South American names include those from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Estevan(Settlement)English, Spanish Estevan was named in 1892 after George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The name is believed to be derived from a contraction of his first and last name: "Este" (from Stephen) and "van" (a variation of his surname's pronunciation)... [more]
Etruria(Country)English, Italian, Spanish, Ancient Roman, History Meaning unknown. This was the name of an ancient country in the Italian Peninsula (located in what is now Tuscany) inhabited by the Etruscans.... [more]
Fortaleza(Settlement)Portuguese Means "fortress" in Portuguese, a shortened form of the original name Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora de Assunção meaning "Fort of Our Lady of the Assumption". This is the name of a city in Brazil.
Fuerteventura(Island)Spanish From Spanish fuerte "strong" and ventura "fortune", though an alternative theory is that the name is derived form the Roman name for the Canary Islands, Fortunatae Insulae "fortunate islands"... [more]
Galápagos(Other)Spanish An archipelago in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. From Spansish galápago meaning "turtle, tortoise".
Garajonay(Mountain)Spanish The name of a mountain peak which is the highest point on the Canarian island of La Gomera, located at the center of the island and regarded as a spiritual center of power by the ancient inhabitants... [more]
Goa(Political Subdivision)English, Portuguese From Konkani गोंय (Gõy), ultimately derived from Sanskrit गोमन्त (gomanta) possibly referring to an ancient kingdom or tribe. This is the name of a state in southwestern India.
Goiás(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) Of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the name of the (possibly mythical) Guaiá indigenous community; the name itself is composed of the Tupi words gua and iá, meaning, among other things, "the same person" or "people of the same origin." This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Gran Canaria(Island)Spanish From Spanish gran "grande, great" and Canaria referring to the Canary Islands. Gran Canaria is the third largest and second most populous island of the Canary Islands.
Guadalajara(Political Subdivision, Region & Settlement)Spanish name comes from the Arabic (وادي الحجارة) wādī al-ḥajārah which means "Valley of the Stone", or "Fortress Valley". A city in Mexico bears this name from the birthplace of a conquistador of the same name as the city and the province of Spain the same name.
Guanajuato(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Spanish Derived from Purépecha kuanhasï juáta or kuanasï uata meaning "hill of frogs". This is the name of a state of, as well as a city in, Mexico.
Guantánamo(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Spanish, Taíno (Hispanicized) Borrowed from an uncertain Taino term meaning "land between rivers". This is the name of a city and province in Cuba.
Guayama(Settlement)Spanish (Latin American) A city and municipality in Puerto Rico. Most likely from the name of a Taíno cacique, Guayama, from Taíno wayama meaning "great place, big open space"; however, a local story suggests that the name comes from the surname of a local landowner, Juanan Guayama.
Guayaquil(Settlement)Spanish From the older name Santiago de Guayaquil, the second part of uncertain origin. It may have been derived from the joined names of indigenous leader Guayas and his wife, Quil. This is the name of a city in Educador.
Islas Malvinas(Island)Spanish An archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf and an overseas territory claimed by Argentina and administered by the United Kingdom (known in English as the Falkland Islands)... [more]
Jalisco(Political Subdivision)Spanish From Nahuatl Xālixco meaning "over a sandy surface", derived from xalli meaning "sand", ixtli meaning "surface, plain" and the locative suffix -co. This is the name of a state of Mexico.
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]
Kenitra(Settlement)English, Spanish, Italian English, Spanish and Italian name for a city in northwestern Morocco, derived from Arabic القُنَيْطَرَة (al-Qunayṭara) meaning "the little bridge".
Labrador(Political Subdivision)Portuguese, Spanish Province in Canada. Likely from Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador. Lavrador means "farmer" in Portuguese, as does the Spanish word 'labrador'.
Lajas(Settlement & Other)Spanish (Latin American) A valley in Puerto Rico and various settlements in Latin American and the Caribbean. From Spanish lajas meaning "slabs, stones".
Lánao(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)Spanish Spanish form of Lanao.
Lanzarote(Island)Spanish Derived from the first name of the Genoese navigator Lancillotto Malocello (born in 1270). Lanzarote is an island in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of northwestern Africa.
Las Vegas(Settlement)English, Spanish Means "the meadows" in Spanish, from vega meaning "meadow". This is the name of a city in the American state of Nevada.
Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins(Political Subdivision)English, Spanish Means "Liberator General Bernardo O'Higgins" in Spanish, referencing the Chilean independence leader Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (1778-1842). This is the name of a region in Chile, often shortened to O'Higgins.
Luján(Settlement)Spanish The name of a city in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, best known for its basilica.... [more]
Luquillo(Settlement)Spanish (Latin American) A town in Puerto Rico. While legend claims that the town is named for the Taíno cacique Loquillo, the name is more likely derived from Yukiyu, the Taíno name for El Yunque, a nearby mountain.
