Swiss names are used in the country of Switzerland in central Europe.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Marseille(Settlement)French, English From the name of the ancient Greek colony and city of Μασσαλία (Massalia), of uncertain meaning. It may have been derived from Ligurian mas meaning "spring" or from Greek meaning "(city) on the far end of the sea", derived from μάσσων (masson) meaning "further" and ἅλς (hals) meaning "sea"... [more]
Mecca(Settlement)English, Italian, Romanian From Arabic مكة (Makka) which is from بكة (bakka), an ancient name for the region. The name is of uncertain origin and meaning; it may be from Arabic بكى (baka) meaning "to cry, to mourn" or Ge'ez ምኵራብ (məkʷrab) meaning "temple, sanctuary"... [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]
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]
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.
Mittelmeer(Body of Water)German Combination of German mittel "middle, medium" and Meer "sea". This is the German name for the Mediterranean Sea.
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]
Murano(Island)Italian A series of islands in the Venetian lagoon in Northern Italy, famous for its glassmaking. The toponym is derived from Latin name Amurius or Mur(r)ius.
Narni(Settlement)Italian Derived from the name of the Nera River which was called Nar in Latin. Author C.S. Lewis used the town's Latin name Narnia for a fictional country in his Chronicles of Narnia series of fantasy novels first released 1950.
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.
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.
Orinoco(River)English, Spanish, Italian The name of a river in Venezuela and Colombia, one of the longest rivers in South America.
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
Ostia(Settlement)Ancient Roman, Italian From Latin ōs, meaning "mouth", transferred to mean "opening, entrance". This was a major port city in Ancient Rome, which is still the name of a coastal area of the modern city of Rome.
Palestine(Country & Region)English, Biblical, French From Hebrew Pelesheth, which probably means "land of the Philistines". This is the name of a historical/geographic region in Western Asia. It is also the name of a sovereign state in Western Asia (officially the State of Palestine).
Palestine(Region & Country)English, French From Ancient Greek (via Latin) Παλαιστίνη (Palaistine), itself most likely derived from Hebrew פלשת (peleshet) meaning "Philistia, land of the Philistines". This is the name of a region and country in western Asia.
Palestrina(Settlement)Italian The name of a town east of Rome in central Italy, apparently derived from Praeneste, its ancient name.
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.
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]
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]
Rhône(River)French From Gaulish *Rodonos or *Rotonos, from a Proto-Indo-European root *ret-, meaning "to run/roll", frequently found in names for rivers.... [more]
Rhône-Alpes(Political Subdivision & Region)French From the French names of the Rhône river and the Alpes mountain range.... [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.
Santerre(Region)French From Latin sanguinis terra ("land of blood") referring to battles that took place in the region in 451 CE, or from sana terra ("healthy land") referring to its fertile soils. It is the name of a plateau region in central Picardy between the Somme, Luce, and Avre rivers.
Sassuolo(Settlement)Italian Of uncertain origin: possibly from the presence of petroleum in the area, at the time called olio di sasso ("rock oil"), or from Latin saxum solum ("rocky ground").... [more]
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]
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.
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.
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]
Swabia(Political Subdivision)German (Anglicized) Administrative region in Germany. Named after the ancient tribe, the 'Suebi', which itself possibly means "one's own people".
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.