Sometimes people shorten “United States of America” to just America, but do you
know why it’s called America? It comes from a navigator and explorer named Amerigo Vespucci.
His writings about the journey to the New World were popular back in Europe,
that his name become closely associated with the new continent. This is surprising as
Vespucci’s stories were written a few years after Columbus thought he landed in Asia.
Still, when Americans are taught that Columbus discovered the New World,
that’s not exactly true. It’s unlikely, but there’s a theory that an Irish monk named
Saint Brendan got there in the 6th century, and it’s certain that Leif Erikson and his
band of merry Vikings landed there in the 10th century. There’s also the theory that
a Muslim-Chinese eunuch sailor from the Ming Dynasty arrived there 71 years before Columbus.
Country names and their origins are often really intresting, as you’ll see today when
we talk about Europe. Some of these names are certainly surprising and will no doubt leave you
scratching your head. Albania
Many civilizations have been in Albania throughout history, including the Greeks and Romans,
but the name of the country actually comes from the Albanoi, which was an Illyrian tribe that date
back to the 2nd century BC. Interestingly, their language, shqip or shqipe, is thought to have come
from the meaning to “speak intelligibly.” Andorra
Historians aren’t too sure where the country name comes from,
but one hypothesis that seems about right is it relates to the Arabic phrase “al-durra,”
which means forest. Known for its natural beauty, when the Moors were in Andorra,
they named it the place of vast forests. It might also have originated from a word in the local
Navarro-Aragonese language. The word, “andurrial,” means “the land of scrubland or bushes.”
We love this next one. Armenia
The name relates to a guy named Hayk, which relates to the country name Hayastan,
a nation which he founded in the region where Armenia is today. The story goes that in 2492 BC,
Hayk defeated a Babylonian king named Bel, and that’s when he made his own nation. It goes
without saying that this might not have actually happened, but as a wise man once said, if you have
to choose between the truth and the legend, print the legend. His dynasty continued to hold power in
the region, and his great-great-great-grandson, a man named Armenak, would be the reason why
the country got its name. The name Armenia is derived from this once great leader’s dynasty,
if you believe the legends that is. Now for the place where Adolf Hitler
was born. Austria
Austria is often high on those best standards of living indexes,
coming in 7th on one particular index for 2022. Still, we bet all those highly-educated
folks who live there don’t know where their country name comes from. It originates from
the Old High German word “Ostarrîchi,” which means Eastern Land. That likely
originated from the Latin words “marchia orientalis,” which means eastern borderland.
This next one is cool. Azerbaijan
Although this country has been embroiled with conflict recently over the contested
region of Nagorno-Karabakh, you shouldn’t let that fool you. Azerbaijan is a beautiful
country and has an interesting history to match. It seems the name of Azerbaijan originates from
a Persian guy named Atropates. He served under Darius III and later Alexander the
Great, and his name comes from the Greek word “atropatan” which means “protected by fire.”
We’re sure you’ve heard about the next place. Belarus
The name for this country likely the name comes from Biełaja Ruś, the White Rus’. The
Rus’ originally came from Scandinavia, but they settled in large parts of Russia and
nearby countries. There were the Black Rus’ and the White Rus’, two political entities which
controled large parts of Eastern Europe during the days of the Rus’ migration. These days you
might order a drink, either a White Russian or a Black Russian. There’s history in that drink!
This one is interesting, too. Belgium
Belgium’s 11.5 million people sit between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. Many
of those folks might also be polyglots, speaking Flemish, French, German, and possibly English.
Their country name comes from “Belgica.” This was the Roman name for the place where the
hard-hitting tribes of the northern part of Gaul gave Julius Cesar a run for his money.
Bosnia and Herzegovina You might remember that until about 30
years ago, there was a place called Yugoslavia in Central and Southeast Europe. It contained the six
republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.
There are about 3.5 million people living in Bosnia and Herzegovina today. It is
called that because of the river Bosna, but the Herzegovina part is a little more interesting. It
comes from the word “herceg" an old word meaning “duke.” It seems that a guy named Stjepan Vukčić
Kosača claimed this area for himself in the 1400s and named it the property of the duke.
Bulgaria
This country name is easy enough to figure out. It’s said to be related to the Bulgars.
These were a tribe of people with Turkic roots that founded the First Bulgarian Empire. The
word Bulgar relates to rebels, disturbers, and generally folks that like to shake things up.
