Chippewa

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Chippewa.wav

From Ojibwe ojibwe (“Ojibwe”)/ᐅᒋᑉᐌ, specifically an eastern dialect with a reduced initial vowel. Compare earlier Ojibwa. Attested in English from the mid 18th century.

Chippeway (alternative)
Chippewe (alternative)

Any of four rivers, one each in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and a river in Ontario.


Anderson

en-prop

Anderson (countable and uncountable, plural Andersons)

Andersons (plural)
Andison (alternative)

From Middle English Ander (“Andrew”) + -son, after Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland. In the United States, sometimes an anglicization of Danish and Norwegian Andersen or Swedish Andersson.

British Columbia
British Columbia#English

A river in British Columbia, Canada; flowing from near the Coquihalla Pass into the Fraser River near Boston Bar; named for fur trader James Anderson.

Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories#English

A river in the Northwest Territories, Canada; flowing 692 km from Colville Lake into the Beaufort Sea, probably named for fur trader Alexander Caulfield Anderson.

A river in Indiana, United States; flowing 80 km from near Eckerty into the Ohio at Troy.


Xingu

A major river in Brazil that flows north into the Amazon delta.


Chandler

Candler (alternative)
Chander (alternative)

/ˈt͡ʃændləɹ/

A river in Alaska, United States; running 201 km from Chandler Lake in Gates of the Arctic National Park into the Colville 27 km northeast of Umiat.

A river in New South Wales, Australia; running 110 km from the Great Dividing Range near Lyndhurst into the Macleay at Cunnawarra National Park.

A river in Maine, United States; running 39 km from Cottontail Hill in Centerville into the Englishman Bay near Jonesboro.


Culm

A river in Devon, England, which joins the River Exe near Stoke Canon.


Trent

en-proper noun

Trent (countable and uncountable, plural Trents)

*From Welsh tros (“over”) + hynt (“way”), often taken to mean "the trespasser"
*Another possibility: a shortening of "Tranent", or "Tranant" in Scottish Gaelic, a geographical location in East Lothian. "Tranant" itself is possibly of Brythonic (Celtic) origin.

A river in central England, flowing 298 km (185 mi.) from Staffordshire, through Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to join the Ouse and form the Humber estuary.

A river in Ontario, Canada, which flows into Lake Ontario and forms part of the Trent-Severn Waterway.


Amman

Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot#English

A river in Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot borough county borough, Wales, which joins the River Loughor at Pantyffynnon.


Santiago

/sæntiˈɑːɡəʊ/

Chinese Filipino
Guan Yu
James, brother of Jesus
Jose Rizal
Santiago
Santiago (disambiguation)

From Spanish Santiago, ellision of earlier Sant'Iago and Sant Iago, from Latin Sanctus Iācōbus (“Saint James or holy James”), the latter word deriving from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (ya‘ăqṓḇ, “Jacob”, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (‘āqḗḇ, “heel”) and the Biblical account of the patriarch Jacob's birth in Genesis 25:26. Piecewise doublet of Saint James.
The Guan Yu sense among Chinese Filipinos in the Philippines is due to a syncretic association of the deified Chinese general with St. James, who are both known for their assertiveness and heroism, which non-Chinese and people in the Philippines like Jose Rizal during the 19th century first associated with and/or surmised the Chinese folk deities venerated by Chinese Filipinos on Chinese altars and prints with popular Christian or Muslim figures.

der

Places in Mexico:
A river in Veracruz, in eastern Mexico.

Places in Peru:
A tributary of the Marañón River, Peru.


Lyon

Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross#English

The River Lyon, a river in Glen Lyon, Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, which joins the River Tay.


Perry

en-prop

Perry (countable and uncountable, plural Perrys or Perries)

The River Perry, a minor river in Shropshire, which joins the Severn north-west of Shrewsbury.


Cary

A river in Somerset, England, which flows into the River Parrett.


Newport

en-proper noun

Newport (countable and uncountable, plural Newports)

Port-Neuf

the equivalent of Newport (new port: a new transport hub)

A river in North Carolina, flowing through Carteret County into the Bogue Sound.

A river in Pennsylvania, flowing from Glen Lyon into the Susquehanna at Nanticoke.


Catawba

From the noun catawba, as the tree was the people's totem.

Cornwallis finally moved after Morgan's men. Left behind to cover the fords and delay the British, North Carolina general William Lee Davidson and a few men were killed as the British poured across Cowan's Ford. Once the British crossed the Catawba, the Americans had to get past another river, the Yadkin beyond Salisbury.

1998, Lawrence E. Babits, A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens:

A river in North Carolina and South Carolina, United States.


Clarence

Originally a ducal title of the English and British royal family, from Clārensis (“from the town of Clare”), (the town of Clare, Suffolk), although it has also been associated with Italian Chiarenza, Clarentza, &c., a former fortress and settlement in the medieval Frankish Principality of Achaea in Greece.

A name given to several rivers, including one in France and others in countries settled by the British.

A river in Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France, France, a tributary of the Lys.

A river in the Northern Rivers region, New South Wales, Australia, which discharges into the Coral Sea, named after the Duke of Clarence,

A river in north Canterbury, New Zealand, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Clarence.


Ganges

Borrowed from Latin Gangēs, from Ancient Greek Γάγγης (Gángēs), from Sanskrit गङ्गा (gáṅgā, literally “swift-goer”), from the verbal root गम् (gam, “to go”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to come”) (whence Latin veniō, Ancient Greek βαίνω (baínō), and English come). Doublet of Ganga.

der

...the Yellow Riuer... is the other famous Riuer of that Kingdome, in greatneſſe and note, which ariſesth without the Kingdome to the Weſt, out of the Hill Cunlun, conjectured to bee the ſame whence Ganges ariſeth, or one neere to it.

1625, Samuel Purchas, Pvrchas His Pilgrimes, volume III, London, →OCLC, page 340:

...their master... was no ad for anybody but the most arcane Black Power, he was an old prince of a witch doctor—insult him at your peril—but the other ten musicians with their trumpets and snares and assorted brass would prove no pull for Nixon on TV with any Black votes watching, for they were old and meek, naught but elderly Black Southern musicians, a veritable Ganges of Uncle Toms. They had disappeared with Tom Swift and Little Lord Fauntleroy.

1968, Norman Mailer, “Nixon in Miami”, in Harper's, §6:

A river in India and Bangladesh, sacred within Hinduism.

គង្គ

kɔɔkŭəngkĕəʼ


Orange River

Named in honor of the House of Orange-Nassau.


Albany

Albany River
Albany, New York
Fort Albany, Ontario

Named in honor of the crown prince James, Duke of Albany and York


Lippe

North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia#English

A river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.


Rede

From Old English Rēade (“the red one”), from read.

A river in Northumberland, England, which joins the River North Tyne at Redesmouth.


Aragon

A river in the autonomous communities of Aragon and Navarre, Spain; in full, Aragon River.


Madison

en-prop

Madison (countable and uncountable, plural Madisons)

Madisons (plural)
Maddison (alternative)
Maddison (alternative)
Madisyn (alternative)
Madyson (alternative)

From Middle English Madde (“Maud”) + -son.

A river in Wyoming and Montana, United States; named for James Madison.


Atchafalaya

/əˌt͡ʃæfəˈlaɪə/

From Choctaw hvcha falaya (“long river”).

“If you came by the Atchafalaya,
How have you nowhere encountered my Gabriel's boat on the bayous?”

1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, →OCLC, (please specify either |part=I or II):

A river in Louisiana, major distributary of the Mississippi River.


Tyne

From Old English Tīna or Tīne, attested as a component of the place name Tinanmuþe (“Tynemouth”), possibly from Proto-Celtic *tīn (“river”), from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to flow”). As such, possibly a doublet of Teign and Tenna. Also compare Latin Tina.

A river in the counties of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, in north east England. The city of Newcastle upon Tyne is found upon its northern bank and Gateshead is found upon its southern bank.

A river in East Lothian council area, in southern Scotland.


Boyd

From Scottish Gaelic, either buidhe (“blond, yellow, fair”), or a habitational surname from the Isle of Bute in Scotland.

The River Boyd, a short river in Gloucestershire, England, which joins the Bristol Avon near Bitton.

Northern Tablelands
Northern Tablelands#English

The Boyd River, a river in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia.

The Boyd River, a river in south-western Tasmania, Australia.


Sacramento

/ˌsækɹəˈmɛntəʊ/

Borrowed from Spanish sacramento (“sacrament”).


Elbe

From German Elbe, from Middle High German Elbe, from Old High German Elba, from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *albī.

A major river in central Europe that passes through the Czech Republic and Germany before flowing into the North Sea.


Sangamon

A river originating in central Illinois, United States, a tributary to the Illinois River.


Humber

From Middle English Humber, from Old English Humbre.

Ford and Stoke Prior
Ford and Stoke Prior

A hamlet and civil parish (served by Humber, Ford and Stoke Prior Parish Council) south-east of Leominster, Herefordshire, England (OS grid ref SO5356).

Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador#English


Yellowstone

A river that rises in the park before flowing through Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, where it empties into the Missouri River.


Yukon

From Gwich'in ųųg han, contraction of chųų gąįį han (“white water river”). See Wikipedia's name section for details.


Kenai

From Russian Кенай (Kenaj), from Dena'ina kena (“meadow”).


Santa Cruz

From Spanish and Portuguese Santa Cruz (“Holy Cross”), various places named in honor of the True Cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Doublet of Holy Cross and Saint Croix.

A river in Santa Cruz province, Argentina.


Saint Paul

The places are named after Paul the Apostle.

A river in western Africa, flowing from southern Guinea, through Liberia, and into the Atlantic Ocean.


Boise

From French la rivière boisée (“the wooded river”).

der

A river in Idaho; flowing 102 miles from the confluence of the North and Middle forks in the Sawtooth Range into the Snake near Parma.


Ammon

(obsolete) A river in Scotland now called Almond.


Aklan

A province of Western Visayas, Visayas, Philippines. Capital: Kalibo.

Aklan River (a river in Aklan, Western Visayas, Visayas, Philippines)


Loire

From French Loire, from Latin Liger, itself borrowed from the native Gaulish name of the river, from *liga (“silt, sediment, deposit, alluvium”) (see also French lie, English lees), from Proto-Celtic *legyā, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie, lay”), the same source as many words in English such as lie, ledge, etc.

The longest river in France, passing (from southeast to northwest) through the departments of Ardèche, Haute-Loire, Loire, Saône-et-Loire, Allier, Nièvre, Cher, Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique.


Yonne

Borrowed from French Yonne, from Latin Icaunis, presumably from Gaulish.

A left tributary of the Seine in central France, flowing through the departments of Nièvre, Yonne and Seine-et-Marne.


Vendée

From French Vendée, possibly from Gaulish *vindos (“white”), from Proto-Celtic *windos (“white”).

A right tributary of the Sèvre Niortaise in western France, flowing through the departments of Deux-Sèvres, Vendée and Charente-Maritime.


Moselle

Borrowed from French Moselle, from Latin Mosella.

A left tributary of Rhine, flowing through the departments of Vosges, Meurthe-et-Moselle and Moselle in northeastern France, through Luxembourg, and through the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Germany.


Mayenne

A right tributary of the Loire, in northwestern France, flowing through the departments of Orne, Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire.


Inglis

A river in north-west Tasmania, Australia.


Ayr

A river in East Ayrshire council area and South Ayrshire council area, Scotland, which runs into the Firth of Clyde at the town.


