Agadir(Settlement)Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber, English, French Means "fortified fortress, wall" in Central Atlas Tamazight, ultimately from Phoenician gdr meaning "wall, compound". This is the name of a city in Morocco.
Ain(River & Political Subdivision)French A river and department in France.
Alsace(Political Subdivision & Region)French, English, English (American) From Old High German Ali-saz or Elisaz, meaning "foreign domain". Alternatively, from Germanic Ell-sass, meaning "seated on the Ill", a river in Alsace.... [more]
Anjou(Other)English, French From the name of the former county/duchy/province centered around the city of Angers in the Loire Valley of western France, which is in the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire. It was the cradle of the House of Plantagenet who ruled England from the twelfth century, of whom the current royal family are descendants... [more]
Antananarivo(Settlement)Malagasy, French, English Means "city of thousand" in Malagasy, from the prefix an- combined with tanana meaning "city, town" and arivo meaning "one thousand". The name was chosen by Merina King Andriamasinavalona (1675-1710), who renamed the city in honour of the thousand soldiers who captured the site under the rule of King Andrianjaka... [more]
Anticosti(Island)French (Quebec) Anticosti is an island in the Minganie Regional County Municipality Canada. Originally inhabited by natives , The Innu called it Notiskuan which means "where bears are hunted", and the Mi'kmaq called it Natigôsteg meaning "forward land".... [more]
Aquitaine(Region)French French form of Aquitania. This is the name of a historical region of France located roughly between the Pyrenees, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Garonne... [more]
Ardenne(Region & Other)French, French (Belgian) From the forest known as Arduenna Silva in the Roman period; Arduenna probably derives from a Gaulish cognate of the Brythonic word ardu, as in Irish ard "high"... [more]
Bastille(Other)French This is the name of a fortress, formally known as Bastille Saint-Antoine, which played an important role in France's internal conflicts.... [more]
Batoche(Settlement & Other)French A historic village and National Historic Site in modern day Saskatchewan, Canada. Batoche is where Métis leader Louis Riel and his forces were defeated by the Canadian Army... [more]
Belgrade(Settlement)English, French From Serbian Београд (Beograd) meaning "white city", derived from the Slavic root beli or beo meaning "white" combined with grad meaning "city, town". This is the name of the capital city of Serbia.
Bombay(Settlement)English (Archaic), Dutch, French, Spanish From Portuguese Bombaim, which may have been derived from the phrase bom baim meaning "good little bay" or from the Marathi name मुंबई (Mumbai). This is an older English name for Mumbai, officially used until 1995... [more]
Burhou(Island)Norman A Channel Island in England. Means "storehouse island", from bur meaning "storehouse", and -hou, a Norman suffix derived from Old Norse holmr meaning "island".
Calvados(Political Subdivision)French A department in Normandy, France. It is named after a cluster of sparsely vegetated rocks off the coast, likely from 'calva dorsa', meaning "bare backs".
Campobasso(Settlement)Italian, English, French, German, Spanish Literally "low field"; derived from Latin Campus Vassorum, denoting that the city was host to vassals. This is the name of the capital city of the southern Italian region of Molise.
Caquorobert(Island)Norman Islet in the Channel Islands. Unknown meaning.
Casablanca(Settlement)English, French, Spanish Means "white house" in Spanish. The name comes from a Spanish translation of the Arabic name الدار البيضاء (ad-Dar al-Bayda'), which in turn was derived from a calque of the Portuguese name Casa Branca... [more]
Casquet(Island)French An island chain in the Channel Islands. Could from derived from French 'cascade', referring the nearby strong tides, or from 'casque', referring to the helmet-like shape of the rocks, or from 'cas', meaning "broken" and 'quet', "rock".
Catanzaro(Settlement)Italian, English, French, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, German From Latin Catanciarium, itself derived from Catacium, ultimately from Ancient Greek Καταρτάριοι, meaning "silk spinners". This is the name of a city in southern Italy, the second city in Calabria, as well as its capital city.
