Madrid

Formerly Magerit; etymology uncertain, but probably derived from one or more of the following:
* Latin matrix (“mother or womb [of rivers]”),
* Arabic مَجْرًى (majran, “channel”)
* hypothetical Celtic *Mageto-ɸritus (“great ford”)


Barcelona

Barcelona (the capital city of Catalonia, Spain)


Valencia

→ Cebuano: Valencia

→ Chinese: 巴倫西亞 /巴伦西亚 (Bālúnxīyà)

→ Tagalog: Valencia

Borrowed from Catalan València, from Latin Valentia.

Valencia (the capital city of the autonomous community of Valencia, Spain)


San Sebastián

San Sebastián (a city in the Basque Country, Spain)


Bilbao

Three possibilities are:
* From Basque billa (“stacking”) + Spanish vaho (“steam, mist”).
* Evolution of Spanish bello vado (“beautiful river crossing”), from the Roman name, Latin bellum vadum.
* From Basque billa-ibaia-bao (“river cove”).

Bilbao (the largest city in the Basque Country, in northern Spain, and capital city of the province of Biscay, Spain)


Pamplona

Inherited from Latin *Pompelōnem, Roman name of the city, reconstructible from attested Pompelōnēnsis (“related to Pamplona”), found in Pliny, and Pompaelō, the name as found in the Antonine Itinerary. Apparently named after the Roman general Pompey.

Antonine Itinerary
Pamplona
Pliny
Pompey


Ceuta

Borrowed from Arabic سَبْتَة (sabta) or Berber, from Latin Septem (Frātrēs) (“seven [brothers]”).


Melilla

→ English: Melilla

rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines

Borrowed from Arabic مَلِيلْيَة (malīlya), from Tarifit Mlilt.

bor+

Melilla (an autonomous city of Spain and exclave at the edge of Morocco)


Granada

English: Granada

French: Grenade

English: Grenada

Turkish: Gırnata, Granada

From Arabic غَرْنَاطَة (Ḡarnāṭa), originally the name of a medieval suburb that was incorporated into the city.

bor

Arabic غَرْنَاطَة (Ḡarnāṭa)


Jerez

Caere
es:Jerez de la Frontera
es:Jerez de los Caballeros

Inherited from Old Spanish Xerés, from Arabic شَرِيش (šarīš), from Latin Ceret, Caeret, which has been etymologically identified with the Caere in Etruria.

Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera#English

Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera (a city in western Andalusia, Spain)


Córdoba

Borrowed from Arabic قُرْطُبَة (qurṭuba), itself a borrowing from Latin Corduba, from Phoenician Qartuba; originally Qart-Juba, named after Numidian king Juba I.

Cordoba (a city in Cordoba, Spain; province of Andalusia, Spain; province of Argentina; department of Colombia)


León

Legio VII Gemina
es:León (desambiguación)

Inherited from Latin legiōnem. The places in Spain are named after the Roman legion that settled them, the Legio VII Gemina. Doublet of legión, which was a learned borrowing. Unrelated to león.

Castile and León
Castile and León#English

León (a city in Castile and León, Spain)


Santiago

Inherited from Latin Sanctus Iācōbus (“Saint 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 of the foot”).

der

Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela#English

Santiago, Santiago de Compostela (a city in Galicia, Spain)

Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic#English

The name of several cities in Chile, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Spain, and several other Spanish-speaking countries


Valladolid

Attested in 11th century Latin documents in forms such as Valleolide and Valledolidi. The beginning corresponds to valle (“valley”) and the ending seemingly to Olid, a known adaptation of the Arabic name لوليد (Walīd). The additional /-d-/ would in that case represent a possessive (de).

aprovechando que el Pisuerga pasa por Valladolid

Valladolid (a city in Valladolid, Spain)


Sevilla

Borrowed from Arabic إِشْبِيلِيَة (ʔišbīliya), a deformation of the Latin Hispalis, ultimately from Phoenician 𐤔𐤐𐤋𐤄 (šplh /sefela/, “valley, plain”).

bor+

إِشْبِيلِيَة

der

Seville (the capital city of Andalusia, Spain)


Guadalajara

→ English: Guadalajara

→ French: Guadalajara

From Arabic وَادِي الْحِجَارَة (wādī l-ḥijāra, literally “valley of stones”).