Carson

Carsen (alternative)
Karson (alternative)

Could originate from the Gaelic name "Carr" or "Carra", meaning "rock" or "fort," combined with "son", thus "son of Carr.".

A river in northwestern Nevada; flowing from the confluence of the West Fork Carson and East Fork Carson near Minden into the Carson Sink; named for Kit Carson.

Western Australia
Western Australia#English

A river in northern Western Australia; flowing from the Foster Range at the Drysdale River National Park into the King Edward River near Kalumburu; named for Victoria Squatting Company director David Carson.


Hammond

en-proper noun

Hammond (countable and uncountable, plural Hammonds)

A patronymic surname from the Anglo-Norman given name Hamo, Hamon, from Germanic names beginning with a derivative of Proto-Germanic *haimaz (“home”), such as descendants of *Haimarīks (“Henry”).
The river in New Brunswick is named after British politician and colonial governor Sir Andrew Hamond, 1st Baronet (1738 - 1828). The civil parish is named after a settlement, named in turn after the river.


Des Moines

From the French name of the nearby Rivière des Moines, which superficially means "river of the monks" and has traditionally been interpreted as a reference to the Trappist monks who settled along it. "It is more likely, however, to be a name of Native American origin, recorded in a 1673 text as moinguena", a Miami designation of the Moingona. The precise interpretation is uncertain; see Moingona.

A river in the United States, that flows from southern Minnesota into the Mississippi.


Qezel Ozan

A large river in northwestern Iran. It originates from the mountains of Kurdistan and discharges to the Caspian Sea.


Teton

Borrowed from Lakota Thítȟuŋwaŋ (“Teton”). a general name for all seven Lakota tribes. from thíta (“a plain, prairie”) + tȟuŋwaŋ (“village”).

The Teton River (Idaho), a tributary of the Snake River.

The Teton River (Montana), a tributary of the Missouri River.


Roosevelt

From a Dutch name of a farm, either Rozenveld (one in Zeeland) or Ruiseveld (one in Brabant), from Middle Dutch; the former could be a compound of rose (“wild rose / poppy?”) + velt (“open country; field”) or like the latter of rusch (“rush reed”) + velt, “open land growing with rushes”.

A river in Brazil, formerly named the River of Doubt but named after Theodore Roosevelt following his 1913-14 expedition there.


Richelieu

St. Lawrence River
St. Lawrence River#English

(with the) A river, the Richelieu River, in Quebec, Canada, which flows from Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence River, and named after Cardinal Richelieu.

To date, the Richelieu is the only tributary of the St. Lawrence that has been invaded and colonized by zebra mussels.

2004, Yves de Lafontaine, Marcel Comiré, “Zebra Mussel Monitoring in the Richelieu River: A Fruitful Interaction between Scientific Research and Public Involvement”, in Thomas O. Manley, Patricia L. Manley, Timothy B. Mihuc, editors, Lake Champlain: Partnerships and Research in the New Millennium, New York, N.Y.: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, →ISBN, page 75:

(with the) A tributary of the Montmorency River in Quebec, itself a tributary of the St. Lawrence River.


Barton

From Old English bere (“barley”) + Old English tūn (“enclosure”).

Any of many places named after the English places, or after persons with the surname, including:


Moose Jaw

French: Moose Jaw

Corruption of the Cree term through Anglicization by substitution of similar sounding English-language words, and being a riverside location; becoming Moose Jaw Bone Creek, former name of the Moose Jaw River, from the Cree "moscâstani". From Cree moscâstani-sîpiy (“a warm place by the river”), from the overwintering camp of the Cree in a river valley sheltered by the Couteau Plateau, at the confluence of the Moose Jaw River and Thunder Creek. The town is named after the river, in turn, named for the overwintering camp where the town is now located.

Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

A river in Saskatchewan, Canada; in full, Moose Jaw River.


Strontian

Place name is from Scottish Gaelic Sròn an t-Sìthein, "nose of the fairy hill", said to be inhabited by the mythological sìdhe.

List of rivers of Scotland
w:List of rivers of Scotland

The Strontian River, a short river in Highland council area, that flows through the village to Loch Sunart.


Conway

en-prop

Conway (countable and uncountable, plural Conways)

A number of places in the United States:

A river in north Canterbury, New Zealand, which flows into the Pacific Ocean.


Conwy

A river in Conwy borough county borough, Wales; in full, River Conwy; formerly, River Conway.


Lena

The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena).
The river in Yakutia is from Russian Лена (Lena), from Evenki Елюенэ (Jeljujenə, “the Large River”). Compare to Yakut Өлүөнэ (Ölüöne).
(Norwegian river): Probably related to Old Norse leir (“clay”) (see the references).
(Town in Toten): From Old Norse lein.

der

A major river in Russia, flowing 2,734 miles from the mountains by the lake Baikal to the Arctic Ocean.


Fraser

en-proper noun

Fraser (countable and uncountable, plural Frasers)

Scottish surname thought to be from Norman, but not corresponding to any obvious places in France; perhaps a corrupted transcription of a Middle Irish name. More at Fraser.

A river in British Columbia that flows from the Rocky Mountains into the Strait of Georgia, named after Simon Fraser (explorer).


Anton

Anton (countable and uncountable, plural Antons)

Borrowed from German Anton and from other northern European languages. Doublet of Anthony.

A river in Hampshire, England, a tributary of the River Test.


Potomac

European spelling of an Algonquian name, variously claimed to mean "river of swans", "place where people trade" or "place to which tribute is brought". The natives called the river above the falls Cohongorooton, "river of geese", and that area was renowned in early years for an abundance of both geese and swans. The spelling of the name has been simplified over the years from Patawomeke to Patowmack in the 18th century and now Potomac. The river's name was determined officially as Potomac by the US government's Board on Geographic Names during 1931.

The Potomac surges against the banks, flush with this morning’s rain.

2023, R. F. Kuang, Yellowface, The Borough Press, page 298:

A river that flows along the borders of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, and through Washington, United States.


Tawe

A river in southern Wales that meets the sea at Swansea.


Yana

Cognate to English Jane, ultimately from Hebrew, feminine form of Ioannes ( =John).

A river in Sakha (Yakutia), Russia that rises near Verkhoyansk and flows into the Yana Bay of the Laptev Sea.


Narva

納爾瓦河 /纳尔瓦河

river in Estonia and Russia/small rivers in Belarus or Russia

A small river in Primorsky Krai, in the Far East of Russia.


Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 烏 /乌 (Wū or Wù, “crow, raven, black”).

der

A river in Guizhou, China, a tributary of the Yangtze.


Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 巫 (Wū or Wú, “shaman, sorceror, witch”).

A river in Hunan, China, a tributary of the Yuan.


Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 㵲 (Wǔ).


Longford

From Old English lang (“long”), definite form langa + ford.

The Longford River, a man-made river in Greater London, flowing from the Colne at Longford to Bushy Park and Hampton Court Palace.


Chopawamsic

/ˌt͡ʃɒpəˈwɑːmzɪk/

From an Algonquian language meaning "isolated lodge".

Chopawamsic Island, a private island on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, 275 yards from Quantico.

Chopawamsic Creek, a tributary stream of the Potomac River in Prince William and Stafford counties, Virginia.


Croton

Croton
Croton Aqueduct
Croton Reservoir
Croton-on-Hudson, New York
New York City

The river takes its name from the (Mohegan-Pequot) name of the chief of the group which lived along it. (It was formerly named after the group itself, the Kitchawan subdivision of the Mohegan.) The river feeds the Croton Reservoir in Croton-on-Hudson, which feeds the Croton Aqueduct, which supplies water to New York City, hence the metonymic sense.
Early spellings of the name include Scroton.

(with the) A river in southern New York.


Carmel

From Hebrew כַּרְמֶל (karmél, “vineyard of El/God”).

bor

A city, valley, and river in Monterey County, California, United States. The full name of the city is Carmel-by-the-Sea.


San Juan

A river in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.


Nezhegol

Borrowed from Russian Не́жеголь (Néžegolʹ).

A small river in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, near Ukraine. The town of Shebekino sits near the mouth of the Nezhegol where it flows into the Donets.


Osage

en-noun

Osage (countable and uncountable, plural Osages or Osage)

Evolved from a borrowing from French variations of Osage 𐓏𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟 (wažáže), the name of a division of the tribe.

A river in Missouri (the Osage River), which is a tributary of the Missouri River.


Salat

A right tributary of the Garonne in Occitania, France.


Big Muddy

The roar of the river announced its presence, but right up on it the Big Muddy felt peaceful and quiet.

2024, Percival Everett, James, Picador (2025), page 220:

(informal) Nickname for the Mississippi: a river in the United States.

(informal) Nickname for the Missouri: a river in the United States.


Garry

A river in Inverness-shire, Highland council area, Scotland, which flows into Loch Oich.

A river in Perthshire, Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, which joins the River Tummel.


Aga

ru:Ага (река)


Lachlan

en-proper noun

Lachlan (countable and uncountable, plural Lachlans)

From Scottish Gaelic Lachlann, Lochlann (“land of the lochs, loch or fjord land, i.e. Scandinavia”), said to refer to an immigrant from Norway, a Norseman.

A river in New South Wales, Australia, noted for having several significant wetlands along its length; named for Governor Lachlan Macquarie.


Isla

A river in eastern Scotland, tributary to the Tay.

A river in northeastern Scotland, tributary to the Spey.


Tagus

A major river in Spain and Portugal, the longest in Iberia.


Weser

A river in northwestern Germany, the longest entirely in the country, flowing north from south Lower Saxony into the North Sea.


Greta

After we have crossed the Glenderamackin stream, which drains the northern slopes of Saddleback, and the latter has united with the St. John's Beck to form the Greta, however, we see ahead the miniature canyon the Greta has hollowed out for itself, and into the depth of which the train now descends.

1961 October, 'Voyageur', “The Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway”, in Trains Illustrated, page 601:

A river in Cumbria, England, which joins the Derwent at Keswick.

North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire#English

A river in County Durham, England, which joins the Tees, and which was originally in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

A river in North Yorkshire and Lancashire, England, which joins the Lune.

A minor river in north Canterbury, New Zealand, which flows into the Hurunui River, and named after one of the North Yorkshire rivers.


Tartar

One of the tributary rivers of the Kura, flowing through Artsakh and Azerbaijan.


Arno

A river in Tuscany that flows through Pisa and Florence.


Demerara

/dɛməˈɹɛəɹə/

/dɛməˈɹɑːɹə/

The placename derives from an Arawakan word. Perhaps Malali ("fast running stream"), which would have originally been the name of a section of rapids, from which the Dutch called the whole river de Malali ("the Malali"), which (with incorporation of the definite article into the name, and alternation of l and r) became Demerara. Alternatively, perhaps Immenary or Dumaruni meaning “river of the letterwood”. The sugar is so-called because it was grown in the region around the river.

The Demerara River, a river which rises in the rainforests of Guyana and flows north to the Atlantic Ocean, which the country's capital of Georgetown is situated on.


Morava

Related to Czech Moře, German March and Latin Marus, both deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *móri (“sea, standing water”). The river was first documented as Maraha in an 892 deed.

der

A left tributary of the Danube in Central Europe, flowing through Moravia in the Czech Republic on the border with Slovakia and then along the border of Austria.

A river in central Serbia; in full, Great Morava.


Tove

A river in Northamptonshire, England, tributary to the Great Ouse, which passes Towcester.


Trym

A short river in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England, which flows into the (Bristol) River Avon at Sea Mills.


Kennet

A river in Wiltshire and Berkshire, England, which is a tributary of the Thames.


San Marcos

From Spanish San Marcos (“Saint Mark”), various places usually named in honor of Mark the Evangelist.


