Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Nunavut(Political Subdivision)Inuit, English, French Means "our land" in Inuktitut. This is the name of a territory of Canada.
Nuremberg(Settlement)German, English Most popular is in the settlement in Bavaria region Germany.... [more]
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]
Ocala(Settlement)English A city in Florida. From Ocale, a Timucua village and kingdom.
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.
Ogema(Settlement)English (American) A township in Minnesota. From Ojibwe ogimaa meaning "chief".
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.
Okemos(Settlement)English (American) A city in Michigan, named after Chief John Okemos of the Ojibwe people. The surname Okemos is an anglicized form of Ojibwe ogimaans meaning "little chief".
Oklahoma(Political Subdivision)English (American) Name of a state in the United States, from Choctaw okla "people" "tribe" "nation" + homma "red".
Okmulgee(Settlement)English (American) A city in Oklahoma. From Muskogee okimulgi meaning "boiling waters".
Olathe(Settlement)English This is the name of Kansas's fourth largest city, said to be derived from a Shawnee word meaning "beautiful".
Onalaska(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) Various cities in the United States and a lake in Wisconsin. After Unalaska, a volcanic island in Alaska which was mentioned in the poem "The Pleasures of Hope" by the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell.
Onamia(Settlement & Body of Water)English (American) A city and lake in Minnesota. From Ojibwe onamanii-zaaga'iganiing, which itself is derived from onaman meaning "red ochre, vermilion" and zaaga'igan meaning "lake".
Oneida(Settlement)English (American) A city in New York. From the name of the Oneida people, who are indigenous to the area.
Oneka(Body of Water)English (American) A lake in Minnesota. From Dakota onakan meaning "strike, knock off", referring to the practice of gathering wild rice by knocking it into a canoe.
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.
Ontario(Region)English, French (Quebec), Iroquois The name Ontario comes from the Iroquoian word ontarí:io, meaning "great lake" or "beautiful water." It originally referred to Lake Ontario, which is one of the five Great Lakes in North America... [more]
Opa-locka(Settlement)English (American) A city in Florida. From Seminole opa-tisha-wocka-locka or opatishawockalocka meaning "wooded hummock, hot and dry hummock".
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.
Opelousas(Settlement)English (American) A city in Louisiana. From the Opelousa people, who were indigenous to the area.
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.
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".
Orinda(Settlement)English A transferred use of the given name Orinda. The city in California was likely named for the Anglo-Welsh poet Katherine Philips, who wrote under the pen name Orinda.
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.
Osawatomie(Settlement)English (American) A city in Kansas. Its name derives from a portmanteau of Osage and Potawatomi, two Native American nations indigenous to the area.
Oshawa(Settlement)English (Canadian) A city in Ontario. From Ojibwa aazhawe, meaning "a cross, the crossing place".
Oshkosh(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the Menominee name Oshkosh meaning "claw". Chief Oshkosh was a leader of the Menominee Native Americans, who are indigenous to the area.
Oskaloosa(Settlement)English (American) A city in Iowa. Meaning "black rain", from Mvskoke-Creek oske "rain" and lvste "black". A local legend claims that Ouscaloosa was the Creek wife of Seminole chief Osceola... [more]
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]
Oswego(Settlement & River)English (American) Various locations in the United States. From Iroquois os-we-go meaning "pouring out place."
Otaheite(Island)English From the misinterpretation of Tahitian 'o Tahiti, meaning "the Tahiti". This was the obsolete form of Tahiti.
Otsego(Settlement)English (American) From Mohawk or Oneida otsego, meaning "place of the rock". The city in Minnesota is named for the county in New York.
Overbrook(Settlement)English This place name meaning "over the brook" is the name of a city in Kansas.
Owatonna(Settlement)English (American) From the Dakota name for the nearby Straight River, Wakpá Owóthaŋna.
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.
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.
Patagonia(Region)Spanish, English A geographical region in South America. From the Spanish word patagón, referring to a legendary race of giants, which the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan used to describe the peoples indigenous to the area.
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]
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'.
Penistone(Settlement)English (British) Penistone is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 22,909 at the 2011 census. ... [more]
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]
Pepperell(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Pepperell. The town in Massachusetts was named for Sir William Pepperell, a colonial soldier who led the Siege of Louisbourg during the French and Indian War.
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]
Peshawar(Settlement)English From Pashto پېښور (Pekhawar) ultimately derived from Sanskrit पुरुषपुर (purushapura) meaning "city of men", from पुरुष (purusha) meaning "man, person" combined with पुर (pura) meaning "city"... [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]
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.
