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Etymology of place names

Posted in About antique maps and prints by Richard Bennett on June 14th 2021

Etymology of place names on maps

The following table gives the root and meaning of some words which frequently enter into the composition of geographical names as prefixes and suffixes.

WordLanguageMeaning
Å(Swedish)river
Aa(Danish and Norwegian)river
Ab(Persian)water
Abâd(Persian)town
Aber(Celtic)at the confluence or mouth of a river
Abh, Aff, Avie, Aive, Av(Gaelic)water
Abhuinn, Amhuinn, Avon(Gaelic)river
Abiad(Arabic)white
Abu(Arabic)father
Ach, Achadh, Auch, Auchen(Gaelic)field, plain, or meadow
Acker(Old Norse)open country, un­tilled land
Ada(Turkish)island
Aiguille(French)needle
Ail, Aill, Al(Old Gaelic)rock, rocky steep
Aillse(Gaelic)fairy, el
Ain(Arabic)well
Aird(Gaelic)promontory
Airidh(Gaelic)green place in the hills, shealing
Ak(Turkish)white
Allt, Ald, Auld, Ault(Gaelic)stream
Alsó(Hungarian)lower, inferior, under
Alt(German)old
Anse(French)bay, bight
Ar, Aray, Ary(Gaelic)smooth water
Aral(Mongolian)island
Ard, Airde(Celtic)high, a height
Arn, Ern(Teutonic)place, dwelling, house
Aspros(Greek)white
Auch(Gaelic)a field
Auchter, Ochter(Gaelic)summit, upper
Azrek(Arabic)blue
Bab(Arabic)gate
Bad(German)mineral spring
Bahia(Portuguese)bay
Bahr(Arabic)river, sea
Bair(Turkish)hill
Bal(Gaelic)place, town
Bala(Persian and Turkish)upper
Balkan(Turkish)mountain
Bally(Irish)town, village
Ban(Gaelic)white
Bandar(Sanscrit)port, town
Banja(Bulgarian and Serbian)bath
Bar(Sanscrit)country
Batang(Malay)river
Battle, Botl(Old English)a dwelling
Batu(Malay)rock, stone
Bazar(Turkish)town
Beag, Beg(Gaelic)small
Beau, Belle(French)beautiful
Beck, Bach(Teutonic)brook
Bedd(Welsh)a grave
Beit, Beth(Arabic)house
Belled(Arabic)town
Ben, Pen(Gaelic)mountain
Bender(Persian)harbour
Beni(Arabic)sons of
Berg, Bjerg(German and Scandinavian)mountain
Bes, Bel(Serbian)white
Bhum(Indian)country
Bialy, Bielo, Bily(Slavic)white
Bilad, Beled(Arabic)land, country
Bir(Arabic)well
Birkeh, Birket(Arabic)artificial pool, or tank
Blair, Blar(Gaelic)a plain; originally a battlefield
Bocca(Italian)a mouth
Bod, Bo(Norse)a home, dwelling
Bog,(Gaelic)soft, miry, damp
Bolshoi(Russian)great
Bosch(Dutch)forest
Bost(Norse)farmhouse or dwellin
Bouche(French)mouth
Brae(Norse)height, hill, slope
Breac, Brac(Gaelic)spotted, piebald
Breg(Serbian)hill
Brod(Slavic)a ford
Burun(Turkish)cape, headland
By(Norwegian)town
Cabo(Port, and Spanish)cape
Cachoeira(Portuguese)waterfall
Caer, Car(Celtic)fortified place
Cairn, Carn(Gaelic)heap of stones, rocky mound
Cam(Gaelic)crooked, winding
Carse(Norse)low alluvial land along a river
Caster, Cester, Chester(Latin)camp
Ceann, Kin, or Ken(Gaelic)head, promontory
Cerro(Spanish)mountain peak
Cherny(Slavic)black
Chorion(Greek)village
Chrebet(Russian)mountain chain
Cnoc or Knock(Gaelic)hill, mound
Coed(Welsh)a wood
Coillej, Kel, Killie(Gaelic)a wood
Col(French)pass
Combe, Cum(Saxon)a valley
Cordillera(Spanish)mountain chain
Dagh(Turkish)mountain
Dal(Swedish)valley
Dar(Arabic)land
Darya(Persian)sea, stream
Deccan(Indian)south land
Den(Gothic)town
Den, Dean, Dene(Anglo-Saxon)wooded hollow
Derbend(Persian)castle
Dere(Turkish)valley
Derry(Gaelic)oak thicket
Deva(Sanscrit)god
Diva, Diu(Indian)island
Dolina(Russian)valley
Dolny(Polish)lower
Dorf(German)village
Drum, Drom(Gaelic)backbone, ridge
Dubh(Gaelic)black
Dun(Celtic)hill
Eilean(Gaelic)island
El or A1(Arabic)the
Elf(Swedish)river
Erdö(Hungarian)forest
Esk(Gaelic)water or river
Eski(Turkish)old
Étang(French)marsh
Ey(Celt, and Norse)island
Fair, Far(Norse)sheep
Falva(Hungarian)village
Fehér(Hungarian)white
Feketa(Hungarian)black
Fell, Fjäll(Swedish)mountain
Felsö(Hungarian)upper