Ajay

Transliteration of Bengali অজয় (ojoẏ), from Sanskrit अजय (ajaya).


Zambezi

A river in Southern Africa, flowing south and west from Zambia through east Angola and Zambia and then east along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe into and through central Mozambique to the Indian Ocean.


Zambesi

A river in Southern Africa, which has its source in Zambia and flows into the Indian Ocean.


Niagara River

A river in North America flowing to the north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and including the Niagara Falls.


Norwalk

(For noun) Named after Norwalk, Ohio, where an outbreak of gastroenteritis in 1968 led to the isolation of the virus.

A number of places in the United States:


Reno

en-proper-noun

Reno (countable and uncountable, plural Renos)


Etna

A river that flows through Etnedal and Nordre Land municipalities, Innlandet, Norway.


Beane

A river in Hertfordshire, England, which joins the Lea at Hertford.


Selwyn

From the Middle English form of Latin Silvanus. Also from the Old English given name Selewine, from sel (“hall”) + wine (“friend”). The places are named after bearers of the surname.

Any of a number of places in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and US.

A river in Canterbury, New Zealand, named after Bishop George Selwyn; in full, Selwyn River.


Senni

A short river in Powys, Wales, which joins the River Usk at Sennybridge.


Argos

A river in Murcia, Spain; flowing from Caravaca de la Cruz into the Segura at Calasparra.


Aude

A river in the departments of Pyrénées-Orientales, Hérault, Aude and Ariège, Occitania, France.


Calder

A river in West Yorkshire, England, which flows into the River Aire.

A river in Cumbria, England, which flows into the Irish Sea at Sellafield.

A river in Lancashire, England, which joins the River Ribble.

A river in Lancashire which joins the River Wyre at Catterall.

A tributary of the River Spey in Highland council area, Scotland.

A river in Renfrewshire council area, Scotland, which flows into Castle Semple Loch.

A number of rivers:
A short river in Tasmania, Australia.

A number of rivers:
A short river in Victoria, Australia.

A river in Kimberley, Western Australia which flows into the Indian Ocean.


Mara

In the dry season, when the Mara becomes narrower and shallower, certain stretches of it become especially thick with hippos—and their dung.

2018 May 16, Ed Yong, “Hippos Poop So Much That Sometimes All the Fish Die”, in The Atlantic:


Roch

From Middle English Rechedham, from Old English Reċedhām, of Brythonic origin, from the intensive Proto-Brythonic prefix *ar- + *koɨd (“wood”), meaning "river opposite of the wood." More at Roch.

Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester#English

A river in Greater Manchester, England, which joins the River Irwell.


Neman

From Russian Не́ман (Néman), from Lithuanian Nemunas, of uncertain origin, possibly from an Old Lithuanian word meaning "damp, wet" (Proto-Indo-European *ned- (“wet”), sharing Ancient Greek νοτερός (noterós)), or from nemti (“to become silent”), or from Finnic niemi (“cape”).

A river in Eastern Europe, flowing through Belarus, Lithuania and Russia to the Baltic Sea.


Vltava

From Czech Vltava, of uncertain origin; possibly cognate to Moldau, the German name for the river, as it is sometimes suggested that both words derive from Old High German * wilt awa, wilt aha (“wild river”), corresponding to Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz (“wild”) + *ahwō (“water”); older texts have spellings such as Fuldaha (in 872), Wultha (1113), Wlitaua (1125). However, compare Ltava.

der

A major river in the Czech Republic, tributary of the Elbe.


Kharkiv

Kharkiv
Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Raion
Kharkiv River
en:Kharkiv (disambiguation)

From Ukrainian Ха́рків (Xárkiv), from Old Ruthenian Ха́рьковъ (Xárʹkov) (compare Russian Ха́рьков (Xárʹkov), whence English Kharkov). The city is named after the Kharkiv River. A folk etymology says the city and river are named after a Cossack called Харко́ (Xarkó), from Харько́ (Xarʹkó), from Greek Χαρίτων (Charíton), but there is no hard evidence supporting this.

Khar'kov (alternative)
Kharkov (alternative)
Char'kov (alternative)
Charkov (alternative)
Har'kov (alternative)
Harkov (alternative)


Clarion

A river in Pennsylvania, a tributary of the Allegheny River.


Sapta Sindhu

From सप्त (sapta, “seven”) + सिन्धु (síndhu, “river, stream”). This expression in English incorporates a grammatical error: Sindhu is the nominative singular; used with "seven", the noun should, of course, be in the plural: Sindhava:/Sindhavas, सप्तसिंधव: (saptasiṃdhava:, “seven rivers”), which is the term used in Sanskrit.

The settlers in Sapta Sindhu composed the Rig Veda, the first of the Vedas, the ancient sacred writings of the Hindu religion.

2006, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, World and Its Peoples, page 316:

(Hinduism, India) The seven sacred rivers in Indian mythology, often referred to in Rigveda and in Zend Avesta. They are often located in the Punjab region in northwestern India / northern Pakistan.


Ruhr

حَوْضُ اُلْرُورْ

(The Ruhr) An urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

A river in North Rhine-Westphalia, a branch of the river Rhine and its basin.

رُورْ

A branch of the river Rhine and its basin


Dnieper

the Dnieper (canonical)
Dniepr (alternative)
Dnepr (alternative)
Dnipr (alternative)
Dneiper (alternative)
Dneipr (alternative)

From French Dnieper, from Russian Днепр (Dnepr), from Old East Slavic Дънѣпръ (Dŭněprŭ), from Proto-Slavic *Dъněprъ, from Proto-Sarmatian *Dānu *Apara ("Far River") or *Dānapr (“Deep River”). The former derivation would pair it with the Dniester (“Near River”), while the latter would refer to its lack of fords. Doublet of Dnipro and Danasper. See also Latin Danapris and Ancient Greek Δάναπρις (Dánapris).

A major river in Eastern Europe which flows south through Belarus, Russia and Ukraine into the Black Sea. (see usage notes)


Neva

From Russian Нева́ (Nevá), from Finnic (compare Finnish neva).

A river in Russia, on which the Saint Petersburg city is placed.


Yenisei

Borrowed from Russian Енисе́й (Jeniséj) from Old Kyrgyz Эне-Сай (Ene-Say, “mother river”) or from Evenki Ионэсси (Ionəssi, “big water”). See more detail

Yenesei (alternative)
Yenisey (alternative)
Yenissei (alternative)

A river in Russia. The longest river of Siberia. It flows from south down to north into the Arctic Ocean, splitting Siberia in two parts: the Eastern Siberia and the Western Siberia.


Sella

A river in Asturias, starting in the Picos de Europa and flowing into the Bay of Biscay.


Ardèche

A right tributary of the Rhône, in the departments of Ardèche and Gard, south-central France.


Amur

Borrowed from Russian Аму́р (Amúr), from an Evenki language such as Solon amur (“river”). Doublet of amur.

If, then, the southern districts of European Russia be exposed to a winter more severe than those of France or Germany, they may boast in their turn a more genial climate than the banks of the Ural and the Amur; while all are subject to a dispensation of nature which extends too far, and acts too uniformly, to be ascribed to any local or temporary causes.

1830, Amelia Shipley Heber, editor, The Life of Reginald Heber, D.D., volume 1, London: John Murray, →OCLC, →OL, page 568:

Foreign trade goes not to Aigun, but to the Chinese town of Taheiho, which is situated about 30 miles distant from Aigun and is directly opposite the Siberian city of Blagovestchensk, on the other side of the Amur River.

1915 August 24, Charles K. Moser, “Harbin”, in Supplement to Commerce Reports, number 52h, →OCLC, page 1:

Just a few days before he was to be sent to the “Great Northern Wilderness” near the Amur, an 18-year-old middle school graduate named Liu Fu-yuan went up to the third floor of the “Hundred Goods Building” (department store) at Peiping’s Wanfunching and asked that a made-in-Red-China watch be brought out of the glass case.

1975 June 22, L. Chen, “Defiant intellectual disobedience”, in Free China Weekly, volume XVI, number 24, Taipei, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:

Along the Amur, one of Asia’s great waterways, Russians feel cheated, lied to and ignored. The wild salmon fishery that they once took for granted is gone, they say, because Moscow granted large concessions to enterprises that strung enormous nets across the river’s mouth.
People’s anger over their depleted fish stock is so widespread that it has been a driving force behind the anti-Kremlin protests that have been shaking the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, on the Amur, since early July.

2020 August 15, Anton Troianovski, “'The Fish Rots From the Head': How a Salmon Crisis Stoked Russian Protests”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-08-15:

Bordered by small farming towns without large dams, the Amur—the least obstructed of these 10 rivers—is an example of the effects of minimal human influence.

2021 March, “Setting Rivers Free”, in National Geographic, pages 30–31:

The world's ninth-longest river, forming part of the border between the Far East of Russia and Manchuria in Northeastern China, emptying into the Pacific Ocean through the Strait of Tartary, where the mouth of the river faces the northern end of the island of Sakhalin.

آمُور

the river between the Far East Russia and China


Snake

en-proper noun

Snake (countable and uncountable, plural Snakes)

en:Snake (disambiguation)
en:Snake (zodiac)
en:Snake River

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Snake.wav

A river in the northwestern United States, tributary to the Columbia.


Irvine

en-prop

Irvine (countable and uncountable, plural Irvines)

Probably from Celtic words cognate with Welsh ir, yr (“green, fresh”) + afon (“water”).

A river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows into the Firth of Clyde near the town of Irvine.

A town in North Ayrshire council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NS3238).

A city, the county seat of Estill County, Kentucky.

A township in Benson County, North Dakota.

unincorporated community
unincorporated community

An unincorporated community in Converse County, Wyoming.


Duna

The Daugava (a river in eastern Europe).


Erymanthos

From Ancient Greek Ἐρύμανθος (Erúmanthos).

Erimanthos (alternative)
Erymanthus (alternative)

A river in the southwestern Peloponnese in southwestern Greece, it flows into the Achaia and the Ilia prefectures


Memel

A river in Lithuania that runs by this city; the Neman.


Araks

From Russian Ара́кс (Aráks) and Armenian Արաքս (Arakʻs). Doublet of Araxes and Yeraskh.

Aras (alternative)
Araxes (alternative)
Arax (alternative)

A river in Turkey, Armenia, Iran and Azerbaijan and empties into Kura river.


Kamchatka

From Russian Камча́тка (Kamčátka), derived from Koryak [script needed] (konchachal), perhaps meaning “men of the far end”.

Kraj Kamczacki

krai of Russia — see also Kamchatka Krai

(with the) A river in Kamchatka Krai, Russia.


Chu

From Russian Чу (Ču), from its local name.

The Kara-tau, or "Black Mountain," the last spur of the Tian-shan towards the north-west, seldom exceeds 6,500 feet in height, but is geographically of great importance, as forming the water-parting between the Sir and Chu basins. It also abounds most in coal, iron, copper, and argentiferous lead.

1884, Élisée Reclus, translated by Ernest George Ravenstein et al., The Earth and Its Inhabitants, Vol. VI, p. 187:


Dyle

River in Belgium, flowing through Leuven and Mechelen


Scheldt

Derived from an adjective corresponding to Old English sċeald (“shallow”), from or related to Proto-Germanic *skala-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to dry out, wither”).
Modern English shoal, Low German schol, Frisian skol, and Swedish (obsolete) skäll, "thin".

der

Perhaps as a child she watched for his ship coming up the Scheldt.

2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light, Fourth Estate, page 408:

A river flowing through France, Belgium and the Netherlands.


