Latin names of European cities
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.
The following table begins to offer equivalents to more modern place-names.
Following is a List of Cities stating the Latin and equivalent English name (s)
partial list
See also:
Latin English Name, [(other name(s))] or [older name(s)], [province], [state] Acaunum Saint-Maurice[?], Valais, Switzerland Urbs Aqvensis 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 Agrippina Romanorum Cologne (Köln), Germany Albintimilium Ventimiglia[?] Albona Labin[?] Alostum Aalst Amivadum Amersfoort Ammurianum Murano, Italy Ancyra Ankara, Turkey Anderlacum Anderlecht, Belgium Andernachensis Andernach[?] Apuania Massa Carrara Apulum Alba Iulia[?], Romania Aqua Sulis Bath Aqua Villae Badenweiler, Germany Aquae Helveticae Baden, Aargau, Switzerland Aquincum Budapest, Hungary Arbor Felix Arbon[?], Thurgau[?], Switzerland Arconisium Racconigi[?] Ardea Ardea[?] Ardotalia Gamesley near Glossop Arelate Arles Arenacum Arnhem, Netherlands Argentoratum Strasbourg, France Ariminum Rimini, Italy Assindria Essen Asturica Augusta Astorga Aternum Pescara[?], Italy 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) Augusta Vindelicorum Augsburg, Germany Aurelia Orléans Aventicum Avenches[?], Vaud[?], Switzerland Badensis Baden, Germany Baetulo Badalona Barcino Barcelona, Spain Basilia Basel, Basel-City, Switzerland Benacus Garda[?] Beneventum Benevento Berolinensis Berlin, Germany Berytus Beirut (Bayrut), Lebanon Bremensis Bremen, Germany Brigantium Bregenz, Austria Brundisium Brindisi[?] Boreana Burano Brixia Brescia[?], Italy Burdigala Bordeaux, France Byzantium Istanbul(Constantinople), Turkey Caesar Augusta Saragossa Calatis Mangalia[?], Romania Calcaria Tadcaster[?] Calisia Kalisz, Poland Camulodunum Colchester, United Kingdom Cantabria Cambridge Carnium, Carnioburgum Kranj[?], Slovenia Carthago Nova Cartagena Castra Ajdovščina, Slovenia Castra Regina Regensburg, Germany Celeia Celje, Slovenia Centum Cellae Civitavecchia[?] Civitas Sancti Romuli Sanremo[?], Sancti Remi, San Remu, San Remo Clagenfurtum Klagenfurt (Celovec), Austria Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis Cologne (Köln) Colonia Ulpia Traiana, Sarmizegethusa Ulpia Traiana[?], Romania Confluentia Koblenz, Aargau, Switzerland Constantinopel Istanbul, Byzantium Corduba Cordóba Costanc Constance Cracoviensis Krakow, Poland Curia Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland Deva Chester, United Kingdom Dierna Orsova[?], Romania Drobeta Drobeta Turnu Severin[?], Romania Dubris Dover Durovernum Cantiacorum Canterbury, United Kingdom Dyrrhachium Durrës[?] Eboracum York Eburodunum Yverdon-les-Bains[?], Vaud[?], Switzerland Eindovia Eindhoven, Netherlands Elbingensis Elbląg, formerly known as Elbing, Poland Embdensis Emden Emerita Augusta Mérida Emona, Aemona, Labacum Ljubljana, Slovenia Erffordensis Erfurt Firmum (Picenum) Fermo[?] Flanona Plomin[?] Florentia Firenze (Florence), Italy Flumen Rijeka[?], Fiume, Terra Sancti Viti, Croatia Formio Rižana[?] Francofurtensis Frankfurt am Main, Germany Gades Cadiz Gedanensis Gdansk, Danzig Genava Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Genoa Genova, Italy Glevum Colonia Gloucester, United Kingdom Goslariensis Goslar Hafnia Copenhagen (Kĝbenhavn) Hale Suevice Hall in Schwaben[?] Hamburgensis Hamburg (Hammaburg), Germany Ilerda Lleida Interamna Terni (Nahars) Isca Exeter Isca Silurium Caerleon Juenna Podjuna[?] Juvavum Salzburg, Austria Lauriacum Lorch[?], Germany Lentia Linz, Austria