Centre-Val de Loire(Region & Political Subdivision)French Meaning literally "Centre-Loire Valley", as the centre of the Loire flows through the region.... [more]
Champagne(Region)French French region famous for its luxury sparkling wine.... [more]
Chantilly(Settlement)French From the name of a town in France near Paris, ultimately derived from the Gallo-Roman name Cantilius. The city gave its name to a type of delicate lace originally made there.
Côte D'ivoire(Country)French A country in Africa. Also called the Ivory Coast.
Cotonou(Settlement)French The name Cotonou comes from Fon origins, meaning, "by the river of death".
Crevichon(Island)Norman Islet in the Channel Islands, England. Means "isle of crabs, crayfish, and cranes", due to the abundance of those animals in the area.
Crimée(Country, Political Subdivision & Region)French French form of Crimea.
Digne(Political Subdivision)French (Archaic) Digne-les-Bains, or simply and historically Digne, is a commune of France, capital of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, and situated in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
Dijon(Settlement)French From French Dijon, from the Roman name, Latin Divio, from the name Divius (“godly, divine”).... [more]
Dirouilles(Island)Norman, French Islet chain in the Channel Islands. Each rock has many names. May mean "rags", as a direct transliteration of the French word dirouilles.
Écréhous(Island)Norman, English, Medieval Scandinavian Island chain in the Channel Islands in England. Derived from Old Norse 'esker', as in a "skerry", or a "small, rocky islet". and -hou, meaning "island".
Empoli(Settlement)Italian, English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish Of uncertain origin: possibly from the Germanic first name *Empo- with the suffix -ulus, or from Latin in portu ("in the port") as per the Tabula Peutingeriana. An eighth-century castle is documented with the names Empolum, Emporium and Empolis... [more]
Fleury(Settlement)French The name of various places in northern France, derived from Latin Floriacum, the name of a Gallo-Roman estate which was composed of the personal name Florus and the locative suffix -acum... [more]
Florence(Settlement)English, Dutch, French, Latvian From Latin Florentia, derived from florens, ("flowering"), ultimately from flos, meaning "flower". This is the name of the capital city of Tuscany, in central Italy, as well as several settlements throughout the United States.... [more]
Forillon(Other)French National park in Quebec, Canada. The name is thought to refer to a flowerpot island or sea stack in the area that has since been submerged in the ocean.
Grand Est(Region & Political Subdivision)French Meaning literally "Great East" in French, reflecting the rich cultural history of the east of France and the region's borders with four other countries.... [more]
Île-de-France(Political Subdivision & Region)French Meaning literally "island of France". Its ultimate etymology is unclear; the "island" may refer to the land between the rivers Oise, Marne and Seine, or it may have been a reference to the Île de la Cité, where the French royal palace and cathedral were located... [more]
Java(Political Subdivision & Island)English, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish From Indonesian Jawa, which is of uncertain origin. It is most likely derived from Sanskrit यव-द्वीप (yava-dvipa) meaning "island of barley", though it may have come from Javanese ꦗꦸꦮꦮꦸꦠ꧀ (juwawut) meaning "foxtail millet (a type of plant)" or Malay jauh meaning "far, distant"... [more]
Jethou(Island)Norman One of the Channel Islands in England. The -'hou' suffix means small island or small hill.
Johannesburg(Settlement)French (African) Origin of Johannesburg's name is explained. In reaction to an inquiry, officials in Pretoria replied that Johannesburg was named after Johann Friedrich Bernhard Rissik and Christiaan Johannes Joubert - the only document dealing directly with the origin of the city's name.
Latina(Settlement)Italian, English, Finnish, French Derived from the former name Latinia, itself adopted in 1944 to replace the name Littoria, which had been chosen by the Fascist government upon the inauguration of the city in 1932... [more]
Lihou(Island)Norman, Breton Island in the Channel Islands in England. From the Breton words 'lydd' or 'ligg', meaning "in or near water", and the Norman suffix -'hou', meaning "island". The island and reef in Australia named after this island.