Aa

The river names are ostensibly from Proto-West Germanic *ahu (“river”).

A river in northern France, flowing 93 km from near Bourthes, Pas-de-Calais department into the North Sea near Gravelines, Nord department.

A small river in the Netherlands, flowing 72 km from near Nederweert, Limburg into the Dieze at 's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant.

A tributary of the Möhne river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, part of the Rhine basin.

A tributary of the Nether river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, part of the Weser basin.

A tributary of the Werre river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, part of the Weser basin.


Rhône

Alternative form of Rhone: A major river in Switzerland and France that flows from the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea.


Suzhou

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 蘇州 /苏州 (Sūzhōu).

Su-chou (alternative obsolete)
Soochow (alternative obsolete)
Suchow (alternative obsolete)
Suchou (alternative obsolete)

Suzhou Creek

Synonym of Suzhou Creek: A river in Shanghai municipality and Jiangsu, China, between Lake Tai and the Huangpu River; despite its name, it is 78 miles long.


Emajõgi

From Estonian Emajõgi < ema (“mother”) + jõgi (“river”).

A river in Estonia which flows from Lake Võrtsjärv through Tartu County into Lake Peipus, crossing the city of Tartu for 10 km. It has a length of 101 km.


Samara

A city, the administrative center of Samara Oblast, Russia, the sixth-largest in the country by population.

A tributary of the Volga in Russia, which meets the Volga at the city of the same name.


Voronezh

A left tributary of the Don in Tambov, Lipetsk and Voronezh Oblasts, Russia.


Nene

A river that rises in Northamptonshire, England, and flows to the sea at The Wash.


Vologda

Borrowed from Russian Во́логда (Vólogda), from the Vologda River which flows through the city; likely of Finno-Ugric origin.


Dniester

From Russian Днестр (Dnestr), Ukrainian Дністер (Dnister), pre-reform orthography Днѣстръ (Dněstr), ultimately (compare Byzantine Greek Δάναστρις (Dánastris) and Late Latin Danaster) from Proto-Sarmatian *dānu *nazdya "the close river" (the Dnieper being the far one). The first element is from Proto-Indo-European *déh₂nu- (“river”), found in several other river names such as Danube and Донец (Donec); more at Danube.

A major river in Eastern Europe, flowing south through Ukraine and Moldova to the Black Sea.


Kickapoo

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Kickapoo.wav

Borrowed from Spanish Kikapú, further origins are contested; an Anishinaabeg source proposes giiwigaabaw (“stand here and there”), in reference to the tribe's migratory patterns.

A river in Wisconsin, a tributary of the Wisconsin River.


Tamar

From Latin Tamarus, possibly from Proto-Celtic *tamaros (“river, waters”, literally “dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *tm̥Hrós, from *temH- (“dark”). See more at Thames.

A river in Devon and Cornwall, England, which forms the border between the two counties.

A river in the Australian state of Tasmania, named after the English river.


Salt River

In US politics, after the Salt River in Kentucky. Various explanations exist.

A number of rivers and settlements in various countries:

A river in the Wheatbelt region, Western Australia.

A river in Alberta and the Northwest Territories which joins the Slave River.

Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories

A river in Western Cape province and Eastern Cape province, South Africa, which flows into the Indian Ocean at Port Elizabeth.

A river in the Western Cape province, South Africa, which flows into Table Bay at Cape Town.

A river in Arizona, a tributary of the Gila River.

A river in California, which joins the Eel River estuary, at its outlet to the Pacific Ocean.

A river in Kentucky, a tributary of the Ohio River.

A river in Midland County and Isabella County, Michigan.

A river in Missouri, a tributary of the Mississippi.

A river in Wyoming, a tributary of the Snake River.

A river in the United States Virgin Islands.

United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands#English


Ossian

An anglicisation, made known by James Macpherson, of Irish Oisín, diminutive form of os (“deer”).

A river that flows from Loch Ossian, Highland council area, Scotland, ultimately joining the River Spean.


Tees

From Old English *Tēs(e), but uncertain beyond that. Possibly from Proto-Brythonic *tes (“heat”), which would be in reference to the “boiling” surging water of so much of the upper river, especially at places like Cauldron Snout.

A river in the counties of County Durham and North Yorkshire, north east England. The river flows through the city of Middlesbrough.


Tauber

A left tributary of the Main in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, Germany.


Kura

From Russian Кура́ (Kurá), ultimately from Ancient Greek Κῦρος (Kûros).

A river in Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, flowing into the Caspian Sea.


Fox

en-prop

Fox (countable and uncountable, plural Foxes or Foxs)

* (surname): From fox (“vulpine animal”)

A number of places in the United States:

A river in Wisconsin and Illinois, United States, a tributary to the Illinois River.


Sabine River

From the Spanish name Rio de Sabinas, referring to cypress trees growing along its lower reaches.

A river that flows through eastern Texas and western Louisiana into the Gulf of Mexico.


Chuy

Synonym of Chu, a river in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.


Amu Darya

/ˌɑːmuːˈdɑːɹɪə/

From Persian آمودریا (âmu-daryâ). Second component is Persian دریا (daryâ, “sea”).

Amudarya (alternative)
Amu Dar'ya (alternative)
Amu-Darya (alternative)

A major river in Central Asia, flowing along the borders of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, emptying into the (now mostly dry) Aral Sea; known in Classical times as the Oxus.


Waal

en-proper noun

Waal (countable and uncountable, plural Waals)

A river, a distributary of the Rhine in Western Europe that runs through the Netherlands.


Blythe

Blythe (countable and uncountable, plural Blythes)

English surname, from Old English blīþe (“merry”). Many senses are derived from placenames, such as the River Blythe, all from the Old English adjective.

布萊斯 /布莱斯

transliterations of place in England and U.S.A.

Any of a number of places in England and the United States.

A river in Warwickshire and West Midlands, England, which joins the River Tame north-east of Coleshill, Warwickshire.


Axe

Ultimately derived from Proto-Brythonic *Uɨsk, a river name perhaps originally meaning "abundant in fish". Cognate with the river names Esk, Exe, and Usk.

A river in Dorset, Somerset, and east Devon, England, which flows into Lyme Bay at Seaton.

A river in Somerset, England, which flows into the Bristol Channel at Weston-super-Mare.


Mohawk River

A 140-mile (230 km) long river in New York, flowing from central New York to the Hudson River.


Hutt

Named after Sir William Hutt, chairman of the New Zealand Company.

The following passages describe the banks of the Hutt, to which allusion has already been made as the largest river of Western Australia yet known.

1841, “Australind”, in The Monthly Chronicle, volume VII, page 402:

A river and valley in Western Australia.

Having forded the Hutt, I proceeded up the course of the Akatarewa.

1869, J. C. Crawford, Transactions and proceedings of the New Zealand Institute, page 344:

A river and valley in the Wellington region, North Island, New Zealand.


Oka

From Russian Ока́ (Oká). Probably cognate with Sanskrit ओघ (ogha, “stream, flood, torrent of water”).

cog

A river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga.


Lachen

A river in Sikkim, India, a tributary of the Teesta River.


Siret

A river in Ukraine and Romania; a tributary of the Danube.


Saône

A river in France that flows into the Rhone.


Klondike

Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike River
Klondike, Yukon

From Klondike, a region in the Yukon territory of Canada that saw a gold rush, named after the Klondike River. A corruption of Hän Tr'ondëk (“hammerstone water”) or Gwich'in throndiuk (“hammer-water”).


Aire

Possibly from Proto-Brythonic; from Proto-Celtic *is- (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eysh₂- (“to strengthen”)) + *–arā-. However, Old Norse eyjar (“islands”) has also been suggested.

A river in Yorkshire, mainly West Yorkshire, England, which flows past Leeds and gives its name to the Airedale.


Sava

A river in southern Europe, a right side tributary of the Danube at Belgrade.


Helmand

Borrowed from Pashto هلمند (Helmand) or Persian هلمند (helmand), ultimately from Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬎𐬨𐬀𐬥𐬝 (haētumant̰, literally “with dams”).

der

To the west the Afghan plateau undergoes a very considerable depression, at the bottom of which lies the marshy lake, Hamoun, into which the Helmand river finds its way; but it again rises in the vast plains which lead towards Farsistan.

1879, Sir Norman Lockyer, Nature, volume 19, page 41:


Lusatian Neisse

A river in the Czech Republic (54 km) and forming a portion of the border between Poland and Germany border (198 km).


Alb

A river in Germany; a tributary of the Rhine.


Tenna

Borrowed from Italian Tenna, from Latin Tinna, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *th₂i-n-, from an extension of *teh₂- (“to dissolve, melt”), via an unknown source language, perhaps Italic; compare Proto-Celtic *tīn (“river”). As such, possibly a doublet of Tyne and Teign.


Kemi

A river in Lapland, in northern Finland, with its mouth at the town of Kemi.


Kur

In the mountains near Suram is a watering-place called Burjan, to which the Imperial Lieutenant of the Caucasus retires in summer. The river Kur, the ancient Cyrus, takes its rise in that district.

1868, “Route 20: London to Tiflis […] ”, in Handbook for Travellers in Russia, Poland, and Finland, 2nd edition, London: John Murray, page 321:

Alternative form of Kura, a river in Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.


Kuban

...ex-Imperial officers who came to the Don and the Kuban to take arms against Lenins regime...

1971, Peter Kenez, Civil War in South Russia, 1918: The First Year of the Volunteer Army, University of California Press:

"In the 1860s, the lands beyond the Kuban were settled by Black Sea and Line Cossacks from areas populated earlier..."

A river in Russia, in the North Caucasus. It flows through the Karachay-Cherkessia, Stavropol Krai Krasnodar Krai, and Adygea.


Brahmaputra

/ˈbɹɑː.məˌpuː.tɹə/

Borrowed from Sanskrit ब्रह्मपुत्र (brahmaputra, “son of Brahma”), from ब्रह्मा (brahmā, “Brahma”) + पुत्र (putra, “son”).

bor+

Jih-k’a-tse, Tibet’s second largest city, is located on the Brahmaputra southwest of Lhasa, in Tibet’s major grain-producing area, with highland barley as the major grain.

1973, Chiao-min Hsieh, “Tibet”, in Christopher L. Salter, editor, Atlas of China, McGraw-Hill, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 198:

A river which flows through Tibet, India and Bangladesh.

布拉馬普特拉河 /布拉马普特拉河

Bùlāmǎpǔtèlā Hé


Hodder

(surname): From Middle English occupational name for a maker of hoods, from Old English hod (“hood”), from Proto-Germanic *hōdaz.
:(river): From Brythonic, said to mean "pleasant water," with the second element from Proto-Brythonic *duβr. The first element is uncertain, but compare Welsh hod (“wonderful, strange, excellent”).

cog

A river in Lancashire, England, tributary to the Ribble.


Drava

From historical Dravus, itself of unknown origin—either Celtic or Old European.

unk

unknown

A tributary of the Danube, in southern Central Europe.


Neretva

The iconic humpbacked bridge rose high over the Neretva, connecting the two halves of the old Herzegovinian town that clung to the clifftops: one Muslim, the other Croat.

2022, Priscilla Morris, Black Butterflies, Duckworth, page 60:

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina

A river in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Song

A river in China; any of various minor rivers in China.


Song

Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea#English


Bangali River

Rajshahi Division
Rajshahi Division#English

A large river in Rajshahi Division, in northern Bangladesh.


Dordogne

A long river in south-central and southwestern France, emptying into the Gironde estuary, flowing through the departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Corrèze, Lot, Dordogne and Gironde.