وَادِي الْحِجَارَة

Guadalajara (a city, the capital of Guadalajara, Spain)


Alicante

→ Cebuano: Alicante

→ English: Alicante

→ Tagalog: Alicante

From Arabic اَلقَنْت (al-qant) or لَقَنْت (laqant), from Latin Lucentum, or Leukante (Local Latin), ultimately from Ancient Greek λευκός (leukós, “white, bright”). Originally named Ἄκρα Λευκή (Ákra Leukḗ) or Λευκή Ἄκρα (Leukḗ Ákra, “white summit”) by Phocaean Greeks.


Zaragoza

From Old Spanish Çaragoça, from Navarro-Aragonese Zaragoza (and numerous variants), from Mozarabic, from Latin Caesaraugusta.


Eljas

Eljas (a city and municipality of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain)


Sandoval

→ English: Sandoval

→ Tagalog: Sandoval

From Old Spanish Sannoval, from Latin saltus (“grove”) + novālis (“newly cleared land”).


Oviedo

Originally known as Ovetao, or Ovetum (in Latin).

Oviedo (the capital city of Asturias, Spain)


Elche

From Ancient Greek Ἑλίκη (Helíkē, “A nymph who took care of Zeus in his infancy on Crete”). The Spanish city was named after Helike by Greek colonists.


Toledo

English: Toledo

Polish: Toledo

Inherited from Old Spanish Toledo, from Latin Tolētum.


Cádiz

→ English: Cádiz, Cadiz

→ Italian: Cadice, Càdice

→ French: Cadix

→ Venetan: Càdice

Borrowed from Arabic قَادِس (qādis), from Latin Gādēs, from Ancient Greek Γάδειρα (Gádeira), from Phoenician 𐤂𐤃𐤓 (gdr /gādēr, gādīr/).


Mérida

From the third word of the Latin “colōnia Augusta Ēmerita”, from the feminine of ēmeritus (“veteran”), referring to the Iberian city being founded as an imperial veterans’ colony.

Mérida (a city in Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain)


Sabadell

Unadapted borrowing from Catalan Sabadell, of uncertain Latin origin.


Málaga

→ Catalan: Màlaga

→ English: Malaga, Málaga

→ Greek: Μάλαγα (Málaga)

→ Hebrew: מָלָגָה (Malága)

→ Polish: Malaga, Málaga

→ Portuguese: Málaga

→ Russian: Ма́лага (Málaga)

Borrowed from Arabic مَالَقَة (Mālaqa), from Latin Malaca, from Phoenician 𐤌𐤋𐤊 (Málaka or Malake).


Badajoz

Perhaps from Mozarabic, perhaps from Latin Pācem Augustam. /st/ > /t͡s/ is characteristic of Mozarabic. Compare Arabic بَطَلْيَوْس (baṭalyaws).


Gijón

Gijón (a city on the coast of Asturias, in northwestern Spain)


Ávila

→ Catalan: Àvila

→ English: Ávila

Originally a medieval form of Medieval Latin avis (“bird”), but influenced by Germanic pronunciation.


Cartagena

Ultimately from Latin Carthāgō Nova (“New Carthage”), of Punic origin, cognate to 𐤒𐤓𐤕-𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕 (qrt-ḥdšt, “Carthage”, literally “New City”).


Monterrey

Borrowed from Galician Monterrei, from monte (“mountain”) + rei (“king”), equivalent to Spanish monte + rey.

A town, the capital of Orense in Galicia, Spain


Gerona

Japanese: ヘローナ (Herōna)


Logroño

Unknown, but most likely from Old Spanish lo (definite article) + Celtiberian gronio (“ford”). More at Logroño.

Logroño (the capital city of La Rioja, Spain)


Almería

From Arabic المرية (al-Mariyya), from مَرَايَا (marāyā, “mirrors”) in reference to the settlement's initial role in the 9th century as a watchtower for Bajjana, now Pechina.


Palencia

From the city of Pallantia, in Greek Παλλεντία with the meaning of The plain land.


Zamora

From Visigothic Semure, attested in two coins from the reign of king Sisebuto.


Burgos

Burgos (a city in Castile and León, Spain)


Albacete

From Andalusian Arabic البسيط (“the plain”).


