943 to 1945 (as the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia), from 1945 to 1992, and from 1992-2003 (as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).
Zadar(Settlement)Croatian, English Zadar is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city.... [more]
Zaragoza(Settlement)Spanish, 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.
Zealand(Island)English English form of Danish Sjælland. Zealand is the largest island in Denmark (excluding Greenland).
Zzyzx(Settlement)English When it was invented to be the last word listed in a dictionary, an area in California was named Zzyzx.