List of subnational name etymologies
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This article provides a collection of the etymology of the names of subnational entities. This page generally only deals with regions and provinces; cities and other localities and features may appear listed under the individual country, with a link below.
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Australia
- Victoria & Queensland - Named after Queen Victoria
- New South Wales - Named after southern Wales by Captain Cook
- Tasmania - Named after Abel Tasman; originally named by Tasman as Van Diemen's Land.
Austria
- Carinthia: The name, of unknown origin, dates to at least the early Middle Ages
- Lower Austria: The lower part (lower in height) of the original teritory of Austria, as opposed to Upper Austria
- Salzburg: After the City of Salzburg (literally "salt castle"), which takes its name from the salt mines that existed there during the Middle Ages
- Styria (German Steiermark): after a castle named Steier; in the high Middle Ages, it formed a march of the Holy Roman Empire, hence -mark
- Tyrol takes its name from the Castle of Tyrol near Meran
- Upper Austria: The upper (physically higher) part of the original territory of Austria, as opposed to Lower Austria.
- Vorarlberg, literally "in front of the Arlberg", takes its name from the Arlberg, a mountain (German: Berg) characterised by Arle, a local German term for "mountain pine".
Canada
See Canadian provincial name etymologies
People's Republic of China
Most of the names of the modern provinces appeared as coinages in the Ming Dynasty, and Qing Dynasty. The Republic of China (Nationalist) period and the People's Republic of China after 1949 inherited most of them, with their own modifications and creations.
- Anhui - Anqing + Huizhou (Huangshan)
- Beijing - "northern capital"
- Chongqing - "double celebration"
- Fujian - Fuzhou + Jian'ou
- Gansu - Ganzhou (Zhangye) + Suzhou (Jiuquan)
- Guangdong - Guangzhou + east (Dong)
- Guangxi - Guangzhou + west (Xi)
- Guizhou - after Mount Gui
- Hainan - "south of the ocean"
- Hebei - "north of the River (Huang He)"
- Heilongjiang - "black dragon river" (Amur)
- Henan - "south of the River (Huang He)"
- Hubei - "north of the lake (Lake Dongting)"
- Hunan - "south of the lake (Lake Dongting)"
- Jiangsu - Jiangning (Nanjing) + Suzhou
- Jiangxi - from "Jiangnanxi", meaning "west of the south of the Yangtze River"
- Jilin - Manchu name for "by the river"
- Liaoning - "Liao tranquil"; the region traditionally bore the name of "Liao"
- Ningxia - "tranquil Xia," "Western Xia" was a Tangut state in the region during 1032-1227
- Qinghai - "green/blue sea" (after Lake Qinghai)
- Shaanxi - "west of Shan (陝) (a mountain pass region in China between modern Henan and Shaanxi)"
- Shandong - "east of the mountains (Taihang Mountains)"
- Shanxi - "west of the mountains (Taihang Mountains)"
- Sichuan - literally "four-rivers", after four circuits (provinces) in the region during the Song Dynasty. Before then, the region was simply called Chuan ("rivers") for its many rivers
- Tianjin - "river ford of the emperor (lit. sky)"
- Xizang (Tibet) - either "Zang of the west" or "western Zang (the Tibetan nationality)"; "Zang" comes from Tsang, a name for central-southern Tibet
- Xinjiang - "new frontier"
- Yunnan - "south of the clouds, or Yunling ("mountains of the clouds")"
- Zhejiang - old name of Qiantang River
Czech Republic
- Bohemia - from the Celtic tribe Boii, the original inhabitants of the territory
- Moravia - probably from the river "Morava"
Finland
- Ostrobothnia (or in Swedish: sterbotten) - "Eastern Bothnia"
France
Note that most modern French dpartements take their names from local geographical features: usually rivers, occasionally mountain ranges or coasts. Thus most such names have a self-evident immediate origin: even non-speakers of French can deduce them with a minimum of geographical knowledge. The traditional provinces and regions (of any period) often bear names with more obscure and superficially richer histories.