Croatia
This name comes from the word Croat, who were a Slavic people
with a rich history we won’t go into because it would take us all week.
Cyprus Cyprus is an island nation in
the eastern Mediterranean Sea, so every July and August, you can expect there to be great hordes
of pink-skinned Brits there getting a bit of that thing that is often a stranger to them – sunshine.
Back in ancient times, the Greeks called it a number of things,
including a “golden-green leaf thrown into the Sea” and a place of “wild weather and
volcanoes.” Their name for it was Kypros, which seems to be related to all the precious
copper there. Czech Republic
This country's name may come from a Slavic tribe called the Cesi,
and it might also originate from the world Ceta, which were a band
of warriors. As you know, it used to be a part of Czechoslovakia and before that,
it was called Bohemia. That word comes from the Latin, Boiohaemum, meaning Gallic Tribe.
It gets more complicated, though. The word Cech is also related to three Slavic warrior
brothers named Lech, Cech, and Rus', who settled various areas for themselves.
Denmark
The name Denmark could have come from the legendary King Dan. It might also have also come
from the Latin and Greek name Dania. It could have come from words meaning flat lands,
but it might also have emerged from very old texts in which historians talked about the Dani people.
Estonia Estonia is so tricky that no one
knows the answer. It’s likely the word comes from Eesti, which might have come from the word Aesti.
This was what the Roman historian Tacitus called a bunch of eastern tribal folks when he was writing
the history text titled “Germania.” Finland
This should be easy. It’s the land of the fins. But whot are fins? This is especially confusing
when you hear that the early Finnish language didn’t even have an f-sound. Some historians
say the word fin comes from an Old English word, finna, but it’s more likely it comes
from the Swedish words finlonti and finlandi, which just designated the area where Finland is.
But then the Fins might say their country is Suomi, the name given
to northern regions of Finland. That’s a word that may come from the word suomaa,
which means ‘swampland’. If this isn’t confusing enough, the word might be related to fish skins,
which were apparently something people wore on their bodies.
France This is easy. It comes from the Franks,
a Germanic tribe. That comes from the Old German word Franca, which can mean both fierce and brave.
Georgia Joseph Stalin’s country of
birth likely gets its name from the Persian word “gurğ.” The gurg people came head to head with the
Western European crusaders, and unsurprisingly, the Europeans changed the name of the region.
They called it Georgia and then lied and said it was related to St. George. But there’s another
theory that it originated in ancient Greek texts when the writers were referring to “tillers of
the land” the “Georgi.” It might also have come from another Persian word, "land of the wolves.”
Now for Europe’s biggest country in terms of economy.
Germany, Germany got its name
from the Romans and Julius Caesar, who named this place at the east of the Rhine, Germania.
Greece The ancient Greeks didn’t call
themselves Greeks. They lived in city-states, although they might have called themselves
Hellenes. In Greek mythology, the Hellenes came from Hellan, the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha.
The Romans started calling them Greeks when they referred to these people as Graeci.
Hungary
The name comes from “On Ogur.” This meant ten arrows, which could have been related
to the ten tribes that belonged to the Magyar Confederation. The
Magyars were tribes that didn’t much like staying near the Ural Mountains,
so they settled in other places, including what we now call Hungary.
You’ll dig the next one. Iceland
There are lots of names for Iceland that all relate back to old poems. There’s a story that
in the 9th century a Viking looked at the place and decided to call it Snæland – the
land of snow. There’s another tale that says the reason locals back then named it Iceland and the
other place Greenland, was so that raiders would think there was nothing worth raiding in Iceland.
Yet another tale says a Norwegian guy named Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson tried to live in
Iceland, but things didn’t exactly turn out great. All his livestock died during the first winter.
He then got up and left, looking back over his shoulder thinking, God, it’s just full of ice.
He then named it Iceland. Ireland
Maybe the name Ireland comes from the Land of Angry people? Get it? Ire means a form of anger.
It has nothing to do with the word ire though. The most likely explanation is it comes from the word
Éire, which in turn comes from the word Éiru. This is a really old word that relates to the
matron goddess of the Island. She was Éiru. The ancient Greeks called Ireland Lerna,
and the Romans called it Hibernia. Italy
Back in the day, there wasn’t such a thing as Italy, but there were tribes in the area called
Sicels. The Greeks called these folks Italói, and that’s likely where we get the name Italy.
