Geographical etymology: a dictionary of place-names giving their derivations

by Christina Blackie

• Naas, Ir. a fair or place of meeting
• Nablous, [158]
• Nagore, na-gara, Sansc. a city
• Nagpore, [160]
• Nagy-Banja, [18]
• Nagy-Koros, [146]
• Nairn, on the R. Nairn, anc. Ainear-nan, east-flowing river
• Nancy, [146]
• Nankin, Chinese, the southern capital
• Nantes, [146]
• Nantwich, [146]
• Naples, [158]
• Narbonne, named from the Narbonenses
• Naseby, the town on the cape
• Nashville, named from Colonel Nash
• Nassau, [146]
• Natal, Colony, so named because discovered on Christmas Day, Dies-natalis, by Vasco de Gama in 1498
• Natchez, a tribe name
• Naumburg, [148]
• Naupactus, the place of ships
• Nauplia, a sea-port, from the Grk. naus, a ship, and pleos, full
• Navan, Ir. n’Eamhain, literally the neck brooch, so named from a legend connected with the foundation of an ancient palace there
• Navarre, [147]
• Naxos, the floating island
• Naze, Cape, [145]
• Nebraska, Ind. the shallow river
• Nedjed, Ar. the elevated country
• Negropont, [159]
• Neilgherry Hills, [90]
• Nemours, the place of the sacred grove, nemus
• Nenagh, [74]
• Ness, Loch and R., [73]
• Neston, [73]
• Netherlands, [147]
• Neusatz, [148]
• Neusohl, [148]
• Neuwied, [148]
• Nevada Mountains—v. SIERRA, [175]
• Nevers, anc. Nivernum and Noviodunum, the new fort or the R. Nièvre
• Neviansk, on the R. Neva
• Newark, [206]
• Newcastle, [43]
• Newport, [156]
• New Ross, [167]
• Newry, Ir. Iubhar-cinn-tragha, the yew-tree at the head of the strand
• New York, named after the Duke of York, brother of Charles II.
• Niagara, corrupt. from Oni-aw-ga-rah, the thunder of waters
• Nicastro, new camp
• Nicopoli, [158]
• Nijni Novgorod, [148]
• Nile R., native name Sihor, the blue, called by the Jews Nile, the stream
• Nimeguen, [133]
• Nimes or Nismes, [147]
• Ningpo, the repose of the waves
• Niphon Mount, the source of light
• Nippissing, a tribe name
• Nogent, [149]
• Noirmoutier, [138]
• Nola, [148]
• Nombre-de-dios, the name of God, a city of Mexico
• Nörrkoping, [47]
• Northumberland, [149]
• Norway, [149]
• Nova Scotia, so named in concession to Sir William Alexander, a Scotsman, who settled there in the reign of James II. It was named Markland by its Norse discoverer, Eric the Red
• Nova Zembla, [148]
• Noyon, anc. Noviodunum, the new fort
• Nubia, Coptic, the land of gold
• Nuneaton, the nun’s town, on the R. Ea, in Warwickshire, the seat of an ancient priory
• Nurnberg, [24]
• Nyassa and Nyanza, the water
• Nyborg, [148]
• Nyköping or Nykobing, [47]
• Nystadt, [148]

O

• Oakham, [5]
• Oban, Gael. the little bay
• Ochill Hills, [198]
• Ochiltree, [198]
• Odensee, [71]
• Oeta Mount, sheep mountain
• Ofen or Buda, [33]
• Ohio, beautiful river, called by the French La Belle rivière
• Oldenburg, [7]
• Olekminsk, [176]
• Olympus Mountain, the shining
• Omagh, Omeha, named from a tribe
• Omsk, [176]
• Oosterhout, [107]
• Oporto, [156]
• Oppeln, the town on the R. Oppo
• Oppido, Lat. Oppidum
• Orange, anc. Arausione, the town on the R. Araise
• Orange R. and Republic, named after Maurice, Prince of Orange
• Oregon R., from the Span. organa, wild marjoram
• Orellana R., named from its discoverer
• Orissa, named from a tribe
• Orkney Islands, [111]
• Orleans, corrupt. from Aurelianum, named after the Emperor Aurelian
• Orme’s Head, Norse ormr, a serpent, from its shape
• Ormskirk, [125]
• Orvieto, [199]
• Osborne, named after the Fitz-Osborne family
• Oschatz, Sclav. Osada, the colony
• Osimo, [199]
• Osnabrück, [31]
• Ossa Mountain, Grk. the watch-tower
• Ostend, [74]
• Ostia, Lat. the place at the river’s mouth, Os
• Oswestry, [57]
• Othrys, the mountain with the overhanging brow, Grk. othrus
• Otranto, anc. Hydruntum, a place almost surrounded by water, ùdor, Grk.
• Ottawa, a tribe name
• Ottawa R., a tribe name
• Oudenarde, [7]
• Oudh or Awadh, corrupt. from Ayodha, the invincible
• Oulart, corrupt. from Abhalgort, Ir. apple field
• Oundle, [60]
• Ouro-preto, [160]
• Ouse R., [198]
• Overyssel R., [150]
• Oviedo is said to have derived this name from the Rivers Ove and Divo. Its Latin name was Lucus-Asturum, the grove of the Asturians
• Owyhee, the hot place

