Alençon

Alençon (a town and commune, the prefecture of Orne department, Normandy, France)


Tokyo

Tokyo (a prefecture, the capital city of Japan)


Nancy

From the medieval name, Medieval Latin Nanciacum, from Old High German Nanzig.

Nancy (a city, the prefecture of Meurthe-et-Moselle department, Grand Est, France)


Mâcon

A development of earlier Mascon, from Medieval Latin Masconis, a syncopated form of Madasconis and Matisco, probably from Gaulish matus (“bear”) (from Proto-Celtic *matus, commonly understood as a euphemistic derivation from *matis (“good”)) and a suffix equivalent to -iscus (“-ish: forming adjectives”).

Mâcon (a city and commune, the prefecture of Saône-et-Loire department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France)


Albi

Albi (a town and commune, the prefecture of Tarn department, Occitania, in southern France)


Rouen

Inherited from Old French Roem, from the Roman name, Latin Rotomagus, from the Gaulish name Ratumacos, from *rato- (of unclear origin - see Rouen) + *magos, from Proto-Celtic *magos (“field”).

Rouen (the prefecture of the department of Seine-Maritime, and the capital of the region of Normandy, France, on the Seine River)


Caen

Inherited from Old French Caem, Cahom, likely inherited from Latin *Catumagus, from Gaulish *catu-, a word used to describe military activity (see Proto-Celtic *katus), + *magos (“field”).

Caen (a city and commune, the prefecture of the department of Calvados, France)


Angers

Inherited from Latin Civitas Andecavorum, from Andecavi.

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Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire#English

Angers (a city, the prefecture of Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire, France)


Grenoble

Inherited from Old French Graignovol, ultimately from Late Latin Grātiānopolis, named after the emperor Gratian.

Grenoble (a city, the prefecture of the department of Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France)


Montpellier

From Medieval Latin mōns (“mountain”) Pessulanus, Pestellarius, pislerius, pistillarius, variant of pastellus (“woad, dye”).
The municipality of Québec is named after postmaster Louis Beaulieu, dit Montpellier.

Montpellier (a large city, the prefecture of Hérault department, Occitania, France)


Nantes

From Latin Portus Namnetum, from the name of the Namnetes, a local Gaulish tribe.

Nantes (the prefecture of the department of Loire-Atlantique, France; the capital city of the region of Pays de la Loire, in historical Brittany)


Vannes

The Roman name was Latin Veneti, a Gaulish/Celtic tribe whose name likely shares a Proto-Indo-European origin with other similar sounding tribes, from Proto-Celtic *wenyā (“kindred, family”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive”). More at Veneti.

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Vannes (a town and commune, a prefecture of Morbihan department, Brittany, France)


Tours

From Latin Turonum, from Turones, the name of the area's Gaulish inhabitants in antiquity.

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

Tours (a city, the prefecture of Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire, France)


Toulon

From the Roman name, Latin Telō Mārtius. The first word could be from Telo, a Celtic spring deity, from Proto-Celtic *telo (“water hole, spring”), or from the obsolete tol (“hill”), from Proto-Celtic *tullon, *tullos (“hole”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tew- (“to push, hit”) (Welsh twll, Breton toull, Irish toll).

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Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur#English

Toulon (a city, the prefecture of Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)


Laval

LL-Q150 (fra)-Benoît Prieur-hôtel de la Croix-Laval.wav

From la (“the”) + val (“vale (valley)”).
* (Mayenne): From being situated at a valley
* (surname): Derived from the placename in Mayenne
* (Quebec municipality): Derived from the surname of an early settler
* (Quebec island): Derived from the name of the city located on the island

Laval (a town and commune, a prefecture of Mayenne department, Pays de la Loire, France)


Osaka

Borrowed from Japanese 大(おお)阪(さか) (Ōsaka, literally “large hill”).

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Osaka (a prefecture on the island of Honshū, Japan)


Le Mans

English: Le Mans

From Old French Celmans, from Vulgar Latin *Cenomanus, from Latin Cenomanorum, ultimately named after the Celtic tribe Cenomani. The first syllable was later reanalyzed as cel (“this”) and replaced with le (“the”).

Je vais aller au Mans

Le Mans (a city, the prefecture of Sarthe department, Pays de la Loire, France)


Carcassonne

First attested as the Roman name, Latin Carcasō (Pliny).

Carcassonne (an old walled city, the prefecture of Aude department, Occitania, France)


Belfort

From Old French Belfort, from bel (“beautiful”) + fort. Doublet of beaufort.

Territoire de Belfort
Territoire de Belfort#English

Belfort (a city and commune, the prefecture of Territoire de Belfort department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France)


Quimper

Quimper (a city, the prefecture of Finistère department, Brittany, France)


Périgueux

Roman name, from Latin Petrocorii, Gaulish tribe name, from *petru (“four”) + *corii (“tribes”), from Proto-Celtic *kʷetwores (“four”) + *koryos (“army, tribe”). Compare Old Irish cuire.

Périgueux (a commune, the prefecture of the department of Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France)


Blois

Inherited from Old French Blais, Bleis, from Late Latin Blesēnses, Blesensibus, Blesis (Merovingian), from Gallo-Roman *Blesu, a Celtic/Gaulish name possibly meaning "wolf," from Proto-Celtic *bledyos (“wolf”).

Blois (a city and commune, the prefecture of Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire, France)


Montauban

From the Medieval name, Medieval Latin mōns albanus, "white mount".

Montauban (a town and commune, the prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne department, Occitania, France)


Agen

Borrowed from Occitan Agen, from Latin Aginnum.

Agen (a city and commune, the prefecture of Lot-et-Garonne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France)


Nevers

a prefecture of Nevers, Nièvre department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France


Saint-Brieuc

Saint-Brieuc (a city and commune, the prefecture of Côtes-d'Armor department, Brittany, France)


Besac

(informal) Besançon (a city and commune, the prefecture of Doubs department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France)


Bobigny

Bobigny (a town and commune, the prefecture of Seine-Saint-Denis department, Île-de-France, France)