List of Latin place names in Continental Europe, Ireland and Scandinavia
Until the Modern Era, Latin was the common language for scholarship and mapmaking. During the 19th and 20th centuries, German scholars in particular have made significant contributions to the study of historical place names, or Ortsnamenkunde. These studies have, in turn, contributed to the study of Genealogy. For genealogists and historians of pre-Modern Europe, knowing alternate names of places is vital to extracting information from both public and private records. Even specialists in this field point out, however, that the information can be easily taken out of context, since there is a great deal of repetition of place-names throughout Europe; reliance purely on apparent connections should therefore be tempered with valid historical methodology. One caveat that must be observed, however, is that even Latin place-names are not always exclusive to one place -- for example, there were several Roman cities whose names began with Colonia and then a more descriptive term. During the Middle Ages, these were often shortened to just Colonia. One of these, Colonia Agrippinensis, retains the name today in the form of Cologne.
This list includes Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Kurdistan northwest of Arbil,
This list excludes Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Channel Islands, Chechnya, Dagestan, Faeroe Islande, Iceland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, and Tatarstan.
The following table begins to offer equivalents to more modern place-names.
- Suggest adding other languages to table
- Arabic form of city names
- Greek form of city names
Following is a List of Cities stating the Latin and equivalent English name (s)
| Latin | English Name, [(other name(s))] or [older name(s)], [province], [state] | |
|---|---|---|
| Abellinum | Avellino (E of Naples) | |
| Aberdonia, Aberdonium | Aberdeen, Scotland | |
| Aboa | Turku, Finland | |
| Abritum, Abrittus | Razgrad, Bulgaria | |
| Acaunum | Saint-Maurice, Valais, Switzerland | |
| Acharnae¹ | Acharnes, (Acharnae) Menidi, Greece | |
| Adrianopolis | Edirne, Turkey | |
| Urbs Aquensis | Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) | |
| Ad Fines | Pfyn, Thurgau, Switzerland | |
| Ad Mediam | Băile Herculane, Romania | |
| Ad Pirum | Hrušica | |
| Ad Mediam | Mehadia,Romania | |
| Aegida, Capris, Caput Histriae | Koper, Slovenia | |
| Aegina | Aegina, Greece | |
| Agrigentum | Agrigento, Italy | |
| Agrinium¹ | Agrinio/Agrinion, Greece | |
| Agrippina Romanorum | Cologne (Köln), Germany | |
| Albintimilium | Ventimiglia | |
| Albona | Labin | |
| Alostum | Aalst | |
| Amivadum | Amersfoort | |
| Ammurianum | Murano, Italy | |
| Amphipolis¹ | Amphipolis, Greece | |
| Amphissa¹ | Amphissa, Amfissa, Greece | |
| Ancyra | Ankara, Turkey | |
| Anderlacum | Anderlecht, Belgium | |
| Andernachensis | Andernach | |
| Apuania | Massa Carrara | |
| Apulum | Alba Iulia, Romania | |
| Aqua Villae | Badenweiler, Germany | |
| Aquae Flaviae | Chaves, Portugal | |
| Aquae Helveticae | Baden, Aargau, Switzerland | |
| Aquilia in Vestinis, Aquilia | L'Aquila, Italy | |
| Aquincum | Budapest, Hungary | |
| Aquisgranium | Aachen, Germany | |
| Arandis | Garvão,Ourique, Portugal | |
| Arbor Felix | Arbon, Thurgau, Switzerland | |
| Arca Caesarea | Arqa, Lebanon | |