Manchuria(Region)English, Indonesian, Malay, Spanish, Tagalog Likely from a Dutch calque of Japanese 満州 (Manshū) derived from the name of the Manchu people, ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ (manju), of uncertain origin. The ethnic name is probably derived from the name of the bodhisattva Manjushri in Buddhist tradition... [more]
Manila(Settlement)Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Maranao, English, Spanish From Tagalog Maynila, which is derived from the term may-nila meaning "where indigo is found", ultimately from Sanskrit नील (nila) referring to the indigo plant as well as indigo dye... [more]
Mantua(Settlement)English, Dutch, German, Ancient Roman, Spanish A city in Italy, the birthplace of the famous Ancient Roman poet Vergil. Etymology uncertain; possibly from the name of the Etruscan god Mantus.
Maranhão(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) Of uncertain origin: it may come from Tupi mar'anhan ("running sea"), a name for the Amazon River. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Mayagüez(Settlement & Body of Water)Spanish (Latin American) A municipality and bay in Puerto Rico. The name is derived from Maygüez, the Taíno name for the Yagüez River.
Melilla(Settlement)Spanish, English The etymology of Melilla is uncertain. Since Melilla was an active beekeeping location in the past, the name has been related to honey; this is tentatively backed up by two ancient coins featuring a bee as well as the inscriptions RSADR and RSA... [more]
Mesa(Settlement)English, Spanish From Spanish mesa, literally "table", referring to a flat-topped elevation. This is the name of a city in the US state of Arizona.
Micronesia(Country & Region)Dutch, English, Italian, Spanish, Tagalog From Greek μικρός (mikrós) meaning "small, little" and νῆσος (nesos) meaning "island". This is the name of a subregion of Oceania as well as an island country... [more]
Minas Gerais(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese Literally "general mines" in Portuguese. It is unclear whether the adjective Gerais refers to the many mines within the region or to the Matos Gerais (or Campos Gerais), the fields that were far away from the mines... [more]
Mishiguaganan(Mountain)Spanish (Latin American) A mountain in Peru. Possibly from Ancash Quechua mishi meaning "cat" and waqay meaning "crying, to cry".
Monterrei(Political Subdivision)Spanish, English From Galician monte "mountain" and rei "king". This was the modern name of a municipality in Galicia, historically called Monterrey.
Monterrey(Region)Spanish Borrowed from Galician Monterrei. This is the name of the largest city in northeastern Mexico. This is also the name of a city in California.
Montevideo(Settlement)English, Spanish All agree that "Monte" refers to the Cerro de Montevideo, the hill situated across the Bay of Montevideo, but there is disagreement about the etymological origin of the "video" part. This is name of Uruguay’s capital city.
Naticocha(Mountain)Spanish (Latin American) A mountain in Peru. Possibly from Quechua ñat'i or nati meaning "sickness, bowels, the most hidden" and qucha meaning "lake".
Ñausacocha(Mountain)Spanish (Latin American) A mountain in Peru. Possibly meaning "blind lake", from Quecha ñawsa meaning "blind" and qucha meaning "lake".
Nayarit(Political Subdivision)Spanish From the ethnic name of the Cora people, Náayerite, itself derived from the name of chief Cora Naye. This is the name of a state of Mexico.
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]
Ollantaytambo(Settlement)Aymara, Incan, Peruvian Originates from the Aymara term Ulla Tawi, meaning "high observation place." This is the name of an Incan terrace farm in Peru which is famously known for its Incan Stair Master.
Oviedo(Settlement)Spanish, Asturian One of the best-known theories suggests that the term Oviedo comes from the union of urbs and vetus, which in Latin means "old city." Other theories relate it to "ovem" (sheep), and possibly meaning "place full of sheep"
Paraíba(Political Subdivision & River)Portuguese (Brazilian) From Tupi pa'ra ("river") and a'íba ("difficult to invade/navigate"), referring to the narrow mouth of the Paraíba River. This is the name of a river and a state of Brazil.
Paraná(Political Subdivision & River)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese From Geral paraná, meaning "river". Some sources claim that the name comes from Guaraní para ("sea") and anã "resembling", owing to the width of the river Paraná. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
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.
Peñarroya(Settlement, Mountain & Other)Spanish Means "red rock," from peña meaning "rock, stone, cliff" combined with roya meaning "red" (usual word is rojo/roja).... [more]
Pernambuco(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese Four theories exist over the origin of the name. The first theory is that it may come from Tupi para'nã ("great river" or "sea") and buka, meaning "hole", thus meaning "hole in the sea", perhaps indicating the Canal de Santa Cruz, which separates the island of Itamaracá from mainland Brazil.... [more]
Piauí(Political Subdivision)Portuguese (Brazilian) From Piagoí, through the earlier name Piagüí, which is an early rendition of Tupi piauí, which means "river of the piabas" (piaba being a term used to indicate several types of fish)... [more]