Loire(River)French From Latin Liger, a transcription of the native Gaulish name of the river, derived from the Gaulish word liga, meaning "silt, sediment", itself deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *legʰ-, meaning "to lie".... [more]
Maldives(Country)Catalan, English, French, Greek, Malay Uncertain, possibly means "Malé islands" from Dhivehi މާލެ (māle) referring to Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, combined with Sanskrit द्वीप (dvīpá) meaning "island"... [more]
Marne(River)French From Latin Dea Mātrōna, meaning literally “divine mother goddess”, the name of a mother goddess associated with the river who was worshipped by the Gauls.... [more]
Meije(Mountain)French From Occitan meija meaning "middle, centre, half," taken from its original name l'Agulha de la Meija meaning "the needle of the Meije."... [more]
Minquier(Island)Breton, Norman, English An island chain in the Channel Islands, England. Could be from Breton 'minihi', meaning "sanctuary, or from 'minkier' meaning "seller of fish".
Mirabeau(Political Subdivision)French From Provençal mirar ("to see") and bel ("beautiful"). This is the name of a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, which is in southeastern France.
Molise(Political Subdivision)Italian, English, French Most likely derived from the Norman family de Moulins of Moulins-la-Marche. Rodolphe de Moulins, forefather of the family, became count of Bojano in 1053, which would go on to form the County of Molise.... [more]
Monaco(Country)English, French This is the name of a sovereign city-state and microstate bordering France on three sides and the Mediterranean Sea on one side.... [more]
Navarre(Country)French From the name of the historic Royaume de Navarre, a kingdom in the West Pyrenees mountains which is divided today between Spain and France. It is either derived from the Basque nabar, meaning "brownish" or "multicolor" (which would be a contrast with the green mountain lands north of the original County of Navarre); or from the Basque naba, "valley" or "plain", and herri, "land" or "people".
Niamey(Settlement)English, Armenian, Danish, Finnish, French, Italian, Slovak, Spanish Of uncertain origin; there are several theories on the origin of the name. It may be derived from a combination of Zarma words nia ("tree") and me ("shore where water is drawn"), or from the phrase "Wa niammané" ("take this city"), reportedly said by a Kalle clan chief... [more]
Nice(Settlement)French, English Founded by Greek colonists and given the name Νίκαια (Nikaia), ultimately derived from Greek νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". Nice is a city on the south east coast of France.
Nord-Pas-de-Calais(Political Subdivision & Region)French A combination of the names of the constituent departments of Nord, meaning "North" (the northernmost department of France) and Pas-de-Calais "Strait of Calais", the French name of the Dover Strait.... [more]
Nouakchott(Settlement)French, English From Arabic نواكشوط (Nuwakshut), itself from Tamazight Nawākšūṭ meaning "place of the winds" or inua u-kshut meaning "made of wood, made of sticks". This is the name of the capital of Mauritania.
Nunavut(Political Subdivision)Inuit, English, French Means "our land" in Inuktitut. This is the name of a territory of Canada.
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.
Oise(River & Political Subdivision)French Related to the Latin name Isara, borrowed from Celtic, though ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *isərós “vigorous, quick”, from *eis(ə, related to Sanskrit इषिरम् “fast, quick”.... [more]
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.
Orival(Settlement)French Derived from Latin aurea vallis meaning "golden vale/valley," the name belonging to three communes (one since defunct), located in the Seine-Maritime & Somme départements of northern France and Charente département of western France.
Orsay(Settlement)French A town near Paris. Originates from the Latin given name Orcius
Ortac(Island)Norman A small Channel Island in England. Likely means "large rock at the edge" from the Norman 'or', meaning "edge", and 'etac', meaning "stack", referring to the geological landform.
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).
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]
Picardie(Political Subdivision & Region)French French form of Picardy. From Old French pic, meaning "pike", which was the characteristic weapon used by ancient Picards.... [more]
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.
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.
Précy(Settlement)French Précy is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
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.
Région Centre(Region & Political Subdivision)French Meaning "central region", a reference to the region's location in the central part of the original French language area.... [more]
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.
Saint-Malo(Settlement)French An historic French port located in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany on the English Channel coast, named after Saint Malo.
Seine(River)French From Gaulish Sēquana, the Gallo-Roman goddess of the river. Sometimes associated with Latin; the Latin word seems to derive from the same root as Latin sequor "to follow", from Proto-Indo-European *seikw-, meaning 'to flow'.... [more]