P

• Paderborn, [32]
• Padstow, [183]
• Paestum, anc. Poseidonia, the city of Poseidon or Neptune
• Palamcotta, [55]
• Palermo, corrupt. from Panormus, Grk. the spacious harbour
• Palestine, the land of the Philistines, strangers; from Crete, who occupied merely a strip of the country on the coast, and yet gave their own name to the whole land
• Palma, the palm-tree
• Palmas, Lat. the palm-trees
• Palmyra or Tadmor, the city of palms
• Pampeluna or Pamplona, [158]
• Panama Bay, the bay of mud fish
• Panjab or Punjaub, [2]
• Paraguay, [153]
• Parahyba, [153]
• Paramaribo, [144]
• Parapamisan Mountains, the flat-topped hills
• Parchim, [153]
• Paris, [130]
• Parsonstown, named for Sir William Parsons, who received a grant of the land on which the town stands, with the adjoining estate, from James II. in 1670
• Passau, [44]
• Patagonia, so called from the clumsy shoes of its native inhabitants
• Patna, [153]
• Paunton, [159]
• Pays de Vaud, [200]
• Peebles, anc. Peblis, Cym.-Cel. the tents or sheds
• Peel, [153]
• Peiho R., [105]
• Pe-king, Chinese, the northern capital
• Pe-ling Mountains, the northern mountains
• Pelion, the clayey mountains, pelos, Grk. clay
• Pella, the stony
• Pembroke, [30]
• Penicuik, [154]
• Pennsylvania, named after William Penn, whose son had obtained a grant of forest land in compensation for £16,000 which the king owed to his father
• Pentland Hills, corrupt. from the Pictsland Hills
• Penzance, [154]
• Perekop, the rampart
• Perigord, named from the Petrocorii
• Perm, anc. Biarmaland, the country of the Biarmi
• Pernambuco, the mouth of hell, so called from the violent surf at the mouth of its harbour
• Pernau, [126]
• Pershore, [130]
• Perth, [19]
• Perthddu, Welsh, the black brake or brushwood, in Wales
• Perugia, [152]
• Peshawur, the advanced fortress
• Pesth, [150]
• Peterhead, [112]
• Peterwarden, the fortress of Peter the Hermit
• Petra, the stony
• Petropaulovski, the port of Peter and Paul
• Pforzheim, [135]
• Philadelphia, the town of brotherly love, in America
• Philippi, named after Philip of Macedon
• Philippine Isles, named after Philip II. of Spain
• Philipstown, in Ireland, named after Philip, the husband of Queen Mary
• Phocis, the place of seals
• Phœnice, either the place of palms or the Phœnician settlement
• Phœnix Park, in Dublin, [80]
• Piedmont, the foot of the mountain
• Pietermaritzburg, named after two Boer leaders
• Pillau, [153]
• Pisgah Mountain, the height
• Pittenweem, [157]
• Pittsburg, named after William Pitt
• Placentia, Lat. the pleasant place
• Plassy, named from a grove of a certain kind of tree
• Plattensee or Balaton, [173]
• Plenlimmon Mountain, Welsh, the mountain with five peaks
• Plock, or Plotsk, [26]
• Ploermel, [157]
• Podgoricza, [157]
• Poictiers, named from the Pictones
• Poland, Sclav. the level land
• Polynesia, [112]
• Pomerania, [143]
• Pondicherri, Tamil, the new village
• Pontoise, [159]
• Poole, [158]
• Popocatepetl Mountain, the smoking mountain
• Portrush, [168]
• Portugal, [156]
• Potenza, Lat. Potentia, the powerful
• Potsdam, [157]
• Powys, the name of an ancient district in North Wales, signifying a place of rest
• Pozoblanco, [161]
• Prague, Sclav. Prako, the threshold
• Prato-Vecchio, [160]
• Prenzlow, the town of Pribislav, a personal name
• Presburg or Brezisburg, the town of Brazilaus
• Prescot, [55]
• Presteign and Preston, [194]
• Privas, anc. Privatium Castra, the fortress not belonging to the state, but private property
• Prossnitz, on the R. Prosna
• Providence, in U.S., so named by Roger Williams, who was persecuted by the Puritan settlers in Massachusetts because he preached toleration in religion, and was obliged to take refuge at that place, to which, in gratitude to God, he gave this name
• Prussia, the country of the Pruezi
• Puebla, Span. a town or village
• Puebla-de-los-Angelos, the town of the angels, so called from its fine climate
• Puenta-de-la-Reyna, [159]
• Puerto, the harbour
• Pulo-Penang, [161]
• Puozzuoli, [161]
• Puy-de-dome, [156]
• Pwlhelli, [159]
• Pyrenees Mountains, named either from the Basque pyrge, high, or from the Celtic pyr, a fir-tree
• Pyrmont, [142]