Huesca

Inherited from Latin Osca (the Roman colony was known as Urbs Vitrix Osca). The native name (in a pre-Roman substrate of Iberia) was Bolskan.


Huelva

From Latin Onuba or Onoba, from Phoenician 𐤏𐤍𐤏 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (ʿnʿ bʿl, “Baal's fortress”), through Arabic وَلْبَة (walba).


Trujillo

From the city in Spain, from Arabic تُرْجَالَة (turjāla), from Latin Turgalium.

one of several cities, districts, and provinces, mostly in Spanish-speaking countries:


Vigo

Borrowed from Galician Vigo, from Latin Vīcus Spacōrum (literally “village of the Spaci”).


La Coruña

Uncertain. Predominant theories are:
* A corruption of the word for “crown” (see corona, via Galician, Old Spanish, French, or a Celtic language;
* From French Cluny, a commune in eastern France;
* From Crunia, a medieval Leonese name of unknown origin.
More at La Coruña.


Antequera

Antequera (a city in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain)


Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria#English

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (a city in the Canary Islands, Spain)


Las Palmas

Las Palmas (a city in Las Palmas, Spain)


Gasteiz

Vitoria (the capital city of the Basque Country, Spain)


Hospitalet de Llobregat

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat#English

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (a city in Spain)


Alcalá de Henares

Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares#English

Community of Madrid
Community of Madrid#English

Alcalá de Henares (a city in the Community of Madrid, Spain)


Castellón de la Plana

Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana#Spanish


Getafe

Getafe (a city in the Community of Madrid, Spain)


Lérida

Inherited from Latin Ilerda, from the name of an Iberian tribe. Compare Catalan Lleida.


Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife#English

Santa Cruz de Tenerife (a city in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain)


Pucela

(colloquial) Valladolid (a city in Castile and León, Spain)


Ciudad Real

Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha#English

Ciudad Real (a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain)


Pontevedra

Pontevedra (a city in Pontevedra, Spain)


Soria

Possibly via Old Spanish Dauria from Latin Durius, name of a river; see Duero.


Astorga

From Leonese Estorga. Inherited from Latin Asturica (Asturica Augusta), from the name of the Astures, a Hispano-Celtic tribe of northern Spain.


Avilés

→ English: Avilés


Alcalá

Borrowed from Arabic الْقَلْعَة (al-qalʕa, “the citadel, the fort”).

bor+

the name of a number of cities and towns in Spain

Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares#Spanish


Reus

Reus (a city in Tarragona province, Catalonia, Spain).


Barcino

Barcelona (the capital city of Catalonia, Spain)


Villena

Valencian Community
Valencian Community#English

A city in Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain


Lepe

Lepe (a city and municipality of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain)


Plasencia

Plasencia (a market city in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain)


Ripoll

Ripoll (the capital of Ripollès, Girona, Catalonia)


Figueras

Of toponymic origin, from Catalan Figueres.

Figueres (a city in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain)


San Fernando

Named after King Ferdinand III of Castile.


Ponferrada

Ponferrada (a city in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain)


Puerto Real

English: Port Royal

French: Port-Royal

Puerto Real (a city in Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain)


Lorca

Lorca, a municipality and city in Murcia, Spain


Martos

Martos (a city and municipality of Jaén, Andalusia, Spain)


Mahón

Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands#English

The capital city of Minorca, Balearic Islands, officially Maó in Catalan


Monzón

A city, a municipality of Huesca, Aragon, Spain


Ferrol

Attested from the 11th century, of uncertain origin, perhaps from the Latin Ferreolus, a name, or from ferrō (“iron”).

Ferrol (a city in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain)


Nueva York de La Mancha

[…] vivo en la capital de España, pero duermo en el Nueva York de La Mancha.

2007 May 20, Joaquín Reyes, “Un Quijote Park en La Mancha”, in El País:

[…] I live in the capital of Spain, but I sleep in the New York of La Mancha.

(humorous, informal) Albacete (a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain)


Bocho

(colloquial) Bilbao (a city in the Basque Country, Spain)


Guadix

[ɡwaˈð̞iɣ̞s]

From Arabic وادي آش (wādī ash, literally “Valley of Ash”), from Latin Acci, from Ancient Greek Ἄκκι (Ákki).

der

A city and municipality of Granada, Andalusia, Spain