From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article lists the various etymologies (origins) of the names of rivers around the world.
Africa
Apies : from
Afrikaans meaning "little apes".
Berg : from
Afrikaans meaning "mountain".
Blood : from the
Battle of Blood River , where 600
voortrekkers fought off 20,000 attacking Zulu troops. No voortrekkers were killed, but the dead Zulus (3,000 died) stained the nearby river with blood, and so the name stayed.
Breede : from
Afrikaans meaning "wide".
Escravos : from
Portuguese meaning "slaves".
Forcados : from
Portuguese meaning "forked".
Gamtoos : probably derived from a
Khoikhoi clan whose name was given by early
Dutch settlers as "Gamtousch".
Komati : from
siSwati meaning "cow".
Liesbeek : named after a small river in the
Netherlands .
Modder : from
Afrikaans meaning "mud".
Mooi River (KwaZulu-Natal) and
Mooi River (Vaal) : from
Afrikaans meaning "beautiful".
Niger : from the
Tuareg phrase gher n gheren meaning "river of rivers", shortened to ngher .
Nile : from Greek Neilos (Νεῖλος), sometimes derived from the Semitic Nahal "river."
Nossob : from
Khoikhoi meaning "black river".
Ohlanga : from
Zulu meaning "reed".
Olifants : from
Afrikaans meaning "elephants".
Omi Osun : from
Yoruba meaning "waters of the spirit-goddess
Ọṣun ".
Orange : from
Afrikaans "Oranje", meaning Orange, which was named after
William V, Prince of Orange .
Palala : from
Sotho meaning "one that inundates".
Vaal : from
Afrikaans meaning "dull".
Antarctica
Asia
Amur :
Mongolian "rest"
Angara :
Buryat angarkhai "the mouth of a wild beast"
Aravand-rud : Persian "fast river"
Brahmaputra :
Sanskrit "son of Brahma"
Chao Phraya :
Thai เจ้าพระยา "river of kings"
Dongjiang : Chinese "east river" (東江)
Ganges :
Sanskrit Ganga
Indus River :
Sanskrit Sindhu generically means "river, stream, ocean"
[3]
Jordan River :
Hebrew Yarden ,
Arabic Urdunn from the root .י.ר.ד / وَرَدَ meaning
"to go down" .
Mekong :
Thai Mae Khong (แม่ โขง), "mother of all rivers"
Ob : Komi "snow, snowdrift, place of snow"
Pearl River : from Chinese 珠江 (
Mandarin : Zhu Jiang ;
Cantonese : Zyü Gong ) named after a sandy or stony island in the middle of the river called "Sea Pearl" (now reduced to a bank in the river)
Sefid-rud :
Persian "White river"
Selenge : Mongolian "for swimming"
Tigris River : Sumerian "running water"
Wang Thong : From
Thai วังทอง, "Gold Palace"
Chang Jiang : Chinese "long river" (長江), from jiang 江 (
Old Chinese : kˁrong ), argued to be from earlier
Proto-Austroasiatic *krung "river"?
Yellow River (Huang He): Chinese "yellow river" (黄河), from he 河 (
Old Chinese : ɡˁaj ), "river"
Europe
Aboño : from Celtic *abon- 'river': OIr. ab, aub , MW afon , MBret auon , (PIE: *h2 ep-h3 on- 'river').
Argeş : from
Greek or maybe
Thracian arges = "bright"
Avon : from Celtic *abon- 'river': OIr. ab, aub , MW afon , MBret auon , (PIE: *h2 ep-h3 on- 'river').
Avonbeg : Irish meaning "small river"
Avonmore : Irish meaning "big river"
Awbeg : Irish meaning "small river"
Bistriţa : from
Slavic "bistra " = "fast, quick"
Bosna : likely from the
Illyrian Bosona = "flowing water". Eponymous of
Bosnia .
Boyne : from Irish river goddess Boann, "white cow"
Cam : from Celtic kambo 'bend, coocked', Brythonic cam "crooked"
Caraş : from
Turkish "kara" = "black", "dark"
Clanrye : Irish meaning "harbour of the king"
Clwyd :
Welsh meaning "hurdle"
Danube :
Latin Danuvius ,
Dacian : Donaris , from
Iranian (
Scythian or
Sarmatian ) dānu- 'river', of
Indo-European origin
Dnieper : from
Old East Slavic Дънѣпръ (Dŭněprŭ ), with further origins disputed
Dobra : from Celtic *dubro 'dark': MIr. dobur 'black, unclean', MW dwfr 'water', MBret. dour (PIE *deubh -).
Drave : in Latin "Dravus", of Thracian or Illyrian origin, probably from PIE *dhreu = "to flow, to fall".