| Arconisium | Racconigi | |
| Ardea | Ardea | |
| Arelate | Arles | |
| Arenacum | Arnhem, Netherlands | |
| Argentoratum | Strasbourg, France | |
| Argos¹ | Argos, Greece | |
| Ariminum | Rimini, Italy | |
| Assindria | Essen | |
| Asturica Augusta | Astorga | |
| Atalanta | Atalante (Atalanta), Greece | |
| Aternum | Pescara, Italy | |
| Athenae¹ | Athens, Greece | |
| Atrans | Trojane, Slovenia | |
| Atrebatum | Arras | |
| Augusta | Augusta | |
| Augusta Argentorate | Strasbourg | |
| Augusta Perusia | Perugia, Italy | |
| Augusta Praetoria Salassorum | Aosta, Italy | |
| Augusta Raurica | Kaiseraugst (Augst), Switzerland | |
| Augusta Taurinorum | Turin, Italy | |
| Augusta Treverorum | Trier (Treves), Germany | |
| Augusta Vindelicorum | Augsburg, Germany | |
| Aurelia | Orléans | |
| Aurelia Aquensi | Baden-Baden, Germany | |
| Aventicum | Avenches, Vaud, Switzerland | |
| Aviarium | Aveiro, Portugal | |
| Badensis | Baden, Germany | |
| Baetulo | Badalona, Catalonia | |
| Balsa | west of Tavira, Portugal | |
| Bangertium | Bangor, England | |
| Barcino | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain | |
| Basilia (Basilea?) | Basel, Basel-City, Switzerland | |
| Batavia?, Patavium? | Passau, Germany | |
| Benacus | Garda | |
| Beneventum | Benevento | |
| Berolinensis (Berolinum?) | Berlin, Germany | |
| Berroea | Verroia, Berrea, Greece | |
| Berytus | Beirut (Bayrut), Lebanon | |
| Bobium, Ebovium | Bobbio, Italy | |
| Bracara Augusta | Braga, Portugal | |
| Bremensis | Bremen, Germany | |
| Brestum, Brestia, Brivates Portis | Brest | |
| Brienzola | Brienz, Switzerland | |
| Brigantium | Bregenz, Austria | |
| Brundisium | Brindisi | |
| Brunsvicum | Brunswick (Braunschweig), Germany | |
| Boreana | Burano | |
| Brixia | Brescia, Italy | |
| Burdigala | Bordeaux, France | |
| Caesar Augusta | Saragossa | |
| Calatis | Mangalia, Romania | |
| Calcaria | Tadcaster | |
| Calisia | Kalisz, Poland | |
| Camulodunum | Colchester, United Kingdom | |
| Cantabria | Cambridge | |
| Carnium, Carnioburgum | Kranj, Slovenia | |
| Carthago Nova | Cartagena | |
| Carystus¹ | Carystos/Carystus, Greece | |
| Castra | Ajdovščina, Slovenia | |
| Castra Regina | Regensburg, Germany | |
| Catalaunum, Catelaunorum | Chalons-sur-Marne, France | |
| Celeia | Celje, Slovenia | |
| Cenchreae¹ | Kechries, some prefer Cenchreae (near Corinth), Greece | |
| Centum Cellae | Civitavecchia | |
| Chalcis¹ | Chalkida (Chalkis, Euboea, Greece | |
| Civitas Sancti Romuli | Sanremo, Sancti Remi, San Remu, San Remo | |
| Civitas Victoriosa | Birgu, Malta | |
| Clagenfurtum | Klagenfurt (Celovec), Austria | |
| Clivia | Kleve, Germany | |
| Conimbriga | South of Coimbra, Portugal | |
| Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis (Colonia Aggripinae?) | Cologne (Köln), Germany | |
| Colonia Ulpia Traiana, Sarmizegethusa | Ulpia Traiana, Romania | |
| Confluentia | Koblenz, Aargau, Switzerland | |
| Constantinopolis | Istanbul, Turkey | |
| Corcyra³ | Corfu, Greece | |
| Corduba | Cordóba | |
| Corinthus¹ | Corinth, Greece | |
| Costanc | Constance | |
| Cracoviensis | Krakow, Poland | |
| Curia | Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland | |
| Damascus | Damascus, (Dimashq) Syria | |
| Damma, Dammum | Damme, Belgium | |
| Damovilla | Damville | |
| Delphi¹ | Delphi, Greece | |
| Deva | Chester, United Kingdom | |