Garonne

A river that flows from the Spanish Pyrenees into the Atlantic Ocean.


Daugava

A river in Eastern Europe, flowing through Russia, Belarus and Latvia to the Gulf of Riga.


Sarthe

A right tributary of the Loire in northwestern France, flowing through the departments of Orne, Sarthe and Maine-et-Loire.


Isère

From French Isère, from the Roman name, Latin Isara.

A river in southeast France, flowing through the departments of Savoie, Isère and Drôme.


Ket

Learned borrowing from Ket кеʼт (kɛˀt, “man, human being”), via Russian.

lbor

A river in Russia, a tributary of the Ob.


Ao

From atonal romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 鰲 /鳌 (Áo) and 敖 (Áo).

To produce leather goods, plants dumped an estimated 8,000 tonnes of waste a day into the Ao River, transforming its once-clear waters into a foul-smelling cesspool.

2004 July 3, Ray Cheung, “Polluted pig-leather capital is cleaned up”, in South China Morning Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-24:

The Ao River currently provides water for Lianjian^([sic – meaning Lianjiang]) County, irrigation for agriculture, water to villages for drinking, to fish farms, animal farms, and industries. Before the construction of the Shanzai dam the dry season flow in the Ao River at the water works at downstream Lianjian^([sic – meaning Lianjiang]) County has fallen so low (to 8.5m³/sec) that it was necessary to limited the water intake rate to the water works.[…](iii) obtain how data or the Ao River at Lianjian^([sic – meaning Lianjiang]) County from the Fujian Provincial Hydrology Department to monitor the effect of water diversion from the Tang Ban Reservoir on the quality and quantity of downstream water;[…]

1998, Fuzhou Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Project in the People's Republic of China, Asian Development Bank, →OCLC, pages 10, 17:

Chiang said her father was born in Lianjiang, and he knew very well that if there was no dike, places like Gui'an and Taoyuan villages would be flooded every year.
"Just a while ago, when it rained heavily, waterlogging can be seen in many places. At that time, I was looking at the course of the Aojiang River, when I suddenly realized that we were defending our homeland."

[2021 December 12, “Three ordinary Taiwan locals who made new lives across the Strait”, in huaxia, editor, Xinhua News Agency, archived from the original on 2023-04-08:


Chet

en-proper noun

Chet (countable and uncountable, plural Chets)

A river in Norfolk, England, tributary to the Yare.


Dore

* As an English surname, from the noun dore (“kind of bumblebee”).
* Also as an English surname, from the placename Dorr in Derbyshire or Herefordshire; see Dorr. Sometimes influenced or directly from the noun door.
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Doghair (“descendant of Doghar”), a byname meaning "sadness" (compare dubhghràdh, from dubh + gràdh).
* As a French surname, from Old French doré (“golden”). Compare Dorais.
* As a Hungarian surname, from the adjective dőre (“stupid, useless”).

The River Dore, a river in Herefordshire, England, which joins the River Monnow near Monmouth Cap.


Glan

A river in Carinthia, Austria, a tributary of the River Gurk.


Doubs

From French Doubs, from Gaulish, from the root of Proto-Celtic *dubus (“black”).

A left tributary of the Saône, running through the cantons of Neuchâtel and Jura, Switzerland and the departments of Doubs, Jura and Saône-et-Loire, France.


Juba

Alternative form of Jubba, a river in Ethiopia and Somalia.


Yakima

The Yakima River, a tributary of the Columbia River, Washington.


Kolyma

Borrowed from Russian Колыма́ f (Kolymá).

bor+

An area in the far north-eastern region of Russia; location of Stalinist slave labour camps in the 1930s to 1950s.


Ure

From Middle English Yore, Jor, from Old English Earp, corrupted from Ear + ƿ (abbreviation for ƿæter (“water”)); first element from Brythonic *Isurā with loss of intervocalic s, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *isərós (“vigorous, quick”), from *eis(ə, related to Sanskrit इषिरम् (iṣiram, “fast, quick”). Compare the Gaulish river Isara.

der

A river in North Yorkshire, England, which flows through Wensleydale


Irtysh

From Russian Иртыш (Irtyš), possibly from Bashkir.

The O-erh-ch'i-ssu River begins in the southern section of the lofty A-erh-t'ai Mountains of Sinkiang. This river is over 2,900 kilometers long and has a large delta area rich in minerals such as gold, iron, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, mica, crystal and "ping-chou-shih" [3056 3166 4258 possibly cryolite]. At the source of the O-erh-ch'i-ssu River, the A-erh-t'ai Mountains reach more than 3,000 meters above sea level. The peaks of the mountains are covered with snow year-round, and rainfall is heavy in the summer.

[1969 July 3 [1969 May 28], “A View of the O-erh-ch'i-ssu River Delta”, in Translations on People's Republic of China, number 59, United States Joint Publications Research Service, sourced from Hong Kong, Ta Kung Pao, p 8, translation of 額爾齊斯河流域風貌 by 念澄 (in Chinese), →OCLC, Economic, page 11:

我國新疆的額爾齊斯河,發源於巍峨的阿爾泰山東部,[…]
額爾齊斯河全長二千九百多公里,它的流域面積很廣,在它流域的廣闊土地上,蘊藏著豐富的寶藏,其中有金,鐵,銅,鉛,鋅,水銀,雲母,氷洲石,水晶等.
額爾齊斯河的發源地阿爾泰山,也是我國的名山,海拔三千米以上,山常年積雪,夏天雨水很多.

While stabilized and semistabilized sand dunes prevail in the desert in the Dzungarian Basin, shifting dunes are the rule in this desert, intermittently distributed along both the south and north banks of the O-erh-ch'i-szu Ho in the northwestern part of the basin. Lying under these dunes are the sloping diluvial terraces and undulating slopes of the mountain bases. Due to its high elevation and its being situated in the river valley between the Sa-wu-erh and A-erh-t'ai mountain ranges, gale force wind penetrates the region in winter and little snow is accumulated.

[1975 August 18 [1974 May], “Study of China's Deserts [中国沙漠概论 CHUNG-KUO SHA-MO KAI-LUN]”, in Translations on People's Republic of China, number 316, United States Joint Publications Research Service, sourced from Peking, Desert Laboratory Lanchow Institute of Glacier, Frozen Ground and Desert Soil Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences [中国科学院兰州冰川冻土沙漠研究所沙漠研究室], translation of original in Chinese, →OCLC, page 47:

中国科学院兰州冰川冻土沙漠研究所沙漠研究室

The term "easy, small and nearby" refers to the regulation of surpluses and the replenishment of shortages within the region first. Examples include the projects which draw water from the Datong River and Qinggeng River in the Huhuan Lake District in Qinghai, the project to draw water from the E‘erqisi River in Altay Prefecture in Xinjiang, the project to draw water from the Datong River to the Hei River in the Hexi region of Gansu, the project to draw water from the Yellow River to the Alxa League in Hei Monggo and so on.

[1984 May 1 [1983 November], Xiao Sanwu [5135 0005 0063] [肖三五], “An Inquiry into Questions of Developing Water Conservation in the Northwest Inland Area”, in China Report: Agriculture, number 84-012, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Beijing ZHONGGUO SHUILI No 6 p 37-40 [Water Conservation in China], translation of original in Chinese, →OCLC, page 67:

On its own Kazakhstan is unable to mount such a challenge. However, the other downstream state liable to be affected by China’s Irtysh extraction plans is Russia.

2001, Central Asian Security: The New International Context, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 80:

The Interfax news agency, citing regional police and emergency services, says the crash occurred Saturday on the Irtysh river, 10 kilometers from the Siberian city of Omsk.

2013 August 17, “Russia boat crash kills 4, injures 49”, in AP News, archived from the original on 2022-05-22:


Deel

en-proper noun

Deel (countable and uncountable, plural Deels)

* As a north German surname, Borrowed from North German Deel.
* Also as a north German surname, variant of Diehl, Diel.
* As an English surname, variant of Deal, itself a variant of Dale and also named after Deal in Kent.

The River Deel, a river mainly in County Limerick, Ireland, which flows into the Shannon estuary.


Orontes

Battle of Qarqar
Kadesh_(Syria)
Orontes
Orontes River
Ramesses II
Ugarit

/ɔːˈɹɒntiːz/

From Latin Orontēs, from Ancient Greek Ὀρόντης (Oróntēs), from Akkadian 𒀀𒊏𒀭𒌓 (Arāntu, “Orontes; site of the Battle of Qarqar”) and also in Egyptian jrnt (“Orontes; river flowing by Qadesh”) attested at least from the period of Ramesses II:
* The meaning of which is contested with connections to: Akkadian 𒀀𒊏𒀭𒌓 (arantu, “a type of grass; fennel”), perhaps in connection to the region around the city of Ugarit, the ruins today being known as رَأْس شَمْرَة (raʔs šamra, “Headland or Cape Fennel”).
* Also connected to Akkadian 𒀀𒊏𒀭𒁺 (araddu, arantu, “wild ass; stubborn”), possibly related to the modern name for the river الْعَاصِي (al-ʕāṣī, “rebel, stubbornly in error, refusing to be corrected”) so-called for its flowing south to the north unlike the rest of the rivers in the region.
* Disputably from Old Median *Arvand; compare Avestan 𐬀𐬎𐬭𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬧𐬝- (aᵘruuaṇt̰-, “swift”).
Doublet of Alvand and Arvand. More at Orontes.

noncog

w:The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
w:Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

A river in Western Asia, about 400 km (250 mi) long, flowing from Lebanon through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Turkey.


River Plate

the River Plate (canonical)
River Platte (alternative dated)

Calque of Spanish Río de la Plata, using the obsolete English term plate (“silver”).

“We, ladies and gentlemen, are taking our countries back. Together our nations – America and Argentina – will inspire the world,” Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee’s co-chair, told delegates who had flooded the basement of a five-star hotel by the River Plate.

2024 December 10, Tom Phillips, Facundo Iglesia, “Maga on the River Plate as global populist right descends on Argentina”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:


Rea

A river flowing through the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England, which flows into the River Tame; in full, River Rea.

A river in Shropshire and co/Worcestershire, England, which flows into the River Teme; in full, River Rea.

A river in Fiordland, Southland region, New Zealand, which flows into Bradshaw Sound; in full, Rea River.


Yellow River

the Yellow River (canonical)
Yellow river (alternative)

Calque of Chinese 黃河 /黄河 (Huáng Hé), chiefly from the river's golden appearance as far west as Lanzhou caused by the enormous levels of silt it acquires from the Loess Plateau but also influenced by the color schema in wuxing ("Five Element") theory, which associates earth with the color 黃 /黄 (huáng), usually translated as "yellow" but also inclusive of shades modern English would consider golden, orange, brown, tan, etc. The earliest Chinese sources simply describe it as 河 (hé, “The River”) but it was later distinguished as the Yellow River after 河 (hé) began to replace 水 (shuǐ) as a generic term for creeks and smaller rivers.

That Riuer of Nanquin which I called (Yamſu or) Ianſu, the ſonne of the Sea, goeth Northward to Nanquin, and then returning ſomewhat Southward, runneth into the Sea with great force; fortie myles from which it paſſeth by Nanquin. And that from hence to Pequin there might bee paſſage by Riuers, the Kings of China haue deriued a large Channell from this to another Riuer, called the Yellow Riuer, ſuch being the colour of that troubled water. This is the other famous Riuer of that Kingdome, in greatneſſe and note, which ariſesth without the Kingdome to the Weſt, out of the Hill Cunlun, conjectured to bee the ſame whence Ganges ariſeth, or one neere to it.