- Alsace - from Latin Alisatia, a latinised form of the Germanic name that also yields Old High German El-sasz, allegedly meaning "foreign settlement"
- Artois - from Latin Atrebatensis, adjectival form derived the Belgic tribe Atrebates; the name of its main city Arras (Atrecht in Dutch) derives directly from the tribe's name Atrebates, so Artois properly means "territory of Arras"
- Brittany (Bretagne) - area occupied by refugee Britons from Roman Britain (Britannia) circa 500 AD
- Burgundy (Bourgogne) - part of the land settled by the East Germanic Burgundians, who possibly originated on the island now known as Bornholm
- Champagne - from the Latin campania (plain, open country, battlefield)
- Corsica (Corse) - possibly from the Phoenician Korsai, which means something like "forest-covered"
- Dauphin - from the nickname and coat of arms of former ruler Guy VIII of Vienne: "dolphin"
- Franche-Comt - in French, literally the "Free County" of Burgundy (as opposed to the Duchy of Burgundy)
- Gascony (Gascogne) - from the Latin word Vasco, term used to label a Vascon (or Basque)
- Languedoc - the region speaking the langue d'oc (as opposed to the regions whose language (langue d'ol) developed into modern French)
- Limousin - from an adjective referring to the local centre, Limoges
- Lorraine - from the Mediaeval Latin coining Lotharingia, meaning the lands granted as a kingdom in 855 AD to Lothair, son of the Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I
- Normandy (Normandie) - land settled by Viking Northmen in the early 10th century
- Provence - from Latin provincia (province), short for Provincia Narbonensis, the Roman province located in present-day southern France.
Greece
Germany
- Baden-Wrttemberg - created by joining Baden and Wrttemberg. Baden: after the city of Baden-Baden, formerly Baden, the name became reduplicated to distinguish it from the state (as in "Baden in Baden"). The name means "baths", after the springs in the city. Wrttemberg: origin unknown; -berg means "mountain"
- Bavaria - the state of Bavaria developed out of the tribe of the Baiuvarii, who probably gained their name from the land of Bohemia.
- Brandenburg - after the city of Brandenburg. The earlier Slavic name of the castle (Burg) of Brandenburg appears as Branibor ("Branim's forest").
- Hesse - after the tribe of the Chatti.
- Lower Saxony - after the tribe of the Saxons. "Lower Saxony" became differentiated in modern times from the state of Saxony to its south-east. The name reflects Lower Saxony's location in the lowlands of the North German Plain
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - created by joining Mecklenburg with the western part of Pomerania, also called Hither Pomerania. Mecklenburg takes its name from a castle (Burg means "castle" in German), the meaning of the first part remains unclear. Pomerania comes from Slavic roots meaning "near the ocean"
- North Rhine-Westphalia - created by joining the northern part of the Rhineland (after the River Rhine) with Westphalia. Westphalia formed the westernmost subdivision of the Saxon tribe; the origin of the second part (-falen in German) remains unknown.
- Rhineland-Palatinate - created by joining parts of the Rhineland (after the River Rhine) with the Rhenish Palatinate, formerly a Palatine county located near the Rhine, meaning that its count administered a palace of the Holy Roman Emperor. The word derives from Latin palatinus "imperial", from palatium "palace", after the location of the palace of the Roman Emperor Augustus on the Palatine Hill in Rome
- Saarland - after the Saar river
- Saxony - land of the Saxons (possibly the "sword-folk"). The state of Saxony developed out of the Saxon tribe, which principally inhabited present-day Lower Saxony; during the Middle ages and early modern times, the name migrated to the current location of the state of Saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt - created by joining the Prussian Province of Saxony (named after the tribe of the Saxons) with Anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein - created by joining Schleswig and Holstein. Schleswig takes its name from the City of Schleswig, which in turn derives its name from the Schlei bay and the Low German word wig for "trading place". The name "Holstein" comes from a Saxon subtribe named, in Latin, Holcetae
- Thuringia - after the tribe of the Thuringii
India
- Bihar - from vihara ("Buddhist monasteries")
- Madhya Pradesh - "central province"
- Punjab - "five rivers"
Iran
Italy
- Campania - from the Latin campania (countryside, plain, battlefield). Compare Champagne in France.