Don (
Aberdeenshire , Scotland): from
Celtic Devona 'goddess'
Emajõgi :
Estonian meaning "mother river"
Erne : Irish after the name of the mythical princess, Éirne
Foyle : Irish meaning "estuary of the lip"
Guadalquivir : from
Arabic wadi al-kabir , or "great river"
Hayle : from
Cornish Heyl "estuary"
Ialomiţa : Slavic "jalov " = "infertile"
Kymijoki : from Old Finnish kymi , "huge river"
Lagan : Irish meaning "river of the low-lying district"
Llobregat : from
Latin Rubricatus "red river"
Mersey :
Anglo-Saxon meaning "boundary river"
Narva :
Veps after "rapid" or "falls"
Prahova : Slavic "prag "="waterfall" or "prah"="dust"
Quoile : Irish meaning "the narrow"
Rhine : from the archaic German Rhine , which in turn comes from
Middle High German : Rin , from the
Proto-Indo-European root *reie- ("to flow, run").
[4]
The
Reno in Italy shares the same etymology.
Severn : Latin "Sabrina" from an Old British river goddess of that name, becoming "Hafren" in modern Welsh
Shannon : Irish Sionann , name of a river goddess, Old Irish Sinann , from sen 'old, ancient'
[5]
Siret : from ancient Thracian "Seretos", probably from PIE *sreu = "to flow"
Slaney : Irish meaning "river of health"
Tay :
Celtic river goddess Tawa (Tava, Tatha, "the silent one")
[6]
Tambre : From Tamaris with the same root that Tamar .
Thames : Latin "Tamesis" from Brythonic meaning "dark river"
The
Thame and
Tamar , and probably the three rivers called
Tame , have a similar etymological root
Tyne : Brythonic meaning "river"
Torne : Likely of Finnish origin, meaning "spear"
[7]
Volga :
Slavic влага "vlaga", волога "vologa" meaning "wetness", "humidity";
[8] alternatively,
Proto-Uralic *valki- "white";
[8] alternatively, Russian velikij "great"
[9]
[10]
Wear : Brythonic meaning "water"
North America
Athabasca : From the
Woods Cree word aðapaskāw , "[where] there are plants one after another".
[11]
Bow : After the reeds growing along its banks, which were used by the local Indians to make bows.
Brazos : From the Spanish Los Brazos de Dios , or "the arms of God". There are several different explanations for the name, all involving it being the first water to be found by desperately thirsty parties.
Canadian River : The etymology is unclear. The name may have come from French-Canadian traders and hunters who traveled along the river, or early explorers may have thought that the river flowed into Canada.
Chattahoochee : from
Creek cato hocce (IPA:
[tʃató hóːtʃːi] ) "marked rock".
[12]
Colorado : Spanish for "red-colored; reddish."
Columbia : Named for Captain
Robert Gray 's ship
Columbia Rediviva , the first to travel up the river.
[13]
Cumberland : Named for
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland .
Delaware : After the Bay, named for
Thomas West, Baron De la Warre , first English colonial governor of Virginia.
[14]
Fraser : Named for
Simon Fraser , who confirmed it was a separate river from the
Columbia .
Hackensack : probably from
Unami Delaware ahkinkèshaki , "place of sharp ground".
[15]
Hiwassee : from the
Cherokee meaning "stone wall", or from an
Eastern Algonquian language meaning "beyond the hill" (e.g.,
Abenaki awasadenek ).
[16]
Hudson : named for Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Netherlands, who explored it in 1609.
Loup : French for "wolf", after the
Pawnee "wolf people" (Skidi band).
Mackenzie : After
Alexander MacKenzie , the Scots-Canadian explorer.
Mississagi :
Ojibwe misi-zaagi , "river with a wide mouth".
Mississippi :
Ojibwe misi-ziibi , "big river".
[17]
Missouri : Named for the
Missouri Indians , who lived along the banks. Their name comes from the
Illinois mihsoori , meaning "dugout canoe".
[18]
Nelson : Named for Robert Nelson, a ship's master who died at the mouth of the river in 1612.
Ottawa : Named for the
Ottawa people , a community of the
Algonquian nation, who lived along the river until 1685.
Peace : After Peace Point, the location of the ratification of the Treaty of the Peace.
Platte : French Rivière Plate ("Flat River"), a
calque of the
Chiwere name ñįbraske ("flattened water").
[19]
Potomac : From the Patowamek tribe noted by
Captain John Smith .
[20]
Republican : Named for the
Pawnee band known as "the Republicans".
Rio Grande : Spanish for "big river".
Saint-Laurent : French for
Saint Lawrence .
Saskatchewan : From the Cree term Cree kisiskāciwani-sīpiy , meaning "swift flowing river".
Schuylkill : from the
Dutch schuil and kil , meaning "hidden river".
Snake River : Derived from an S-shaped gesture the
Shoshone made with their hands to represent swimming salmon. Explorers misinterpreted it to represent a snake, giving the river its present-day name.
[21]
Stanislaus : named after
Estanislao
Susquehanna : Named after the
Susquehannock Indians, whose name derives from an Algonquian word meaning "people at the falls", "roily water people",
[22] or "muddy current".
[23]
Tennessee : Named for the
Cherokee town of
Tanasi , whose etymology is unknown.
[24]
Wabash : English spelling of French Ouabache , from
Miami-Illinois waapaahšiiki , "it shines white".
[25]
Yukon : from an
Athabaskan language (e.g.,
Koyukon yookkene ,
Lower Tanana yookuna ).