1625, Samuel Purchas, Pvrchas His Pilgrimes, volume III, London, →OCLC, page 340:

Firſt of all, There are in China two famous large Rivers, namely Kiang, and the Yellow River... The Yellow River, by ſtrangers ſo called from the colour of the water, occaſioned by the Yellowneſs of the ground, is named Hoang in the Chineſe Language, and ſeems at firſt to be very Mooriſh; but the ſwiftneſs and great force of its running, makes it appear the quite contrary; for with ſo incredible a ſwiftneſs does this River run, that no Ships are able to Sail up againſt its Stream, but are drawn up againſt the ſame by the main ſtrength of a great number of Track-men: which may proceed from its being contracted within ſo narrow bounds; for in ſome places it is but half a mile broad, and in others a little broader, but in a continued courſe, for in length it extends above 800 miles.

1669, John Nievhoff, translated by John Ogilby, An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China, London: John Macock, →OCLC, pages 235–236:

After passing a short stage, through low lands with very different prospects, a succession of good towns and villages, numerous vessels, and crowds of people, indicated the vicinity of the Yellow River, into which the canal falls with a gentle force.
November 2d, the yachts came to the spot where the canal joins the Yellow River.
The Yellow River runs at this place with such rapidity that the Chinese sailors deemed it necessary to offer a sacrifice to its Guardian Spirit for a safe passage.

1798, Complete View of the Chinese Empire, London, page 400:

As we rode slowly over the Lunghai Line toward Sianfu, across the brown sun-baked plains of Northern Honan, soon to be flooded when the Chinese breached the Yellow River dikes to stop the advancing Yellow Horde, we passed many troop trains en-route to the front.

1941, Edgar Snow, The Battle for Asia, New York: Random House, page 26:

China's Yellow River, or Huang he, is named for the yellow, sandy silt it carries in its water. This silt, called loess, is almost as fine as flour. Over thousands of years, the northwestern wind blowing from the Gobi Desert has deposited hundreds of feet of loess over northern China. As the Yellow River flows through China, it sweeps away the fine, yellow silt and carries it downriver.

2001, Kim Dramer, The Yellow River, Franklin Watts, →ISBN, page 7:

FOR MORE THAN 2,000 years, a branch of the Silk Road — the 600-mile-long Hexi Corridor — has angled southeast from the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts to the Yellow River loess plains.

2020 May 11, Anna Sherman, “A Poetic Journey Through Western China”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-05-11:

Central China, where multiple tributaries of the Yellow River crisscross and monsoon rains are exceptionally heavy, has long been subject to flooding.

2021 July 22, Pei Lin Wu, Rebecca Tan, “Death toll in China floods climbs to 33 as rains spread and more cities call for help”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-07-22, Asia:

The chief river of the North China Plain, the second-longest river in China and sixth-longest river system on Earth, historically prone to massive floods which repeatedly drastically changed its course; it passes through Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces as well as Ningxia and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regions.

Kunlun

Source of the Yellow River in trad. Chinese mythology


Tay

A Metro-Cammell diesel multiple-unit from Dundee approaches Perth on the single-line bridge over the Tay in July, 1961.

1962 October, G. Freeman Allen, “The New Look in Scotland's Northern Division—II”, in Modern Railways, page 269, photo caption:

The longest river in Scotland, United Kingdom, originating on the slopes of Ben Lui and flowing eastwards through the city of Perth before becoming an estuary, the Firth of Tay.

A river in Lanark County, Ontario, Canada, a left tributary of the Rideau.


Char

The River Char, a short river in west Dorset, England.


Ems

From German Ems, from the Roman name, Latin Amisia.


Seven

A river in North Yorkshire, England that flows through Rosedale to join the Rye.


Lune

Probably of Romano-British (Latin) origin, such as Old English ea (“river”) Lōn, a phonetic adaptation of Latin Ialonus, a local Celtic god (and thus from Proto-Celtic *yalom (“clearing”)). Or, possibly from lune, referring to the river's shape.

A river in Cumbria and Lancashire, England, which passes Lancaster.


Aisne

A left tributary of the Oise, flowing through the departments of Meuse, Marne, Ardennes, Aisne and Oise, in northeastern France.


Allier

A left tributary of the Loire, in central France, flowing through the departments of Lozère, Ardèche, Haute-Loire, Puy-de-Dôme, Allier, Cher and Nièvre.


Ariège

Borrowed from French Ariège, from Latin.

A right tributary of the Garonne, in the departments of Ariège and Haute-Garonne, Occitania, France.


Aube

A right tributary of the Seine, in the departments of Haute-Marne, Côte-d'Or, Aube and Marne in northeastern France.


Aveyron

A right tributary of the Tarn, in the departments of Aveyron, Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne, Occitania, France.


Charente

A river in southwestern France, flowing through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime.


Corrèze

A left tributary of the Vézère, in the Corrèze department in southwestern France.


Creuse

A right tributary of the Vienne, in southwestern France, flowing through the departments of Creuse, Indre, Indre-et-Loire and Vienne.


Drôme

Unadapted borrowing from French Drôme, from Latin Druma, related to -drome.

A left tributary of the Rhône in the departments of Drôme and Ardèche, in southeastern France.


Essonne

A left tributary of the Seine, in northern France, flowing through the departments of Loiret, Seine-et-Marne and Essonne.


Eure

A left tributary of the Seine, in northwestern France, flowing through the departments of Orne, Eure-et-Loir and Eure.


Gers

A left tributary of the Garonne in southern France, flowing through the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers and Lot-et-Garonne.


Hérault

From French Hérault. The Hérault River was known in Latin as Arauris (or Araura by Strabo). The name is sometimes considered pre-Celtic although the element Ara- suggests a Celtic root.

A river flowing through the departments of Gard and Hérault, in southern France.


Indre

A left tributary of the Loire, flowing through the departments of Cher, Indre and Indre-et-Loire in central France.


Loiret

A left tributary of the Loire in central France, contained completely within the Loiret department.


Marne

From French Marne; in the sense of the German town and the place in Iowa named after it, from German Marne.

A right tributary of the Seine, in eastern France, flowing 319 miles east and southeast of Paris through the departments of Haute-Marne, Marne, Aisne, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne.


Nièvre

A right tributary of the Loire, in the department of Nièvre in central France.


Oise

A right tributary of the Seine, originating in Belgium and flowing through the departments of Aisne, Oise, Val-d'Oise and Yvelines in northeastern France.


Var

A river in southeast France, flowing through the departments of Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.


Saint Louis

From French Saint-Louis, usually after King Louis IX of France (sometimes with oblique reference to later French kings named Louis). Sometimes after other places named for him. In the case of the Alsace commune, originally from German Sankt Ludwig bei Basel. In the case of the Minnesota river, thought to reference its French discoverer's recent Cross of Saint Louis, named for the French king. Doublet of São Luís.

St Louis (alternative)
St. Louis (alternative)
Saint-Louis (alternative)

A river in northeastern Minnesota, United States.


Nicholson

From Nicholas + -son. Doublet of Nielsen.

Northern Territory
Northern Territory#English

A number of places and rivers in Australia:

A river in the Northern Territory and Queensland which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

A river in Victoria which flows through the town.

A river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia which joins the Ord River.


Lynch

en-proper noun

Lynch (countable and uncountable, plural Lynchs or Lynches)

* As an Irish surname, from Ó Loingsigh (“descendant of Loingseach”), from long (“ship”).
* Also as an Irish surname of Anglo-Norman origin, from De Línse, Gaelicized from Norman/French de Lench, from Lench in Worchestershire, from Old English hlinc (“hill”).

A tributary of the North Fork Rivanna River, Virginia.

A minor river at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, which joins the River Lea.


Klamath

From Chinook Jargon Tlamatl (“either "swiftness" or "they of the river"”), with the first syllable's onset consonant cluster dissimilated and the coda of the second syllable changed to the somewhat similar-sounding interdental fricative during the process of anglicization.

bor

A river in southern Oregon, and northern California.


Ceyhan

A river in Anatolia, in southern Turkey, also known as the Pyramus, flowing 509 km from the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea.


Zhang

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 漳 (Zhāng).

Until the recent construction of a system of roads, the Wei River was northern Henan Province's principal link with the outside world, connecting it with the Grand Canal and thence the city of Tianjin and the sea.[...]In addition, just to the northwest of the county lies the tempestuous Zhang River; usually shallow, it becomes a raging torrent during heavy monsoon rains, flooding the border area of northern Henan and southern Hebei provinces.

1996, Peter J. Seybolt, “Introduction: Houhua Village in Space and Time”, in Throwing the Emperor from His Horse: Portrait of a Village Leader in China, 1923-1995, Westview Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 10:

During the hot, dry month of August 1992 the farmers of Baishan village in Hebei province and Panyang village in Henan came to blows. Residents from each village hurled insults and rudimentary explosives at the other across the Zhang River – the river that feeds the Red Flag Canal Irrigation System and forms the border between the two provinces.

2015 September 3, David Pietz, “How History Shaped China's Water Crisis”, in The Diplomat, archived from the original on 2015-09-06:

A river in Shanxi, Henan and Hebei, China.


Oneida

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Oneida.wav

Derived from Oneida Onyota'a꞉ka (“men of upright stones”).


Daly

en-proper noun

Daly (countable and uncountable, plural Dalys)

Dalys (plural)
Dailey (alternative)
Daley (alternative)

(surname): Anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Dálaigh, from dálach (“frequenting meetings”). Compare dáil.

A placename
A river in Australia: see Daly River.

A locality in Litchfield Municipality, Northern Territory, Australia.


Appomattox

The river was named after the Appamatuck tribe of Native Americans (whose name is from Powhatan). The town was named after the county, which in turn was named after the river.

The Appomattox River, a river in Virginia, United States.

Appomattox County
Appomattox County#English

A town, the county seat of Appomattox County, Virginia, United States, formerly known as Nebraska and Appomattox Station

A historic village in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States, formerly the county seat, also known as Clover Hill and Appomattox Court House


Coatzacoalcos

From Spanish, from Classical Nahuatl; see below.

A large river which flows through the city of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, and into the Gulf of Mexico.


Yarkand

A river in China, upon which the city of Yarkant is located. The upper part of this river is known as Raskam.


Godavari

A major river in South India which flows through Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.


Monnow

A river flowing through Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, United Kingdom, which joins the River Wye at Monmouth.


Lison

Lison (countable and uncountable, plural Lisons)

Multiple etymologies, including:
* French Lison, Calvados, or the Lison river, both in France
* a variant of Leyshon, from a Welsh personal name
* Slovak Lisoň
* Polish Lisoń

A river in Doubs department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.


Abuna

American Heritage Publishing Co.
w:American Heritage (magazine)

A river in northeastern Bolivia that forms part of its border with Brazil.

Abunã

river in the border between Bolivia and Brazil


Boyne

A river in County Kildare, County Offaly, County Meath and County Louth, Ireland.


Dodder

A river in Ireland, a tributary of the Liffey.


Tamanduateí

A river in São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil.


Mono

Uncertain. The Monache, a related ethnic group, seems to derive their name from a common source as the Mono, as -chi occurs otherwise in the Yokutsan and Miwok languages as a relatively common suffix on tribal names.


Yamuna

Jumna (alternative)
Gemini (alternative)
Gemna (alternative)

A transliteration of Sanskrit यमुना (yamunā), which is from यम (yama, “twin”), as the Yamuna runs in parallel with the Ganges.

The largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India.