- Latium (in modern Italian: Lazio) - land of the early Italic inhabitants known as Latins, in their turn popularly associated with the mythological King Latinus [in turn, "Latins" (in Latin, Latīnī) -- as well as the name of King Latīnus (simply the singular of the same name) -- clearly derived their names from Latium by means of the ethnic suffix -īnus, with the obvious meaning of "inhabitant(s) of Latium", which makes this etymology ridiculously circular, but let that serve as a warning to the reader as to the quality of this and other etymologies on this page]. Ovid hints at perhaps a slightly more sophisticated folk etymology, with a legend of the naming of Latium after Saturn latente deo (as a god in hiding) after he allegedly fled to Italy following his expulsion by Jupiter. - Modern linguists postulate origins in a Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) root *stela- (to spread, extend), expressing the idea of "flat land" (in contrast to the local Sabine high country). But the name may originate from an earlier, non Indo-European one. See the Online Etymological Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=latium&searchmode=none).
- Lombardy - from the Germanic tribe of the Lombards (literally "long-beards" or "long-bearded axe people", or, according to another theory, "long-halberds"), who invaded Italy in the 6th century. Note: After the Lombard invasion, the name "Longobardia" or "Langobardia" applied to the whole of Italy for about two centuries, throughout Europe and also in Arabic (al-Ankubardiya). The name Italia did not return into wide use until the late 8th century
- Marche - literally. "marches", "borderlands". In the Middle Ages the region lay on the boundaries between imperial lands and the more independent areas of southern Italy. The March of Ancona became the best-known of such marches
- Sardinia - speculatively linked with the Shardana people and/or with Sardis
- Sicily - island settled by the Sicels
Korea
- Chungcheong - from the first characters in the city names Chungju and Cheongju.
- Gangweon (South Korea)/Kangwŏn (North Korea) - from the first characters in the city names Gangneung and Weonju.
- Gyeongsang - from the first characters in the city names Gyeongju and Sangju.
- Hamgyŏng - from the first characters in the city names Hamju and Kyŏngsŏng (?).
- Hwanghae - from the first characters in the city names Hwangju and Haeju.
- Jeolla - from the first characters in the city names Jeonju and Naju (The first character of Naju is actually "ra"—"r" changes to "n" in the initial position, and the combination "nr" changes to "ll" due to phonological characteristics of the Korean language).
- P'yŏngan - from the first characters in the city names P'yŏngyang and Anju.
- Gyeonggi - the Chinese characters for the name mean "area around the capital," i.e., around Seoul, South Korea, where the province is located.
Mexico
See Mexican state name etymologies
Netherlands
- Holland (part of the Netherlands; but the term often refers to the country as a whole): Germanic "holt (i.e. wooded) land" (often incorrectly regarded as meaning "hollow [i.e. marsh] land")
- Batavia (Germanic): "arable land" (derived from the regional name "Betuwe", as opposed to the other regional name "Veluwe" meaning "fallow" or "waste" land)
- Amsterdam: from Amstelredam , which means 'dam over the Amstel' (the river which flows through present-day Amsterdam)
- Rotterdam: meaning 'dam over the Rotte' (the river flowing through through present-day Rotterdam)
- Alkmaar: from Aelcemaer , meaning 'lake of auks', due to the fact that lakes formerly surrounded the core of Alkmaar -- all of them now drained and thus turned into dry land
New Zealand
See also List of New Zealand place names and their meanings.
- Auckland - in honour of George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, a patron of William Hobson
- Hawke's Bay - in honour of Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke of Towton
- Levin - from a director of the railway company that created the town to help boost its railway
- Marlborough - to commemorate John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
- Nelson - in honour of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
- Otago - anglicised from the Maori name Otakou, a kainga east of present-day Otago Harbour, originally meaning "one isolated village" or "place of red earth"
- Plimmerton - from John Plimmer, Wellington pioneer, director of the railway company that created the seaside resort to help boost its railway; central Wellington has Plimmer's Steps.
- Tasman - district named from the bay name, in honour of Dutchman Abel Tasman, commander of first European expedition to sight the country; also a mountain and glacier name. Abel Tasman National Park bears a fuller version of his name.