Q

• Quang-se, the western province, in China
• Quang-tung, the eastern province
• Quatre-Bras, Fr. the four arms, i.e. at the meeting of four roads
• Quebec, in Canada, named after Quebec in Brittany, the village on the point
• Queensberry, [24]
• Queen’s County, named after Queen Mary
• Queensferry, [76]
• Queensland and Queenstown, named after Queen Victoria
• Quimper, [53]
• Quimper-lé, [53]
• Quita, the deep ravine

R

• Radnorshire, [165]
• Radom and Radomka, named after the Sclav. deity Ratzi
• Rajputana, [163]
• Ramgunga, [86]
• Ramnaggur, ram’s fort
• Ramsgate, [88]
• Randers, [162]
• Raphoe, [163]
• Rapidan R., named after Queen Anne
• Rappahannock R., Ind. the river of quick-rising waters
• Rastadt, [163]
• Ratibor, [28]
• Ratisbon, Sclav. the fortress on the R. Regen, Ger. Regena Castra or Regensburg
• Ravenna, [79]
• Rayne, Gael. raon, a plain, a parish in Aberdeenshire
• Reading, a patronymic
• Redruth, in Cornwall, in old deeds, Tre-Druith, the dwelling of the Druids
• Reeth, on the stream, rith
• Rega R., [164]
• Reichenbach, [15]
• Reichenhall, [98]
• Reigate, [88]
• Reims or Rheims, named for the Remi, a tribe
• Remscheid, [171]
• Renaix, corrupt. from Hrodnace, the town of Hrodno
• Renfrew, [162]
• Rennes, named from the Rhedoni, a tribe
• Resht, Ar. headship
• Resolven, Welsh Rhiw, Scotch maen, the brow of the stonehead, in Glamorganshire
• Reculver, in Kent, corrupt. from Regoluion, the point against the waves
• Retford, [166]
• Reutlingen, a patronymic
• Revel, named from two small islands near the town, called reffe, the sand-banks
• Reykiavik or Reikiavik, [209]
• Rhine R. and Rhone R., [164]
• Rhode Island, [74]
• Rhodes and Rosas, in Spain, named from the Rhodians, a Grecian tribe
• Rhyddlan or Rhuddlan, Cym.-Cel. the red church
• Rhyl, the cleft, a watering-place in North Wales
• Rhymni, the marshy land, in Monmouthshire, on a river called the Rhymni, from the nature of the land through which it flows—v. Romney, at EA, [71]
• Riga, [126]
• Ringwood, in Hants, the wood of the Regni
• Rio-de-Janeiro, [164]
• Ripon, [167]
• Ritzbuttel, [27]
• Rive-de-Gier, [166]
• Rivoli, [166]
• Rochdale, the valley of the R. Roche
• Rochefort, [167]
• Rochelle, [167]
• Rochester, [167]
• Roermonde, [140]
• Romania or Roumilli, [109]
• Romans, anc. Romanum-Monasterium, the monastery of the Romans, founded by St. Bernard
• Rome, perhaps named from the groma, or four cross roads that at the forum formed the nucleus of the city
• Romorantin, [166]
• Roncesvalles, [200]
• Roque, La, Cape, the rock
• Roscommon, [167]
• Roscrea, [167]
• Rosetta, anc. Ar. Rasched, headship
• Ross, in Hereford, [165]
• Rossbach, the horse’s brook
• Ross-shire, [168]
• Rothenburg, [165]
• Rotherham, [165]
• Rotherthurm, [165]
• Rothesay, the isle of Rother, the ancient name of Bute
• Rotterdam, [60]
• Rouen, [133]
• Rousillon, named from the ancient town of Ruscino, a Roman colony
• Roveredo, Lat. Roboretum, a place planted with oaks, in Tyrol
• Row, in Dumbartonshire, from rubha, Gael. a promontory running into the sea
• Roxburgh, [167]
• Ruabon, corrupt. from Rhiw-Mabon-Sant, the ascent of St. Mabon, in North Wales
• Rudgeley or Rugely, [166]
• Rugen, named from the Rugii
• Runcorn, [45]
• Runnymede, [132]
• Rushbrook and Rushford, [167]
• Russia, named from the Rossi, a tribe of Norsemen in the ninth century
• Ruthin and Rhuddlan, [165]
• Rutland, [165]
• Rybinsk, [168]
• Ryde, [167]
• Ryswick, [168]

S