| Dertusa | Tortosa, Catalonia | |
| Diadora | Zadar, Croatia | |
| Dierna | Orsova, Romania | |
| Diniensis | Digne | |
| Dioclea | Podgorica, Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Divio | Dijon, France | |
| Dorylaeum | near Eskisehir, Turkey | |
| Dresda | Dresden, Germany | |
| Drobeta | Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania | |
| Durovernum Cantiacorum | Canterbury, United Kingdom | |
| Dyrrhachium | Durrës, Albania | |
| Ebora | Evora, Portugal | |
| Eboracum | York | |
| Eburodunum | Yverdon-les-Bains, Vaud, Switzerland | |
| Egara | Terrassa, Catalonia | |
| Egiptania | Idanha-a-Velha, Portugal | |
| Eindovia | Eindhoven, Netherlands | |
| Elbingensis | Elbląg, formerly known as Elbing, Poland | |
| Eleusis¹ | Eleusis, Greece | |
| Embdensis | Emden | |
| Emerita Augusta | Mérida | |
| Emesa | Homs, Syria | |
| Emona, Aemona, Labacum | Ljubljana, Slovenia | |
| Epidaurus¹ | Epidaurus, Greece | |
| Erffordensis | Erfurt | |
| Firmum (Picenum) | Fermo | |
| Flanona | Plomin | |
| Flaviacum | Saint-Germer, Flavigny | |
| Florentia | Firenze (Florence), Italy | |
| Flumen | Rijeka, Fiume, Terra Sancti Viti, Croatia | |
| Formio | Rižana | |
| Francofurtensis (Moeni-Francofurtum?) | Frankfurt am Main, Germany | |
| Friburgium Brisgovia | Freiburg im Bresigau, Germany | |
| Gades | Cadiz | |
| Gedanensis | Gdansk, Danzig | |
| Genava | Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland | |
| Genoa | Genova, Italy | |
| Gerunda | Girona, Catalonia | |
| Gevalia | Gävle, Sweden | |
| Glevum Colonia | Gloucester, United Kingdom | |
| Goettinga | Göttingen, Germany | |
| Goslariensis | Goslar | |
| Gorlicium | Görlitz, Germany / Zgorzelec, Poland | |
| Gothia | Gothenburg (Göteborg), Sweden | |
| Gythium | Gytheion, Greece | |
| Hafnia | Copenhagen (København) | |
| Hale Suevice | Hall in Schwaben | |
| Halicarnassus¹ | Bodrum, Turkey | |
| Halifacium, Hortonium | Halifax, England | |
| Hamburgensis (Hamburgum?) | Hamburg (Hammaburg), Germany | |
| Hannovera | Hanover (Hannover), Germany | |
| Heraclium¹ | Iraklion, rarely Heraclion, Crete, Greece | |
| Herculaneum | Ercolano | |
| Holmia (also: Stockholmia) | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Ilerda | Lleida,Catalonia | |
| Iluro | Mataró,Catalonia | |
| Interamna | Terni (Nahars) | |
| Isca | Exeter | |
| Isca Silurium | Caerleon | |
| Isthmia¹ | Isthmia, Greece, slightly E of Corinth | |
| Jader | Zadar, Croatia | |
| Juenna | Podjuna | |
| Juvavum | Salzburg, Austria | |
| Labellum | Lavello | |
| Lamego | Lamego, Portugal | |
| Larnaca¹ | Larnaca, Cyprus | |
| Lauriacum | Lorch, Germany | |
| Laurium | Laurion, (Laurium), Greece | |
| Lentia | Linz, Austria | |
| Leucas | Lefkada, Lefkas (Leucas), Greece | |
| Lindum Colonia | Lincoln, England | |
| Lipsia | Leipzig, Germany | |
| Lithopolis | Kamnik, Slovenia | |
| Londinium | London, United Kingdom | |
| Longatico, Longaticum | Logatec, Slovenia | |
| Lousonna | Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland | |
| Lubicensis | Lübeck, Lubeke | |
| Lugdunum | Lyon, France | |
| Lugdunum Convenarum | Saint Bertrand de Comminges, France | |
| Lupiae | Lecce, Italy | |
| Lutetia | Paris, France | |
| Magdeburgensis | Magdeburg | |
| Mamucium | Manchester, United Kingdom | |
| Mantua | Mantova some Mantua, Italy | |