Arthur Anthony Macdonell
Arthur Berriedale Keith
Yamuna


Wye

From Brythonic; compare Welsh Gwy. Lye and Bosworth instead suggest Old English wæg (“wave”).

A river in Wales and England, including Powys, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire, the fifth-longest in the UK.

A river in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England, which flows into the River Derwent.

A river in Buckinghamshire, England, which joins the Thames at Bourne End.


Cowichan

Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island#English

British Columbia
British Columbia#English

A river in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.


Orwell

From Middle English Orewelle (attested in Chaucer).


Mureș

A river which runs through Romania, starting in the eastern Carpathians and joining the Tisza in Hungary, being about 761 km (473 mi) long.


Exe

From Old English Ex, a borrowing from Proto-Brythonic *Uɨsk (compare Welsh Wysg), a river name perhaps originally meaning "abundant in fish". Cognate to the river names Axe, Esk, and Usk.

A river in Somerset and Devon, England, rising in Exmoor and flowing into the English Channel near Exmouth.


Gore

From any of various places named Gore, from gore (“a triangular piece of land where roads meet”).

Gore Water, a minor tributary in Scotland which flows through Gorebridge to the River South Esk.


Barrow

English surname, from placenames derived from Old English bearu (“grove”).
The place in Furness is of Celtic origin, from *barros (“promontory, peak”) + Old Norse ey (“island”).

A river in eastern Ireland, which flows from County Laois, via County Kildare, County Kilkenny, County Carlow, County Wexford and County Waterford to Waterford Harbour.


Crane

Crane (countable and uncountable, plural Cranes)

* As an English surname, from the noun crane.
* As a Dutch surname, spelling variant of Krane.
* As a German surname, adaptation of Krahn and Krahnich.

Crane (surname)
Crane#Places
River Crane

A minor river in Dorset, England, which becomes the Moors River near Verwood; the name is a back-formation from Cranborne.

A minor river in Greater London, England, which joins the Thames near Twickenham.


Guest

A river in Virginia, United States, a tributary of the Clinch.


Meade

Meade (countable and uncountable, plural Meades)

Two main origins:
* A variant of Mead, a topographic or occupational surname.
* Anglicized form of Irish Midheach, superseded spelling of Míoch (“Meathman, a native of Meath”).

A place in the United States:
A river in Alaska.


Brazos

From Spanish brazos (“arms”), from río de los Brazos de Dios ("river of the Arms of God").

A river that flows through Texas, United States, into the Gulf of Mexico.


Foyers

A river in Highland council area, which flows past the village to Loch Ness.


Krems

Crems (alternative)
Krems an der Donau (alternative)

A river in Waldviertel, Lower Austria, Austria.


Tisza

From Hungarian Tisza. Known in Latin as Pathissus, Ancient Greek Πάθισσος (Páthissos), perhaps from Thracian–Dacian *patis (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *póntoh₁s; compare Sanskrit पाथस् (pāthas, “water”), Sanskrit पन्था (pánthā-), Ancient Greek πόντος (póntos, “the sea”). The word may have been reanalyzed by the Slavic tribes as composed of Proto-Slavic *po (“by, at”) + *tisъ (“yew”) (compare Russian тис (tis)). More at Tisza.

cog

A river in Central Europe, flowing through Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine.


Mignon

Borrowed from French Mignon.
* (surname): Occasionally of Walloon origin.

A left tributary of the Sèvre Niortaise in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.


Achelous

From Latin Achelōus, from Attic Greek Ἀχελῷος (Akhelôios), Epic Greek Ἀχελώϊος (Akhelṓïos), which is probably from Akkadian aḫu/aḫû + illu/elu/ilu; see also Etruscan [script needed] (Axlei) and [script needed] (Αυκηλως), which are probably from Akkadian aklu (“chieftain”) and Sumerian akil.

Acheloos (alternative)
Akheloos (alternative)
Acheloios (alternative)


Min

The Lamyet (or Nanjeih) islands are situated to the northeastward of Chinchew bay, the nearest distant about forty miles. The mainland, leaving its usual northeastern direction, runs out due east for above thirty miles, and the first of the Lamyet islands lies off the easternmost point of it. From hence there is an almost uninterrupted series of islands and islets, up to the mouth of the Yangtsze keäng. The Lamyet islands are opposite to the entrance of a deep bay, at the bottom of which is the city of Hinghwa foo, the capital of the most fertile portion of Fuhkeën. This bay, however, has not yet been visited by foreigners. The outermost of the Lamyet islands, named by Ross Ocksou, was found, when passed by the ships of Lord Amherst’s embassy, to be in lat .24° 59' 15" north, lon. 119° 34' 30" east. About thirty miles further to the northward, we pass between an island of peculiar form and the main. This island is named Haetan, the altar of the sea ; in shape it is semicircular, and of nearly equal breadth throughout. A few miles above this island we reach the mouth of the river Min.

1837 May, “Coast of China: the division of it into four portions ; brief description of the principal places on the southeastern, eastern, and northeastern portions.”, in The Chinese Repository, volume VI, number 1, Canton, →OCLC, pages 12–13:

We traveled down the Min River from Nanping in a small sampan, flying the American flag for protection against bandits and soldiers. Those were the days when the Stars and Stripes still afforded some protection.

1953, John C. Caldwell, China Coast Family, Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 96:

Matsu is about 200 miles north of Quemoy and flanks the mouth of the Min River. The mainland city of Foochow, famed for its lacquer craftsmanship, is a short distance up the Min.

1973 November 4, “Matsu is strong, prosperous”, in Free China Weekly, volume XIV, number 43, Taipei, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2:

We left Foochow after an early breakfast, and after half an hour on a boat ferry that took us from the city environs across the Min River and up a tributary, we landed in Minhou county, and took the highway that led across Yungtai county to Tehua.

1975, Rewi Alley, “Some Fukien Pottery Kilns, Ancient and Modern”, in Eastern Horizon, volume XIV, number 3, Hong Kong: Eastern Horizon Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26, column 2:

Foochow was a picturesque city of considerable size and consequence before its designation in 1842 as one of the five original treaty ports. It was the headquarters of Manchu civil and military offcialdom in Fukien Province. Its location on the Min River, which flowed through a major tea-producing district, and its excellent harbor gave the city additional importance as a port.

1978, Burton F. Beers, China in Old Photographs 1860-1910, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 111:

In a small store in Tingjiang, across the Min River in Lianjiang County, questions about smuggling people into America prompted a lively discussion.

2003 September 7, David W. Chen, “For Many Chinese, America's Allure Is Fading”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-05-27, World:


Ribeira Grande

Unadapted borrowing from Portuguese Ribeira Grande big or large river

ubor

one of the longest streams of the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde.


Syr Darya

Ultimately from Persian. See دریا (daryâ, “sea”) for more.

A major river in Central Asia, running parallel to the Amu Darya.


Passarge

A river in central Europe which flows into the Vistula Lagoon.


Düna

The Daugava (a river in eastern Europe).


Pechora

A river in the Komi Republic and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia.


Medway

From Old English Medwæġe, from Romano-British Late Latin Madus.

A major river which flows through East Sussex and Kent, southern England, and into the Thames Estuary.


Parrett

A river which flows from Dorset, through Somerset, England, and into the Bristol Channel.


Lugg

A river originating in Powys, Wales, which enters Herefordshire, England, and joins the River Wye at Mordiford, Herefordshire.


Northern Dvina

So called to distinguish it from the Western Dvina or Daugava.


Almond

North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire#English

A river in North Lanarkshire council area, West Lothian council area and Edinburgh council area, Scotland, which empties into the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh.

Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross#English

A river in Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, which joins the River Tay.


Bain

* As a Scottish surname, from Scottish Gaelic bàn (“white, fair”), also found in McBain.
* As an English surname, from Old English ban (“bone”). Also from bayn (“hospitable”), from Old Norse beinn (“straight”).
* As a French surname, from Old French bain (“bath”), from Latin balneum.
* As a German surname, spelling variant of Behn.

A river in Lincolnshire, England, which flows south to the River Witham.

A short river in North Yorkshire, England, which joins the River Ure near Bainbridge.


Fitzroy

en-proper noun

Fitzroy (countable and uncountable, plural Fitzroys)

Fitzroys (plural)
FitzRoy (alternative)
Fitz Roy (alternative)

From Middle English [Term?], from Anglo-Norman fitz (du) roy (“son [of the] king”). Equivalent to Fitz- + roy.

der

A river in central Queensland, Australia, which flows to the Great Barrier Reef.

Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef#English

A river in the Kimberley region, Western Australia, which flows into the Timor Sea.

Western Australia
Western Australia#English


Horner

en-proper noun

Horner (countable and uncountable, plural Horners)

The River Horner or Horner Water, a minor river in Somerset which passes through the hamlet.


Lemon

Lemon (countable and uncountable, plural Lemons)

A minor river in Devon, England, which joins the River Teign at Newton Abbot.


Light

English surname, from both senses of light.

The River Light, a river in the Mid North region, South Australia, named after William Light.


Oxley

Oxley (countable and uncountable, plural Oxleys)

From Old English oxa (“ox”) + lēah (“woodland clearing”). Equivalent to ox + -ley (“lea”).

A number of places in Australia, most of which are named after John Oxley:

A river in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, a tributary of the Tweed.


Tanais

(archaic) The river Don, the fifth-longest in Europe, in modern Tula, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Volgograd and Rostov Oblasts, Russia.


Guadalquivir

/ˌɡwɑːdəlkɪˈvɪə/

Borrowed from Spanish Guadalquivir, derived from Arabic وَادِي الكَبِير (wādī l-kabīr, literally “the great river”).

der

وَادِي الكَبِير

From here, you would dangle your legs over the edge of the River Guadalquivir, the bank unprotected, one able to take a dip if one so wished.

2021, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Open Water, Viking, page 69:


Irrawaddy

From Burmese ဧရာဝတီ (erawa.ti), from Sanskrit इरावती (irāvatī, “granting drink or refreshment”).

Ayeyarwady (alternative)
Irawadi (alternative)
Irawaddi (alternative)
Irawaddy (alternative)
Irawady (alternative)
Irrawaddi (alternative)

A river that flows through Burma (Myanmar).


Leipsic

A river in the United States; flowing from Masseys Mill Pond in Smyrna, Delaware into the Delaware Bay at Bombay Hook.


Drin

The longest river in Albania, flowing about 190 km across the north of the country from the confluence of the rivers Black Drin and White Drin near Kukës, west through the Fierza Reservoir then south through Lake Koman to the town of Vau i Dejës; it then splits into the Large Drin which flows into the river Buna at the Rozafa Castle near Shkodër and the Small Drin which flows into the Gulf of Drin southwest of Lezhë.


White Nile

One of the two main tributaries of the River Nile in Africa, which starts in Lake No and flows into the Nile at Khartoum.


Blue Nile

A river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into the Nile at Khartoum in Sudan; one of the two major tributaries of the Nile.

اَلنِّيل الْأَزْرَق

One of the two main tributaries of the River Nile


Rockaway

A river in New Jersey, a tributary of the Passaic.


Douro

Borrowed from Portuguese Douro, from Old Galician-Portuguese Doiro, from Latin Durius, possibly from Proto-Celtic *dubros (“water”).


Ottery

Presumably from Old English oter + ēa (“otter river”)

The River Ottery, a river in Cornwall, England, which joins the River Tamar.


Jinsha

From the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for 金沙 (Jīnshā, literally “golden sand”).