- Waikato- Named after the river Waikato, which itself means "flowing water"
- Wellington - in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Pakistan
- Punjab - "five rivers"
Poland
- Greater Poland - from the tribe of Polans or from the word "pole" (field) meaning "country of fields" - "Greater" distinguishes it from the whole Polish state
- Kuyavia - "covered by sand dunes"
- Lesser Poland - in contrast with Greater Poland
- Lubusz - from the city of Lubusz
- Masovia - "boggy"
- Masuria - from the Masovians, who settled Masuria
- Podlasie, Polesie - "covered by forests"
- Pomerania - "along the sea"
- Warmia - from the Old Prussian tribe of Varms
- Silesia - from the holy Silesian mountain of Ślęża
- Subcarpathia - "at the foot of the Carpathians"
Romania
See: Etymological list of counties of Romania
- Bessarabia - from Basarab I, Wallachian king who led some expeditions in this land
- Bukovina - (in German: "Buchenland") = "beech land"
- Dobrogea - "good land"
- Haţeg - "Terra Herzog" = Duke's land
- Muntenia - from muntean = man of the mountains, from Romanian munte=mountain
- Oltenia - from the river Olt, called Alutus by the Romans, possibly from Latin lutum, meaning "mud" or "clay".
- Transylvania - "beyond the woods"
- Wallachia - "land of the foreigners".
Russia
- Amur River -- Amur is a word for "love"
- Grozny or Groznyy -- Russian for "threatening" or "terrible" or "dread" or "severe"
- Novaya Zemlya-- Russian for "new land"
- Novgorod -- from Russian roots meaning "new city"
- Novosibirsk -- roughly means "new Siberian city"
- Sakhalin -- derived from misinterpretation of a Manchu name "sahaliyan ula angga hada" (peak of the mouth of Amur River). "Sahaliyan" means "black" in Manchu and refers to the Amur River (sahaliyan ula).
- Vladikavkaz -- Russian for "ruler of the Caucasus" or "rule the Caucasus"
- Vladivostok -- Russian for "ruler of the East" or "rule the East"
- Volgograd -- Russian for "city of the Volga" or "Volga city"
Spain
- Andalusia -- from the Arabic name (Al-Andalus, with several suggested etymologies) formerly applied to the whole Iberian peninsula
- Asturias -- the land of the Astures, an early people of north-west Spain
Switzerland
- Basel - traditionally associated with the Greek basileos (king): the city saw itself as preserving the Imperial Roman heritage of its parent settlement, the Roman town of Augusta Raurica. Note the use of the basilisk as a Basler icon.
- Neuchtel - French for "new castle"; Neuenburg in German
Republic of China (Taiwan)
- Hsinchu - "new bamboo" in Mandarin, named after a bamboo fortress
- Hualien - "lotus flower" in Mandarin
- Kaohsiung - "bamboo forest" in a Formosan language
- Miaoli - "plain" in a Formosan language, originally sounds like "pali" (貓裡)
- Penghu - "clashing-wave lakes" in Mandarin
- Taidong - "eastern Taiwan" in Mandarin
- Tainan - "southern Taiwan" in Mandarin
- Taipei - "northern Taiwan" in Mandarin
- Taoyuan - "peach orchard" in Mandarin
Ukraine
- Zaporiz'ka oblast' - region "beyond the rapids" (downstream of the rapids of the River Dnieper)
United Kingdom
See also British toponymy, List of generic forms in British place names, Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom)
- England - from Engla-lond, the land settled in the early 6th century by various peoples from Low Germany, among them the Angles (Latin Anglii) who originally inhabited the fish-hook shaped territory known as Angeln situated in present-day Schleswig. See Anglo-Saxons.
- Gibraltar - from Arabic "jabal Tāriq" -> "Tarik's rock" because the Arab general Tarik-ibn-Ziyad started his conquest of the Iberian peninsula from here in 711.
- Northern Ireland - from Old Irish Eriu. Precise meaning uncertain, though it could derive from the name of a prehistoric fertility goddess.
- Scotland Literally 'Land of the Scots'. The Scottish people, originally from Ireland, settled parts of western Scotland in the 5th century, although the name didn't come about until after the 9th Century. Alba, the Gaelic name for Scotland means 'highlands': compare the Latin albus - 'white' (describing the mountains). Caledonia, the Latin name, means forested highlands
- Wales - "land of the foreigners", from the Germanic 'wealas' the term used by Anglo-Saxon invaders of the British Isles for the native Celts they encountered. The Welsh native toponym "Cymru" means "fellow countrymen". Ancient Germanic tribes named several areas in Europe in a similar way, using their term for places inhabited by peoples of Celtic or Latin descent, including "Wallonia" in Belgium, Wallachia in Romania, "welsche Schweiz" (French-speaking Switzerland) and the archaic "Welschenland" (a term for Italy).