D&D General What's in a place name? Apparently, water.

[J-H]

After watching these videos (below), I estimate that 30% or more of national capitals or nations in Europe are in some fashion named after a body of water.
If you're doing worldbuilding, you may appreciate these videos for insight into how place names develop over time. The same videographer has done names of nations for the rest of the world, but Europe has the highest density where we have a good idea of language-changes over time out of the ones I've watched (haven't finished the whole world yet).

Just take something geographically descriptive and then toss it through a few hundred years of name change or into another language, or just leave it as is.

A few examples, with the actual place name in modern English in parenthesis.
"Smoky bay" (the capital of Iceland)
"Sandbar at the river mouth" (Belfast)
"Riverland" (where you insert the name of a local river; several of these)
"Old Fort"
"Blackpool" (Dublin)
"Floodfields" (London, "marsh that floods")
"Safe Harbor" (Lisbon)
"Ky's Fort" (Kiev, IIRC)
"New Spring"
"Red Rock"
"Tower Hill"
"Seven Hills" (Rome, although that's not the origin of the name)

 

[Rabulias]

Considering that settlements tend to be near water for various reasons, this checks out.

 

[Blackrat]

In Finland we have a town called Porvoo, which comes from swedish Borgå, which literally means ”the river fort”.

We also have Järvenpää, which translates as ”the end of the lake”.

And a lots of places with ”river” in it.

I approve of this theory.

 

[GuyBoy]

In UK we have five different rivers all called River Ouse.
The likely reason is that the Roman invaders attempted to communicate with local Celts as to the name of the nearby “ moving channel of water” and were told “Ouse”, thereby naming it Fluvium Ouse.
Ouse is actually the Celtic word for river.
Thus in UK, we have five River Rivers......

 

[Blackrat]

In UK we have five different rivers all called River Ouse.
The likely reason is that the Roman invaders attempted to communicate with local Celts as to the name of the nearby “ moving channel of water” and were told “Ouse”, thereby naming it Fluvium Ouse.
Ouse is actually the Celtic word for river.
Thus in UK, we have five River Rivers......

You have 10 River Avons also. Welsh version of the same issue if I remember correctly.

I’m also amazed by the british Torpenhow Hill. Which is literally Hill Hill Hill Hill. I seriously urge everyone to look into that etymology.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

The vast majority of place names refer to either bodies of water of all sorts, geographic features (usually hills, mountains, valleys, or clearings of some kind e.g. plains/meadows), or the local ecology ("forest" or "wood" being most common) or human products (e.g. whatever the local farms make). A significant minority, however, tend to be named for religious or philosophical people or things (e.g. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, etc.: The Messengers, Saint Francis, and Love-of-one's-brother, respectively) or significant historical people (Cincinnati, named after Cincinnatus, the famous semi-legendary Roman general and dictator who, according to legend, twice refused to hold his legally-granted absolute power for even a day longer than he needed to.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’ve heard there’s a place called Lake Geneva…

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’m also amazed by the british Torpenhow Hill. Which is literally Hill Hill Hill Hill. I seriously urge everyone to look into that etymology.

I have, and it’s humorous!

 

[R_J_K75]

I live in Buffalo, NY. This is what I remembered learning in grade school on the origin of the cities name.

"French name: beau fleuve, meaning beautiful river, or boeuf a leau, meaning oxen or cattle at the water."

There are other theories about how it got the name which I read here, I wouldnt post the link but it has citations.

How Buffalo, New York Got Its Name

It is said that the city of Buffalo got its name from the creek that it is built around. But the question is then, why was the creek named Buffalo? How did the creek become known as Buffalo Creek?

owlcation.com

 

[R_J_K75]

I’m also amazed by the british Torpenhow Hill. Which is literally Hill Hill Hill Hill. I seriously urge everyone to look into that etymology.

That is pretty funny. I was hesitant to look it up as feared I'd find a 15,000 word essay but only took me 2 mins to find and read it.

For anyone else interested.

https://ifunny.co/picture/torpenhow-hill-england-when-the-saxons-arrived-and-asked-the-LcEuh7Tv8