| Marathon, Marathonis¹ | Marathon, Greece | |
| Marburgum | Maribor, Slovenia | |
| Massilia | Marseille, France | |
| Mediolanum | Milan (Milano), Italy | |
| Megalopolis¹ | Megalopolis, Greece | |
| Megara | Megara, (W of Athens) [Greece]] | |
| Messana | Messina, slightly west of Reggio di Calabria | |
| Misnensis | Meissen | |
| Mirobriga | Santiago do Cacém, Portugal | |
| Moguncia, Moguntia, Mogontiacum | Mainz | |
| Monachium | Munich (München), Germany | |
| Monasterium | Bitolj, Republic of Macedonia | |
| Monasterium Westphaliae | Münster, Germany | |
| Mosa Traiectum | Maastricht, Netherlands | |
| Mutina | Modena, Italy | |
| Naissus | Niš, Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Napoca | Cluj-Napoca, Romania | |
| Narbo | Narbonne | |
| Naupactus | Na(u)fpaktos, Greece | |
| Nauplium¹ | Na(u)fplion, Greece | |
| Nauportus | Vrhnika, Slovenia | |
| Neapolis | Naples (Napoli), Italy | |
| Neapolis-Aemonia | Novigrad, Croatia | |
| Nemausus | Nîmes, France | |
| Nemea¹ | Nemea, Greece | |
| Neoplanta | Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Nesactium | Visače | |
| Neviodunum | Drnovo, Slovenia | |
| Nicomedia¹ | Izmit, Turkey | |
| Noreia | Neumarkt, Austria | |
| Norimbergensis (Norimberga?) | Nuremberg, Germany | |
| Nova Ionia (Athenae) | Nea Ionia (Athens) aka New Ionia, Greece | |
| Nova Ionia (Thessalia) | Nea Ionia (Thessaly) aka New Ionia, Greece | |
| Noviomagus, Noviomagensis | Nijmegen, Noyon | |
| Noviodunum (Colonia Iulia Equestris) | Nyon, Vaud, Switzerland | |
| Novio Rito | Niort | |
| Octodurum | Martigny, Valais, Switzerland | |
| Odessus | Varna | |
| Oenipons | Innsbruck, Austria | |
| Olisipo | Lisbon(Lisboa), Portugal | |
| Olmedum | Olmedo | |
| Olympia¹ | Olympia, Greece | |
| Ossonoba | Faro, Portugal | |
| Ovilava | Wels, Austria | |
| Oxonia | Oxford, United Kingdom | |
| Paeania¹ | Paeania/Paiania, Greece | |
| Pampalona, Pampelona | Pamplona | |
| Panormus | Palermo, Italy | |
| Parentium | Poreč, Croatia | |
| Patavium | Padua (Padova), Italy | |
| Patavium?, Batavia? | Passau, Germany | |
| Patrae¹ | Patras, Greece | |
| Pax Iulia | Beja, Portugal | |
| Petina | Pićan | |
| Phalerum | Phaleron, Faliron, Greece | |
| Philippi | Philippi, Greece | |
| Piquentum | Buzet, Croatia | |
| Piraeus | Piraeus, Greece | |
| Pisaurum | Pesaro, Italy | |
| Placentia | Piacenza, Italy | |
| Poetovio | Ptuj, Slovenia | |
| Pola | Pula, Croatia | |
| Portus Alacer | Portalegre, Portugal | |
| Portus Cale | Porto, Portugal | |
| Portus Naonis | Pordenone | |
| Potaissa | Turda, Romania | |
| Prusa, Brusa | Bursa, Turkey | |
| Pyrrhanum | Piran, Slovenia | |
| Ragusa | Dubrovnik, Croatia | |
| Ramboletium | Rambouillet, France | |
| Regiomontanus | Kaliningrad, Königsberg until 1945 | |
| Rhegium | Reggio di Calabria | |
| Rigensis | Riga, Latvia | |
| Ratisbon | Regensburg | |
| Risinium | Risan, Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Rocium | Roč | |
| Roma | Rome, Italy | |
| Rotomagus | Rouen | |
| Sablones | Venlo | |
| Salamis¹, Cyprus | Salamis, Cyprus | |
| Salamis¹, Graecia | Salamis, Greece | |
| Salmantica | Salamanca | |
| Samarobriva | Amiens, France | |
| Saresberia/Serviodunum | Salisbury, England | |
| Scodra | Shkodër, Albania | |
| Scopium, Scupium | Skopje, Republic of Macedonia | |
| Serdica | Sofia, Bulgaria | |
| Silva Ducis | 's-Hertogenbosch/Den Bosch | |