Kazakhstan As you know,
a few countries end with the suffix -stan. What’s that all about? The answer is it comes from the
Persian and Urdu word that means “place of.” So, Kazakhstan is the place of the Kazakhs.
But who were the Kazakhs? The word likely comes from qaz,
which means “to wander.” This area, after all, was full of nomadic people.
Other meanings of the word might refer to the “riders of the Steppe.” Either way,
it’s pretty cool. Kosovo
This one is short and sweet, or at least there don’t seem to be many different theories
out there. The name comes from the Serbian word that means “field of the blackbirds.”
Latvia
This country's name comes from a group of tribal people called the Latgalians. They
later joined up with other tribal folks, and together they made up the Latvians.
Liechtenstein
If you take this word apart, it can mean “bright” and “stone.” That was the name of a castle,
and the castle became the name of a ruling dynasty. That’s how we got the country of
Liechtenstein. Lithuania
Scholars might find themselves in a punch-up over the origin of this county’s name.
There’s no consensus, but it might come from a small river called the
Lietava. There are other theories, such as it coming out from the word for rain.
Luxembourg
This one is a bit easier. Back in 963, a guy named Siegfried count de Ardennes
swapped his land for a Roman castle that was located on the Alzette River.
The castle was called Lucilinburhuc,
meaning “Little Fortress.” It was this castle that became the origin of the name “Luxembourg.”
This next one is rather funny. Macedonia
Macedonia is thought to have come from the Greek word makednós, which can mean tall.
It has the same root as the Greek word makrós, which can mean high or long. So,
in short, when the Greeks referred to Macedonia, they might have been talking about highlanders
or a place where the tall folks lived. This next one is also quite amusing.
Moldova Moldova simply takes its name from the Moldova
river. According to legend, in the 14th century, a guy named Prince Drago was out hunting there.
Things didn’t go as planned. His dog, named Molda, drowned in the river. After that, the prince named
the river after his much-loved pooch. So, Moldova takes its name from a rather daft dog. Sorry,
Moldovans. Monaco
This land of millionaires and tax evaders gets its name from the Greek word Monoikos,
which means single – mono – and house -kos.
Legend has it that Hercules stopped off there, and because of that, one single
temple was built Montenegro
We guess you can already figure out what this next country was named after. By breaking down
the two words in its name we get black mountain. The reason the country was
called this was down to Mount Lovcen looking black when it was densely covered in trees.
Netherlands In Old English, Holland meant “wood-land.”
And that’s how the folks of the western region of the Netherlands were referred to.
After a while, people from all around this region were said to come from Holland. It’s
even more confusing when you think of the people, the Dutch people. The word Dutch actually comes
from the Old English words thiod or theod. The word Netherlands also comes from the
word for lowland areas, literally, the low lands. The region has a complicated history,
but don’t worry about using either Netherlands or Holland, they pretty much mean the same even
if they are not exactly the same. We like this next one, too.
Norway The word Norway means pretty much one thing.
That is the way north, or the northern way. It comes from the Old English word
Norþweg. It’s self-explanatory given that Norway is indeed the way north.
Poland
Once upon a time there was a Slavic tribe named the Polans.
These people got to work building what became the “The State of Polans.” But then you also have the
Polish word for Poland, which is Polska. That literally means “The Land of Fields.”
Also, you might know the legend of those three butt-kicking brothers,
Cech, Lech, and Rus’. Lech was the brother that built Lechia, which is an ancient name for Poland.
This next one is kind of crazy. Portugal
Portugal comes from the Roman-Celtic name Portus Cale, meaning the Port of Cale. Who is Cale? Good
question. She was a deity in Celtic mythology, sometimes referred to as a divine hag.
Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. Hags were a big deal in Celtic mythology. So,
Portugal was named after an old hag. In the 7th century, Portus Cale started being called
Portugale. Romania
You won’t be surprised to hear that Romania takes its name from the Romans.
Some Romans went there back in the day and settled the region, mixing in with the local Dacians,
a tribe which Rome faught get this region under its control. One historian explained,
“Those Romans who remained in Dacia mixed their Roman language with the language of the Sarmatians
(of the Slavs) and that of the Dacians.” Russia
You already know the story of the Rus’. Russia was the land of the Rus’.
