Why do they call it....?

First, let me confess something. I love linguistics. I am a huge etymology nerd. I was wondering where the names of some of the major cities come from.



Aberdeen, Scotland. "Between the Dee and the Don (two local rivers)." 1179. "Aber-" is the Gaelic prefix for 'between.'

Abu Dhabi, UAE. "Father of the Deer" in Arabic. 1760s.

Acapulco, Mexico. "At the broken reeds" in Nahuatl. 11th century.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "New flower" in Amharic. 1886. 

Adelaide, Australia. Named for Queen Adelaide, consort of King William IV. 1836. 

Agra, India. "The border of the forest" in Sanskrit. Legend says the city was founded in 1475, but it was much earlier.

Aix-en-Provence, France. "Spa over Provence" in French. Founded in 123 BC by consul Sextius Calvinus.

Akron, Ohio. From the Greek word "acme," meaning high point. 1825. 

Albuquerque, NM. Named in 1706 for Don Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, a 17th century viceroy of New Spain. One of his titles was Duke of Albuquerque, which is also a town in Spain.

Alexandria, Egypt. Founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, and named for him.

Algiers, Algeria. Locally called El-Bahdja in Arabic, or Alger la Blanche in French. Both mean "Algiers the White." It refers to its shining white buildings. It was founded in 944 by the Berbers.

Amarillo, TX. Likely named for the yellow flowers that grow in the area. The city was founded in 1887.

Amsterdam. First referred to in writing in 1275. The river nearby is the Amstel, and the people who were lived nearby were exempt from paying the toll to cross the bridge. Then it was spelled "Amestelledamme." By the 1300s, however, it was spelled the same way it is now.

Anaheim, CA. Combination of "Ana," for the Santa Ana River, and "-heim," a German word meaning home. Founded 1857.

Antwerp, Belgium. The local legend says there was a giant who lived along the river and charged a toll to cross the river. If you didn't pay, he would cut off your hand and throw it in the water. The name comes from the Dutch phrase "hand werpen." There are other explanations, but none of them are this interesting.

Arlington, VA. The city is named for Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington. He was the recipient of one of the original land grants in the area, though by the city's founding in 1790, the land belonged to George and Martha Washington.

Athens, Greece. Named for the patron goddess of the city, Athena. It was founded before 1400 BC.

Atlanta, GA. First called Terminus because it was the end of the railroad line, then Thrasherville for the owner of the first general store. Then called Marthasville in 1842. In 1847, a railroad official suggested the name Atlantica-Pacifica, and it was shortened to Atlanta.

Auckland, NZ. Named in 1840 for Lord Auckland, the viceroy of India.

Austin, TX. Originally called Waterloo when settled in the 1830s, it was renamed for Stephen Austin, the "father of Texas," in 1839.

Avignon, France. Named for the Avennius clan, the city was founded sometime before the fifth century.