| Singidunum | Belgrade (Beograd), Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Sinus | Sines, Portugal | |
| Sipontum | Manfredonia | |
| Sirmium | Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Siscia | Sisak, Croatia | |
| Solodurum/Salodurum | Solothurn, Switzerland | |
| Spalatum | Split, Croatia | |
| Sparta¹ | Sparta, Greece | |
| Spira | Speyer, Germany | |
| Stabiae | Castellammare di Stabia | |
| Stockholmia (also: Holmia) | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Stutgardia | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Syracusae¹ | Syracuse (Siracusa) | |
| Taurunum | Zemun, Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Tarraco | Tarragona,Catalonia | |
| Tegea | Tegea, Greece, near Tripoli | |
| Tergestum | Trieste (Trst), Italy | |
| Terracina | Terracina, Italy | |
| Thebae (Boeotia/Athenae) | Theva (Thebes), Greece | |
| Thermopylae¹ | Thermopylae, Greece | |
| Thessalonica, Salonica¹ | Thessaloniki, Saloniki (Salonika),Makedonia, Greece | |
| Tifernum Tiberinum | Citta di Castello | |
| Toletum | Toledo, Spain | |
| Tolosa | Toulouse, France | |
| Tomis | Constanta, Romania | |
| Tornacum | Tournai, Doornik | |
| Traiectum | Utrecht, Netherlands | |
| Traiectum ad Mosam | Maastricht | |
| Trapezus | Trabzon, Trebizond | |
| Tremoniensis | Dortmund, Germany | |
| Tridentum | Trento, Italy | |
| Tripolis (Graecia) | Tripoli, Greece | |
| Tripolis (Lib.) | Tripoli, Lebanon | |
| Tritium | Covilhã, Portugal | |
| Troezen, Troezena¹ | Troezen, Greece | |
| Tubinga | Tübingen, Germany | |
| Tulpiacum, Tolbiacum | Zülpich (Tolbiac) | |
| Turicum | Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Turonensis | Tours, France | |
| Tusculum | near Frascati, SE of Rome, Italy | |
| Ulpiana | Ljipljan, Serbia and Montenegro | |
| Uranopolis¹ | Uranopoli, Greece some prefer Uranopolis | |
| Urba | Orbe, Vaud, Switzerland | |
| Urbs Notabilis | Mdina, Malta | |
| Varadinum | Oradea, Romania | |
| Varsovia | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Veldidena | Wilten, Austria | |
| Velitrae | Velletri | |
| Veniatia | Vinhais, Portugal | |
| Venta Belgarum | Winchester, United Kingdom | |
| Venusia | Venosa | |
| Verulamium | St. Alban's, United Kingdom | |
| Vesontio | Besançon | |
| Vibiscum | Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland | |
| Villa Euracini | Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal | |
| Villa Cardilio | Torres Novas, Portugal | |
| Vindobona | Vienna, Austria | |
| Vindonissa | Windisch, Aargau, Switzerland | |
| Viseu | Viseu, Portugal | |
| Vitudurum | Winterthur, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Virunum | Maria Saal (Gospa Sveta), Austria | |
| Volaterrae | Volterra, Italy | |
| Volsinium | Bolsena | |
| Wormatia | Worms, Germany | |
| Zycanthus, Zacynthus² | Zante (Zakynthos), Greece |
- ¹ Latinized form of the Greek-derived name.
- ² Latinized form of the Asian-derived name via Greek.
- ³ Altered Latinized form of the Greek-derived name.
partial list
See also:
- List of Roman place names in Britain, includes Ireland, Faeroe Islands, and Iceland.
- Latin names of regions
- Latin names of European rivers
- Latin names of cities
- Latin names of geographical features
- Latin names of islands
- Latin names of lakes
- Latin names of mountains
- Latin names of rivers
- Roman place names