Kinsha (alternative)
Kin-sha (alternative)
Kin Sha (alternative)
Chinsha (alternative)
Chin-sha (alternative)
Chin Sha (alternative)
Jin Sha (alternative also)
Jingsha (alternative misspelling)

The Sanjiang Fold System is an Indosinian geosynclinal fold system, lying in western Yunnan and the Qamdo area of Tibet east of the Nujiang River and west of the Jinsha River. In eastern Tibet the Jinsha, Lancang and Nujiang Rivers turn suddenly to the south to form the famous Sanjiang (Three-River) Valley.

1987, “Brief Description of the Main Tectonic Units of China”, in Geotectonic Evolution of China, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 83:

Except for the ten or more days when we rested in Zunyi Prefecture in northern Guizhou Province and the five days when we stopped in Huili County after we had crossed the Jinsha River, we spent all of our time marching, regardless of the weather, from Jiangxi to Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan and then to Xikang⁶⁶ provinces, and then on to Lifan¹⁰² and Songpang in Sichuan Province.

1995 [1935], Chen Yun, “My Experiences on the Westward March”, in Selected Works of Chen Yun, volume I, Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, pages 54–55:

'Here,' announced Wei, 'is the start of the mighty Tongtian River, which flows into the Jinsha River and then into our glorious Yangtze.'

2016, Richard Loseby, chapter 10, in A Boy of China (Non-fiction), HarperCollins, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 120:

A ceremony was held on Monday to mark the coming on stream of the first unit of the Wudongde power plant, built near the provincial border of Yunnan and Sichuan on the Jinsha river, the upstream branch of the Yangtze.

2020 June 30, David Stanway, “China's giant Wudongde hydro project begins power generation”, in Kenneth Maxwell, editor, Reuters, archived from the original on 2020-06-30, Environment:

The Baihetan Dam on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze, is part of Chinese efforts to curb surging fossil fuel demand by building more hydropower capacity at a time when dams have fallen out of favor in other countries due to environmental complaints.

2021 June 28, “China turns on world’s second-biggest hydropower dam”, in AP News, archived from the original on 2021-06-28:

A river in Qinghai and western Sichuan, China, the headwater of the Yangtze.


Buller

en-proper noun

Buller (countable and uncountable, plural Bullers)

Occupational surname for a scribe or copyist, from an agent derivative of Middle English bulle (“letter, document”).

der

A river and gorge on the West Coast, New Zealand.


Rhondda

Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf#English

A river in Rhondda Cynon Taf borough county borough, South Wales with two main tributaries, Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach.


Wei

A river in China, a tributary of the Yellow River.


Wey

A river in Surrey, England, a tributary to the Thames.

A short river in Dorset, England, which flows from Upwey to the sea at Weymouth.


Alberche

A river in central Spain, that flows into the Tagus.


Draa

Dra (alternative)
Drâa (alternative)
Darha (alternative)

A river in Morocco that starts from the High Atlas mountains and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.


Quaboag

A river in Massachusetts that heads at Quaboag Pond in Brookfield and flows west to the village of Three Rivers


Ubangi

A river in Central Africa, the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River.


Waikato

A river in the Waikato region, North Island, New Zealand, emptying into the Tasman Sea; the longest in the country.


Yarmouk

A river in Jordan, Syria and Israel, the largest tributary of the Jordan River.


Qelt

A river in Palestine, flowing seasonally in Wadi Qelt.


Quaggy

A short river that passes through the London boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham.


Zeya

A river in southeastern Russia, a tributary of the Amur.


Bogan

Uncertain. Possibly from an Australian Aboriginal language.

A river of central to northern New South Wales, Australia, a tributary to the Darling.


Eucumbene

A river in the Snowy Mountains range of New South Wales, dammed at the man-made Lake Eucumbene to produce hydroelectricity.


Ingeegoodbee

A river in the Snowy Mountains range of New South Wales, Australia.


Jenolan

A river in New South Wales, Australia, that flows underground for about 400 metres at Jenolan Caves.


Frome

A river in Dorset, England, that serves Dorchester.

A river that flows through Gloucestershire, to meet the Avon in the centre of Bristol.

A river in the Stroud area of Gloucestershire, that joins the Severn.

A minor river in Herefordshire, England, which joins the River Lugg.


Nepean

A river to the southwest and south of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.


Yeo

en-proper noun

Yeo (countable and uncountable, plural Yeos or Yeoes)

Any of several rivers in Somerset and Devon, England

A river, also known as the River Ivel, in North Dorset and South Somerset, which joins the River Parrett near Langport, in England, United Kingdom.


Parramatta

The Parramatta River, a river in Sydney, New South Wales, flowing through the suburb and into Sydney Harbour.


Queanbeyan

Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory#English

A river in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales that supplies drinking water for the town and the territory.


Torrens

Torrens (countable and uncountable, plural Torrenses)

Borrowed from Catalan Torrens. It is also a variant of the surname Torrence.

A river that flows through Adelaide, South Australia, named after Robert Torrens.


Warragamba

A river in New South Wales, Australia, that provides much of the water supply for greater metropolitan Sydney.


Yass

Apparently from an Australian Aboriginal language, yharr (“running water”).


Granicus

/ɡɹəˈnaɪkəs/

From Latin Granicus, from Ancient Greek Γρανικός (Granikós).

A river in northwestern Anatolia, where Alexander the Great defeated the forces of the Persian Empire under Darius III


Loir

Centre-Val de Loire
Centre-Val de Loire#English

Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire#English

A left tributary of the Sarthe in Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire, France, indirectly a tributary of the Loire.


Saint Lawrence River

the Saint Lawrence River (canonical)
St. Lawrence River (alternative)
Saint-Lawrence River (alternative)
St.-Lawrence River (alternative)
St-Lawrence River (alternative)

From Saint Lawrence + river. Calque of French fleuve Saint-Laurent. From Middle French Fleuve sainct Laurens. Named after Roman martyr Saint Lawrence. Coined by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1604. In turn named after the Saint Lawrence estuary, itself coined by another French explorer, Jacques Cartier, which lies at the mouth of the river. That bay was named for being discovered on the Feast Day of Saint Lawrence, 10 August 1535.

coin

Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence

A large river in Canada, connecting the Great Lakes with the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.


São Francisco

From Portuguese São Francisco (“Saint Francis”). Doublet of San Francisco.


Canning

* The civil parish in New Brunswick is likely named after British prime minister George Canning (1770 - 1827).
* The village in Nova Scotia is named after British prime minister George Canning (1770 - 1827).

A river in Western Australia, named after George Canning.


Ely

Inherited from Middle English Ely, from Old English Ēlīg, of uncertain origin.

Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan#English

A river in Rhondda Cynon Taf borough county borough, Vale of Glamorgan borough county borough and Cardiff, Wales, which flows into the Severn Estuary.


Bode

* As a Dutch and German surname, from bode (“messenger”).
* As a German and Danish surname, from the name Bodo, derived from Old Saxon bodo (“messenger”), related to above.
* As a Dutch and German surname, from Bude (“booth, small house”).

A river in Germany, a tributary to the Saale


Lay

* As an English surname, spelling variant of Lee.
* As a Scottish surname, reduced from McClay.
* As a Khmer surname, Khmer ឡាយ (laay).
* As a French surname, from several place names in France. The river is from Medieval Latin Ledius.
* As a German surname, from various placenames in Bavaria and Rhineland.


Colo

en-proper noun

Colo (countable and uncountable, plural Colos or Coloes)


Kodori

A river in Abkhazia, flowing through the Kodori Gorge


Seinäjoki

South Ostrobothnia
South Ostrobothnia#English


Saco

A number of places in the United States:

A river in New Hampshire and Maine which discharges into Saco Bay.


Neckar

A river in Germany, a major tributary of the Rhine, mostly flowing through Baden-Württemberg


Shatt al-Arab

/ˌʃæt æl ˈæɹ.əb/

From Arabic شَطّ اَلْعَرَب (šaṭṭ al-ʕarab, literally “stream of the Arabs”).

uder

شَطّ اَلْعَرَب

A river in Southwest Iraq, formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris; the southern end of the river constitutes the border between Iraq and Iran down to the mouth of the river as it discharges into the Persian Gulf.


Ord

* As an English surname, from the dialectal noun ord (“point, place”). Compare Ort.
* As a Scottish Gaelic surname, habitational name from Ord in Peeblesshire or Banffshire, from òrd (“hammer”).
* The city in Nebraska is named after Edward O. C. Ord.
* The river in Australia is named after Harry Ord.

(Ord River) A river in Western Australia.


Mondego

A river in Portugal, the longest entirely in the country.


Mataura

A river in Southland, New Zealand, which flows through the town.


Dnipro

From Ukrainian Дніпро́ (Dnipró) and earlier Днѣпръ (Dnipr), from Old East Slavic Дънѣпръ (Dŭněprŭ), from Proto-Slavic *Dъněprъ, from Old Ossetic *dānu apara (“the far river”) or *dānapr (“the deep river”). The former derivation would pair it with the Dnister (“Near River”), while the latter would refer to its lack of fords. Doublet of Dnieper and Danasper. As a city, originally a clipping of Dnipropetrovsk, formally adopted as the town's name in 2016 as part of general decommunization of placenames. Its oblast has not yet followed suit because it is mentioned by name in the Ukrainian constitution.

der

Dnipro
Dnipro Raion
Dnipro River
Dnipro basin

Dnipriany

rural settlement in Kakhovka Raion, Kherson Oblast

Dniprovka

several rural settlements in Ukraine and Kazakhstan

(with the) A major East European river which flows south through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine into the Black Sea.


Cochrane

Cochran (alternative)
Cockrum (alternative)
Cocrane (alternative)
Cocran (alternative)
Cochren (alternative)
Cockram (alternative)
Cockran (alternative)
Cockren (alternative)
Colqueran (alternative)
Cothran (alternative)
Coughran (alternative)
Cofran (alternative)
Cohran (alternative)
Corcoran (alternative)
Corcorran (alternative)
O'Corcoran (alternative)
MacCorcoran (alternative)

The surname has multiple origins:
# From the placename "Lowlands of Cochrane", in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
# An anglicization of Scottish Gaelic Maceachrain.
# An anglicization of Irish Ó Corcráin (“descendant of Corcrán”).


Cooper Creek

Named in 1845 after Charles Cooper, the Chief Justice of South Australia.

A river in Australia, flowing into Lake Eyre basin.


Saguenay

From Innu shakaikanipeiau, (river which widens to form a lake).

A city, river, and region of Quebec, Canada.


Gatineau

A river in Quebec, Canada; a tributary of the Ottawa river.


Waswanipi

From Cree ᐙᔂᓂᐲ (waaswaanipii, “light over the water”), a traditional night-time fishing method.


Red River

They have also identified the fault in the earth's crust along which this motion took place. It is a belt of severely altered rocks more than 600 miles long, from Tibet to the Gulf of Tonkin. The Red River, which flows from China across Vietnam into the gulf, follows this zone.

1990 February 20, “SCIENCE WATCH; How Indochina Moved”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-05-25, Section C, page 13:

Thanks to the Red River, the principal watercourse that disgorges into the gulf, the coastal region has long enjoyed a navigable connection to the foothills of the gulf's mountainous hinterland (modern Laos, northern Vietnam, and Yunnan) and to the peoples of the region and the valuable local products that historically flowed downriver from them to the sea.

2011, Li Tana, “The Tongking Gulf Through History: A Geopolitical Overview”, in Nola Cooke, Li Tana, James A. Anderson, editors, The Tongking Gulf Through History, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 5:

A river in northern Vietnam and Yunnan, southern China.

紅河 /红河

the Red River of Yunnan in southern China and of northern Vietnam