Leopold Wagner: Names: and Their Meaning

Serviawas styled by the Romans Suedia , the district peopled by the Suevi before they were driven northwards to their final settlement in the territory now called Sweden. Montenegroliterally indicates “black mountain.” Bosniais the country traversed by the river Bosna; Moldavia, that traversed by the Moldau; and Moravia, that traversed by the Morava. Bulgariais a modern corruption of Volgaria , meaning the country peopled by the Volsci; while Roumaniawas anciently a Roman province. Turkeyis more correctly written Turkia , the country of the Turks. This country also bears the style of the Ottoman Empire, in honour of Othman I., who assumed the government of the empire about the year 1300. Greeceis the modern form of the Latin Græcia , from the Greek Graikoi , a name originally bestowed upon the inhabitants of Hellas.

Austriais our mode of describing the Oesterreich , literally the Eastern Empire, in contradistinction to the Western Empire founded by Charlemagne. Italywas so called after Italus, one of the early kings of that country. Switzerlandis an Anglicized form of the native Schweitz, the name of the three forest cantons whose people asserted their independence of Austria, afterwards applied to the whole country. Spainexpresses the English of Hispania , a designation founded upon the Punic span , a rabbit, owing to the number of wild rabbits found in this peninsula by the Carthaginians. The ancient name of the country was Iberia , so styled from the Iberi, a tribe who settled in the vicinity of the river Ebro Portugalwas the Portus Cale , literally “the port Cale” of the Romans, the ancient name of the city of Oporto.

Algiersis a modified spelling of the Arabic Al Jezair , meaning “the peninsula.” Tuniswas anciently known as Tunentum, the land of the Tunes; Moroccosignifies the territory of the Moors; and Barbarythat of the Berbers. The term Saharais Arabic for “desert”; while the Soudandenotes, according to the Arabic Belad-ez-Suden , the “district of the blacks.” Egyptexpresses the Hebrew for “the land of oppression,” alluding to the bondage of the Israelites. Senegambiawas originally so named owing to its situation between the Senegal and Gambia rivers. The Gold Coastis that portion of Guinea on the West Coast of Africa where gold is found. Guineais a native West African term meaning “abounding in gold.” In Zanzibar, properly written Zanguebar , we have an inversion of the Arabic Ber-ez-Zing , the “coast of the negroes.” Zululandis the country of the Zulus. By the Transvaalis meant the territory beyond the river Vaal; just as in Europe the Hungarians call a portion of their country Transylvania, from its situation “beyond the wood.” Natalreceived its name from Vasco di Gama because he discovered it on the Feast of the Nativity. The settlements of the Dutch Boers in South Africa are designated the Orange Free Statesfrom the circumstance that their original settlers were emigrants from the Principality of Orange, in Holland. Cape Colonyis the British colony in South Africa, so called after the Dutch settlement at Cape Town, which dates from the year 1652. The Cape of Good Hope, discovered by Bartholomew de Diaz in 1487, was so named ( Cabo de Bon Esperance ) by John II., King of Portugal, who, finding that Diaz had reached the extremity of Africa, regarded it as a favourable augury for future maritime enterprises.

The most southern point of South America was called Cape Hoorn (or, according to the English, Cape Horn) by Schonten, who first rounded it in 1616, after Hoorn, his native place in North Holland. Patagoniawas so styled by Magellan in accordance with the Spanish word patagon , meaning a large, clumsy foot. It was from the fact of seeing the impressions of the large shoes (not, as he imagined, the feet) of the aborigines that he at once concluded the country must be inhabited by giants. Chiliis a Peruvian word denoting the “land of snow.” Argentina, now the Argentine Republic, owes its name to the silvery reflection of its rivers. Brazilis a Portuguese term derived from braza , “a live coal,” relative to the red dye-wood with which the country abounds. Boliviaperpetuates the memory of General Simon Bolivar, “the Liberator of Peru.” Uraguayand Paraguayare both names of rivers; the former meaning “the golden water,” and the latter “the river of waters,” referring to its numerous tributaries. Perulikewise received its name from its principal river, the Rio Paro, upon which stands the ancient city of Paruru. The Brazilian term Para , however modified, is at all times suggestive of a river. Pernambucomeans “the mouth of hell,” in allusion to the violent surf always distinguished at the mouth of its chief river. Ecuadoris Spanish for Equator, so called by virtue of its geographical position. Columbiawas named in honour of Christopher Columbus. Venezuelaexpresses the Spanish for “Little Venice,” which designation was given to this country owing to the discovery of some Indian villages built upon piles after the manner of the “Silent City” on the Adriatic Sea.

The term Panamais Caribbean, indicative of the mud fish that abound in the waters on both sides of the isthmus. Costa Ricais literal Spanish for “rich coast”; while Hondurassignifies, in the same tongue, “deep water.” The name of Nicaraguawas first given by Gil Gonzales de Arila in 1521 to the great lake situated in the region now called after it, in consequence of his friendly reception by the Cacique , a Haytian term for a chief, whose own name was Nicaro, of a tribe of West Indians, with whom he fell in on the borders of the lake referred to. The Mosquito Coastowes its name to the troublesome insects (Spanish mosca , from the Latin musca , a fly) which infest this neighbourhood. Yutacanis a compound Indian word meaning “What do you say?” which was the only answer the Spaniards could obtain from the natives to their inquiries concerning a description of the country. Quatemalais a European rendering of the Mexican quahtemali , signifying “a decayed log of wood”; so called by the Mexican Indians who accompanied Alvarado into this region, because they found an old worm-eaten tree near the ancient palace of the Kings, or Kachiquel , which was thought to be the centre of the country.

Mexicodenotes the place or seat of Mexitli, the Aztec God of War. The name of California, derived from the two Spanish words, Caliente Fornalla , i.e. , “hot furnace,” was given by Cortez in the year 1535 to the peninsula now known as Old or Lower California, of which he was the discoverer, on account of its hot climate. British Columbiais the only portion of North America that retains the name of the discoverer of the New World; but originally the whole of the territory now comprised in the United States bore the designation of Columbiain honour of Christopher Columbus. The term Canadais Indian, indicative of a “collection of huts”; Manitobatraces its origin from Manitou, the Indian appellation of “The Great Spirit.” Ontariocomes from the native Onontac , “the village on the mountain,” and chief seat of the Onondagas; while Quebecis an Algonquin term signifying “take care of the rock.” Labradorwas originally denominated Tierra Labrador , the Spanish for “cultivated land,” as distinguished from the non-fertile though moss-covered Greenland. New Brunswick, colonized in 1785, received its name in compliment to the House of Brunswick. Nova Scotia, otherwise New Scotland, was so called by Sir William Alexander, a Scotsman who obtained a grant of this colony from James I. in 1621. Floridawas named by Ponce de Leon in accordance with the day of its discovery, to wit, Easter Sunday, which in the Spanish language is styled Pascua Florida .