[26]
Oceania
Australia
Barwon River (New South Wales) : Ngiyampaa paawan , meaning "river"
Burnett River : named by James Burnett, explorer
Campaspe River : named for
Campaspe , a mistress of
Alexander the Great
Cooper Creek : named for
Charles Cooper , Chief Justice of South Australia 1856–1861
Daintree River : named for
Richard Daintree , geologist
Daly River : named for Sir
Dominick Daly , Governor of South Australia 1862–1868
Darling River : named for Sir
Ralph Darling , Governor of
New South Wales 1825–1831
Diamantina River : named for Lady
Diamantina Bowen , wife of the first Governor of
Queensland
Flinders River : named for Captain
Matthew Flinders , explorer
Franklin River : named for Sir
John Franklin , Governor of
Tasmania 1836–1843
Gascoyne River : named for Captain J. Gascoyne, friend of explorer Lieutenant
George Grey
Goulburn River (New South Wales) : named for
Henry Goulburn , English statesman
Hawkesbury River : named for
Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (titled Baron Hawkesbury in 1789)
Lachlan River : named for Major-General
Lachlan Macquarie , Governor of
New South Wales 1810–1821
Macquarie River : named for Major-General
Lachlan Macquarie , Governor of
New South Wales 1810–1821
Murray River : named for Sir
George Murray , then British
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
[27]
Murrumbidgee River : from
Wiradjuri , meaning "big water"
Ord River : named for
Harry Ord , Governor of Western Australia 1877–1880
River Torrens : named for
Colonel Robert Torrens , chairman of South Australia's colonising commission
Rufus River : named by explorer
Charles Sturt for the nickname of his travelling companion (Rufus), the red-haired
George Macleay
Todd River : named for
Charles Todd , Postmaster-General of South Australia 1870–1901
Yarra River : mistranslation from
Wurundjeri term yarra yarra
New Zealand
South America
See also
References
^
Alph River
^
Antarctic Explorers
^
Indus#History
^
Online Etymology Dictionary
^ Beck, Noémie (2009).
"Irish River-Goddesses: Drowning and Wisdom" . Goddesses in Celtic Religion . Université Lumière Lyon 2. Retrieved 4 February 2014 .
^ Hill, Jack A. (3 January 2017).
Adam Ferguson and Ethical Integrity: The Man and His Prescriptions for the Moral Life . Lexington Books.
ISBN
9781498504584 .
^ Svenskt ortnamnslexikon ("Swedish Place-Name Dictionary"), 2003, pp. 322.
^
a
b
Volga river#Nomenclature
^ Room, Adrian (2006). Placenames of the World. McFarland
^ Room, Adrian (2006).
Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features, and Historic Sites . McFarland, Incorporated.
ISBN
9780786422487 .
^ Bright (2004:52)
^ Bright (2004:89)
^
"Captain Robert Gray explores Grays Bay and charts the mouth of Grays River in May 1792" . HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 24 July 2010 .
^
"Delaware" .
Online Etymology Dictionary . Retrieved 1 September 2007 .
^ Bright (2004:160)
^ Bright (2004:174)
^ Bright (2004:290)
^ McCafferty, Michael. 2004.
Correction: Etymology of Missouri . American Speech, 79.1:32
^ Koontz, John.
"Etymology" . Siouan Languages . Retrieved 28 November 2006 .
^ Bright (2004:396)
^
"Snake River (Hells Canyon)" . National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. Archived from
the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010 .
^ Bright (2004:466)
^ Kelton, Dwight H. (1888). Indian Names of Places Near the Great Lakes . Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press Printing Company
^ Bright (2004:488)
^ Bright (2004:537)
^ Bright (2004:583)
^
Murray River#Exploration
^
"A dictionary of Māori place names" . 27 February 1982.
^
https://teara.govt.nz/en/manawatu-and-horowhenua-places/page-6
^
"Rakaia River" .
Christchurch City Libraries .
^ George Leslie Wickenden (1966).
"Rakaia River" . In A. H. McLintock (ed.).
Te Ara .
^ A. H. McLintock (1966).
"Waikato River" . Retrieved 30 December 2023 .
^
"The Waikato: A History of New Zealand's Greatest River" .
Stuff.co.nz .
^
https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/waimakariri-river
^
Amazon River
^
Amazon Rainforest#Etymology
^
"Historia" . Museo de Sitio Castillo de Niebla (in Spanish). Servicio Nacional del Patrimonio Cultural. Archived from
the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021 .
^
Orinoco#Etymology
^
Places to visit in Paraguay when visiting Iguassu Falls
Archived 12 April 2008 at the
Wayback Machine
Bibliography
Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States . Norman: University of Oklahoma Press
Blažek, Václav, and Ondřej Šefčík. "Oronyms Derived from Water? Mons Abnobae and Haraitī ". Historische Sprachforschung [Historical Linguistics] 124 (2011): 239–49.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41553574 .
Hamp, Eric P. ""Water" in Italic and Keltic". In: Etudes Celtiques , vol. 12, fascicule 2, 1970. pp. 547–550. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.1970.1436 ; www.persee.fr/doc/ecelt_0373-1928_1970_num_12_2_1436