Pittsburgh(Settlement)English From the English surname Pitt and burg meaning "fortress, citadel". The city in Pennsylvania was named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, a Prime Minister of Great Britain.
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]
Pocatello(Settlement)English (American) A city in Idaho named for the Shoshone leader Tondzaosha, who was called Pocatello in American military accounts. The name Pocatello is of unclear etymology and does not appear to be derived from the Shoshoni language.
Pokegama(Body of Water & River)English (American) A lake and river in Minnesota. From Ojibwe bakegamaa meaning "the water which juts off from another water".
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.
Pomme De Terre(River)English (American) A river in Minnesota, from French pomme de terre meaning "potato, root vegetable", but in this case referring to the prairie turnip commonly grown in the area by the Dakota people.
Pomona(Settlement)English Various cities are named for Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit.
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'.
Pontiac(Settlement)English Various cities in Canada and the United States. After the Odawa chief Pontiac, also known as Obwaandi'eyaag.
Poquoson(Settlement)English (American) A city in Virginia. From the English word "pocosin", which refers to a type of wetland and is derived from an unknown Algonquian word, possibly Abenaki pôgwaso meaning “very shallow”.
Port Dalhousie(Political Subdivision)English (Canadian) Port Dalhousie is named after George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, Governor General of British North America.... [more]
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.
Potomac(Settlement)English A river and various cities in the United States. From the name of the Patawomeck people, who are indigenous to the river area.
Poughkeepsie(Settlement)English (American) From Munsee u-puku-ipi-sing meaning "the reed-covered lodge by the little-water place".
Poway(Settlement)English (American) A city in California. Likely from Kumeyaay pawii "arrowhead" or paguay "watering hole".
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.
Pridnestrovye(Political Subdivision & Region)Russian, English Another name for Transnistria, using the Russian derivation instead of the Romanian derivation.
Prince Albert(Settlement)English Prince Albert is named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The name was given in 1866 by Rev. James Nisbet, a Scottish Presbyterian missionary who established a settlement in the area... [more]
Prince Edward Island(Political Subdivision)English (Canadian) Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province. It was named for Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767–1820), Queen Victoria's father.
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.
Puchong(Settlement)Malay, English Likely from Malay pucung meaning "heron (bird)", so named for the many herons in the area. This is the name of a town in Malaysia.
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]
Pueblo(Settlement)English (American) A city in Colorado. From Spanish pueblo meaning "town, people".
Pulaski(Settlement)English (American) Transferred use of the Polish surname Pulaski. The city in Virginia was named for Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-born hero of the American Revolutionary War.
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.
Quirindi(Settlement)English (Australian) Quirindi is believed to have originated from an Aboriginal word, though the exact meaning is uncertain. Quirindi is a town in New South Wales, Australia, located in the north-western part of the state... [more]
Quispamsis(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Maliseet, English The name Quispamsis comes from the Maliseet (Wolastoqey) word qospemsis, meaning "little lake" (qospem = "lake," sis = diminutive suffix). This refers to the Kennebecasis River and surrounding waterways, which were important to Indigenous peoples for travel and sustenance... [more]
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.
Ramona(Settlement)English Transferred use of the given name Ramona. The settlement in California was named for Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona, which was set in southern California.
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.
Rantoul(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Rantoul. The city in Illinois was named for Robert Rantoul, Jr., a a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illinois Central Railroad.
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.
Red Deer(Settlement)English (Canadian) The name Red Deer is derived from the color of the local river, which is called the Red Deer River. The river itself was named by early European settlers. The city of Red Deer is located in central Alberta, Canada, and is one of the province's larger urban centers.
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]
Regina(Settlement)English (Canadian) Capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. Meaning "queen", named in honour of Queen Victoria.
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".
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.
Richfield(Settlement)English Various cities in the United States and Canada. From the English words "rich" and "field".
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(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Portuguese, English The name of a state and city in Brazil, meaning "river of January" in Portuguese. The city was named after the nearby Guanabara Bay, which was first discovered by Europeans on January 1, 1502.
Rio Grande do Norte(Political Subdivision)Portuguese, English Literally "Great River of the North" in Portuguese, referring to the mouth of the Potenji River. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
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).
Rochester(Settlement)English Name of three places in Northumberland with names whose early spellings are very similar and sometimes difficult to distinguish from each other. Rudchester in Ovingham is probably the likeliest source of the surname which is concentrated in the southern half of Northumberland but Rochester parish and a lost Ruchester in Chollerton are both possible candidates... [more]
Rockford(Settlement)English From the English words "rock" and "ford". The city in Illinois was named for a ford in the nearby Rock River
Rodney(Settlement)English A place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame") and ieg "island"... [more]
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.