Lindum Colonia Lincoln, England Lithopolis Kamnik[?], Slovenia Londinium London, United Kingdom Longatico, Longaticum Logatec[?], Slovenia Lousonna Lausanne, Vaud[?], Switzerland Lubicensis Luebeck, Lubeke[?] Lugdunum Lyon, France Lupiae Lecce[?], Italy Lutetia Paris, France Magdeburgensis Magdeburg Mamucium Manchester, United Kingdom Marburgum Maribor, Slovenia Massilia Marseilles, France Mediolanum Milan (Milano), Italy Misnensis Meissen Moguncia, Moguntia, Mogontiacum Mainz Mosa Traiectum Maastricht, Netherlands Mutina Modena, Italy] Naissus Niš Napoca Cluj-Napoca, Romania Narbo Narbonne Nauportus Vrhnika[?], Slovenia Neapolis Naples (Napoli), Italy Neapolis-Aemonia Novigrad[?], Croatia Nemausus Nîmes, France Nesactium Visače[?] Neviodunum Drnovo[?], Slovenia Noreia Neumarkt[?], Austria Norimbergensis Nuremberg, Germany Noviomagus, Noviomagensis Nijmegen, Noyon Noviodunum (Colonia Iulia Equestris) Nyon[?], Vaud[?], Switzerland Novio Rito Niort[?] Octodurum Martigny[?], Valais, Switzerland Odessus Varna Oenipons Innsbruck, Austria Olisipio Lisbon (Lisboa) Ovilava Wels, Austria Oxonia Oxford, United Kingdom Panormus Palermo, Italy Parentium Poreč[?], Croatia Patavium Padua (Padova), Italy Petina Pićan[?] Piquentum Buzet[?], Croatia Pisaurum Pesaro[?], Italy Placentia Piacenza, Italy Poetovio Ptuj[?], Slovenia Pola Pula[?], Croatia Portus Naonis Pordenone[?] Potaissa Turda[?], Romania Pyrrhanum Piran[?], Slovenia Ragusa Dubrovnik, Croatia Rhegium Reggio di Calabria Rigensis Riga, Latvia Ratisbon Regensburg Rocium Roč Roma Rome, Italy Rotomagus Rouen Sablones Venlo Salmantica Salamanca Samarobriva Amiens, France Saresberia/Serviodunum Salisbury, England Scodra Shkodër[?] Serdica Sofia, Bulgaria Silva Ducis 's-Hertogenbosch/Den Bosch Singidunum Belgrade (Beograd), Yugoslavia Sipontum Manfredonia[?] Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica[?] Solodurum/Salodurum Solothurn, Switzerland Stabiae Castellammare di Stabia[?] Tarraco Tarragona Tergestum Trieste (Trst), Italy Tifernum Tiberinum [[Citt`a di Castello]] Toletum Toledo, Spain Tolosa Toulouse, France Tomis Constanta[?], Romania Tornacum Tournai, Doornik Traiectum Utrecht, Netherlands Traiectum ad Mosam Maastricht Trapezus Trabzon, Trebizond Tridentum Trento, Italy Turicum Zurich, Switzerland Turonensis Tours, France Tremoniensis Dortmund, Germany Urba Orbe[?], Vaud[?], Switzerland Varadinum Oradea[?], Romania Varsovia Warsaw, Poland Veldidena Wilten[?], Austria Velitrae Velletri[?] Venta Belgarum Winchester, United Kingdom Venusia Venosa[?] Verulamium St. Alban's[?], United Kingdom Vesontio Besançon Vibiscum Vevey[?], Vaud[?], Switzerland Vindobona Vienna, Austria Vindonissa Windisch[?], Aargau, Switzerland Vitudurum Winterthur[?], Zurich, Switzerland Viroconium Wroxeter[?] Virunum Maria Saal[?] (Gospa Sveta), Austria Volsinium Bolsena[?]
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