These folks were Norse merchants that traveled across the Baltic Sea and ended up settling the
region near Moscow. San Marino
We imagine some of you haven’t even heard of San Marino, the tiny and beautiful country
in southern Europe that always gets its butt kicked when it plays soccer with other nations.
As the story goes, a guy named Saint Marinus escaped to this area thinking
the Roman Emperor was going to nail him up by his wrists. The saint ran for his life,
built a church, kept speaking about God and Jesus, and hey presto, in time,
we got San Marino. Serbia
Serbia gets its name from the Serbs. Like the Croats, the Serbs are a Slavic people.
They have lots in common, just as the New York Times wrote in an article, saying,
“Historians contend that the Serbs and Croats were related tribes of Persian origin who
migrated as warriors to the Balkan peninsula, where they were assimilated by South Slavs
already settled there by the fifth century.” So, Serbia was just the land of the Serbs.
Slovakia Slovakia is the land of the Slovaks,
but the word Slovak isn’t that different from the words Slovenes, Slavonians, and Slavs. Some Slavic
tribes settled in what is present-day Slovakia sometime in the 5th century. Many centuries after,
it became part of Czechoslovakia, along with Ukraine and the Czech Republic,
but now it’s its own place. Slovenia
So, as you can guess, Slovenia also relates to Slavic people. Slovenia and Slovakia don’t
border each other, and of course, they have their own, unique traditions, but they are
similar in many ways too, just like the Welsh and the Scottish share lots of similarities.
A Slav might be a Slav, but all Slavs are unique, and all Slavic countries are home to different
kinds of Slav culture. Spain
The Romans called Spain Hispania. The Greeks talked about some folks who lived in the Iberian
Peninsula and had their own language. There’s a theory that the word for Spain might have
come from “the land where metals are forged.” It might also have come from the Greek word Hesperia,
which means western land. Sweden
Sweden was once occupied by the feared Svea tribe. It was the land of the Svea. The Svea, like many
of the tribes of Scandinavia, took off in boats and caused mayhem during raids. As you know,
these guys we call the Vikings, thus popularising their tribes name, giving us the name of Sweden.
Switzerland The land of the Swiss is Switzerland,
but who are the Swiss? It comes from the word Schwyz, which was the name of a province in this
area. In 1291 three provinces, called cantons, which included Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden,
joined together. They became the Ewiger Bund (The Eternal League). This became Switzerland.
Turkey This region of the
world wasn’t the country of Turkey until 1923. The word Turkey comes from the Turkic people,
even though Turkey, or areas of Turkey, have been called all kinds of things over the centuries.
This next one always seems to confuse Americans.
United Kingdom The Romans called this place
Britannia, which at the time of their arrival, was full of tribal groups, including the Celts.
In the 10th century, England was formed when a bunch of West Saxon kings wanted to consolidate
power. The Vikings and the Saxons had been having numerous bloody scraps for ages by
then. Under the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542, England annexed Wales,
and then in 1707 the Scots got on board, and the Kingdom of Great Britain became a thing.
Northern Ireland is now also a part of the United Kingdom. These countries all
still their own nations even if they do form the country of the United Kingdom.
In geographic terms, all of Ireland is part of the British Isles. But this is just an area,
nothing to do with politics. There are tons of little islands in the British Isles. England,
Scotland, and Wales and their little islands are part of Great Britain, but none of Ireland
is. That means the UK and Great Britain are not exactly the same, but it’s close.
In terms of words, the Greeks and Romans might call England Albion,
which comes from Latin and refers to the “white land.” When someone sailed over to England,
they were often met by the white cliffs of Dover.
The Romans called Scotland Caledonia after the Caledonii tribe. They also
called Wales Cambria. The word England comes from “land of the Angles” which comes from the
Old English word Englaland. Before that, the Romans might have referred to it as Anglii.
Vatican City The word Vatican comes from an
Etruscan settlement that went by the name of Vatica or Vaticum. The Etruscan civilization goes
back to about 900 BC. They had their own things going on, but when Rome became super powerful the
Etruscans just became a part of Roman society. The Romans used the word “Ager Vaticanus,”
which means “Vatican territory.” And that’s how Vatican City got its name.
Now you need to watch “European Stereotypes.” Or, have a look at…