Field, Fjeld(Norse)mountain range
Fionn, Fin, Fyne(Gaelic)fair, white
Fjord(Danish and Norwegian)bay
Fu(Chinese)town
Gamle(Swedish)old
Garth(Gaelic)enclosed place, farm
Gawa(Japanese)river
Giri(Indian)hill
Gol(Mongolian)river
Gol(Turkish)lake
Gori(Russian)mountain
Gorm(Gaelic)blue
Gorny(Polish)upper
Gorod(Russian)town
Grad(Bulgarian and Serbian)town
Guada(Arabic)river
Gunong(Malay)hill
Hacienda(Spanish)village
Hagios(Greek)holy, saint
Hai(Chinese)sea
Ham(Saxon)a home, a hamlet
Hegy(Hungarian)hill
Hely(Hungarian)place
Hian(Chinese)town
Hima(Sanscrit)cold, snow
Hira(Japanese)plain
Hissar(Turkish)castle
Ho(Chinese)river
Hoang(Chinese)yellow
Hoek(Dutch)cape
Holm(Swedish)island
Hung(Chinese)red
Hurst(Saxon)a forest
Inch(Scottish)island
Innis, Ennis(Celtic)island
Inver(Gaelic)at the mouth of a river
Irmak(Turkish)river
Jama(Japanese)mountain
Jebel(Arabic).mountain
Jeni(Turkish)new
Jökull(Iceland)glacier, iceberg
Kaleh(Turkish)fortress
Kali(Malay)river
Kamen(Russian)rock
Kami(Japanese)above
Kapu(Turkish)gate
Kara(Turkish)black
Kebir(Arabic)great
Kesr, Kasr(Arabic)castle
Kiang(Chinese)river
Kill, Kirk(Gaelic)church
Kip(Gaelic)stump, block, cap
Kis(Hungarian)small
Kizil(Turkish)red
Ko(Japanese)small
Koh(Siamese)island
Krasny(Russian)red
Kuh(Persian)mountain
Kuni(Japanese)land
Kuro(Japanese)black
Kyle or Caol(Gaelic)a strait
Law(Scotch)a hill
Ley(Saxon)a meadow
Liman(Turkish)bay
Lin, Lynn(Celtic)lake or pool
Ling(Chinese)mountain
Lian(Welsh)church
Llano(Spanish)plain
Magh, Machair(Gaelic)field, plain
Maly(Slavic)small
Me(Siamese)river
Medina(Arabic)town
Mhor(Gaelic)great
Miasto(Polish)town
Mikros(Greek)small
Mull(Gaelic)long promontory
Mura(Japanese)village
Myo(Burmese)town
Nada(Japanese)bay
Nady or Nagy(Hungarian)great
Nan(Chinese)south
Nant(Celtic)brook or valley
Negro(Spanish)black
Német(Hungarian)German
Ness(Gaelic)promontory
Nijni, Nizhni(Russian)lower
Nor(Mongolian)lake
Noss(Russian)cape
Ó(Hungarian)old
Oë(Swedish)island
Orang(Malay)man
Orman(Turkish)forest
Osero(Russian)lake
Ostrof(Russian)island
Pab, Pap(Norse)priest
Padang(Malay)plain
Patam(Sanscrit)a town
Pe(Chinese)north
Peña(Spanish)rock
Planina(Bulgarian)mountain range
Potamos(Greek)river
Puebla(Spanish)village
Pulo(Malay)island
Punta(Italian)cape
Râs(Arabic)cape
Rath, Rait(Gaelic)fort, town
Rio(Spanish)river
Ros, Ross(Gaelic)a promontory
Sahara(Arabic)great desert
Sai(Siamese)sand
Saki(Japanese)cape
Sapad(Russian)west
Scour, Sgur(Gaelic)sharp-peaked hill
Selo(Bulgarian)village
Semlia(Russian)earth, land
Sfantu(Rom.)holy, saint
Shan(Chinese)mountain
Shat(Arabic)coast
Shee, Sidh, Sith(Gaelic)a fairy
Shehr(Persian and Turkish)town
Shima(Japanese)island
Shin(Japanese)land
Shiro(Japanese)white
Sierra(Spanish)mountain chain
Slieve(Irish)mountain
Sredny(Slavic)central
Sron, Stron(Gaelic)a nose
Stan(Persian)land or country
Star(Serbian and Bulgarian)old
Stob(Gaelic)pointed hill
Stor(Swedish)great
Strath(Gaelic)long, wide valley
Tai(Japanese)great
Takai(Japanese)high
Take, dake(Japanese)mountain
Tala(Mongolian)desert
Tani(Japanese)valley
Tanjong(Malay)cape
Tell(Arabic)hill, mound
Thian(Chinese)heaven
Thorpe, Dorf(German)village
Tigh, Tay(Gaelic)a house
Timor(Malay)east
To(Japanese)island
Tobar, Tober(Gaelic)well, spring
Tung(Chinese)east
U(Bantu)country
Uj(Hungarian)new
Ulu(Turkish)large
Utan(Malay)forest
Vand(Norwegian)water, lake
Var, Varos(Hungarian)town
Vatn(Norwegian)lake
Velik(Slavic)great
Verkhni(Russian)upper
Villa(Spanish)town
Voe(Norse)narrow bay
Vouna(Greek)mountain range
Vrch, vrh(Serbian)peak
Wady(Arabic)river-course or ravine
Weiler(German)village
Wick(Scandinavian)bay or creek
Wy or Gwy(Welsh)water
Yar(Gaelic)rugged
Yell(Norse)barren
Zemlya(Russian)land
Zwart(Dutch)black

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