Rothesay(Political Subdivision & Island)Scottish, English Rothesay, New Brunswick, was named after Rothesay, Scotland, a town on the Isle of Bute. The name Rothesay is of Scottish Gaelic origin, possibly derived from Rothesige or Roth Say, meaning "King’s Seat" or "Fort Isle" (roth = "fort," say = "isle")... [more]
Rotorua(Settlement)English (New Zealand) A city in the North Island of New Zealand. The city and suburbs are built on the shores of Lake Rotorua.
Roxbury(Settlement)English A name of several towns in the United States and Canada, including a neighborhood within the city of Boston, Massachusetts.
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.
Saginaw(Settlement)English (American) A city in Michigan. Most likely meaning "place of the outlet", from Ojibwe sag meaning "opening" and ong meaning "place of", though popular legend claims it derives from Ojibwe sace-nong or sak-e-nong meaning "where the Sauk were".
Sahel(Region)English A savanna region south of the Sahara Desert. From Arabic ساحل sāḥil meaning "coast, shore".
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 Helena(Political Subdivision & Island)English A non-self-governing territory of the United Kingdom, located in the South Atlantic. Together with Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, they form the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
Saint John(Settlement)English Variant of St John. This is the name of several settlements, mostly in North America.
Saint John(River)Maliseet, French, English The original Maliseet (Wolastoqey) name for the river was "Wolastoq", meaning "beautiful, bountiful river" (wolast = "good, pleasant," oq = "river"). The river was central to Maliseet culture, travel, and sustenance.... [more]
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-Louis-Du-Ha! Ha!(Political Subdivision)English (Canadian) The "Ha! Ha!" refers to nearby Lake Témiscouata, haha here being an archaic French word for an unexpected obstacle or abruptly ending path.
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]
Salford(Settlement)English From Old English sealh "willow, sallow" combined with ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of several settlements in England, including a city near Manchester.
Salina(Settlement)English (American) From the English word "saline". The city in Kansas was named for the nearby Saline River.
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.
Saratoga(Settlement)English (American) From Mohawk se-rach-ta-gue or sa-ra-ta-ke meaning "the hillside country of the quiet river”. Several places in the United States were named for the city in New York, which was the site of a famous battle during the American Revolutionary War.
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".
Sartell(Settlement)English Transferred use of the English surname Sartell. The city in Minnesota was named for Joseph B. Sartell, who owned a local flour mill and the Sartell Brothers Lumber Company.
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.
Schoolcraft(River)English (American) Transferred usage of the English surname Schoolcraft. The river in Minnesota is named for Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a white geographer and Indian Agent who mapped the region.
Scituate(Settlement)English (American) A city in Massachusetts. From Wampanoag satuit meaning "cold brook".
Scunthorpe(Settlement)English Scunthorpe is a large industrial town in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative center.... [more]
Sealy(Political Subdivision)English Sealy is a city in Austin county, Texas.
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.
Sedona(Settlement)English A city in Arizona. Transferred use of the given name Sedona.
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]
Selkirk(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Scottish, English The city of Selkirk was named after Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, a Scottish nobleman who established the Red River Colony in the early 19th century. The name Selkirk comes from Old English and Old Norse, meaning "hall (or manor) by the church" (sel = "hall, manor," kirk = "church")... [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.
Shakopee(Settlement & River)English (American) A city and creek in Minnesota, named for the Chief Shakopee III, a leader of the Dakota people, who are indigenous to the area.
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]
Sheboygan(Settlement & River)English (American) A city and river in Wisconsin. From Menominee sāpīwǣhekaneh meaning "at a hearing distance in the woods".
Sherbrooke(Settlement)English Sherbrooke is believed to be named after Sir John Sherbrooke, a British military officer and governor of Nova Scotia. The name likely follows the English naming tradition of using the surname of notable figures to name towns or settlements... [more]
Sheridan(Settlement)English Transferred use of the surname Sheridan. The city in Wyoming was named for General Philip Sheridan, who fought for the Union in the American Civil War.
Sherrwood Park(Settlement)English The name Sherwood Park likely draws inspiration from Sherwood Forest in England, a name associated with the legendary tales of Robin Hood.... [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.
Sidon(Settlement)Arabic, English Sidon or Saida is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast.
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.