No, Atlantis is not on this list

A country named after a drowned dog? 10 countries’ names explained

Image: Andrew Stutesman

Some things are never questioned simply because they’ve always been that way. But even countries have origins—and so do their names. Some names are quite straightforward from the beginning: The United States of America is exactly that—a union of states in America. But others, like Brazil or India, are not quite as simple. Scroll on to learn about the origin of ten countries’ names. You might just pick up a cool little fact to share with your friends.

Image: Xavier von Erlach

It might seem curious that a country so vast is named after a small settlement—but it is. The name Canada likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement." The first official use of Canada as a name came in 1791, when the Province of Quebec was divided into the colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. In 1841, the two colonies were united under a single name: the Province of Canada.

Then, on July 1, 1867, the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick joined to form "one Dominion under the name of Canada."

Image: Scottsdale Mint

This South American country’s name first appeared on a Venetian map in 1536. Argentina means "(made) of silver" or "silver-colored" in Italian, derived from the Latin argentum, meaning silver. The name was originally associated with the legend of the "Silver Mountains," which was widespread among the first European explorers of the La Plata Basin.

In 1860, a presidential decree officially established the country’s name as the Argentine Republic, and that year’s constitutional amendment recognized all names used since 1810 as legally valid.

Image: Fidel Fernando

A close connection with rabbits is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Spain. But that connection plays a role in the origin of the country’s name. The earliest version, Hispania, is believed to have come from the Phoenician word i-spn-ya, which the Romans interpreted as "land of rabbits" or "region rich in rabbits."

Other theories suggest that Hispania may derive from a Punic word meaning "land of metals" or from an Iberian or Basque root referring to the region's geography, but rabbits is the widely popular theory.

Image: Vincent Guth

Norway’s name origin makes sense—it comes from the Old English word Norþweg, first mentioned around 880, meaning "northern way" or "way leading to the north." This is how the Anglo-Saxons referred to the Atlantic coast of what is now Norway. The same idea aligns with the leading theory about the origin of the country’s name in the Norwegian language.

Image: Nathan Anderson

The name India is derived from a corruption of the word Sindhu, the ancient name of the Indus River. Neighboring peoples, particularly the Persians, pronounced the "s" as "h" and referred to the land as Hindu. The Greeks later adapted this to Indos, which led to the Latin India.

The name India was known in Old English, but under French influence, it was sometimes replaced by Ynde or Inde. The form Indie appears in the first edition of the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare, both from the late phase of Early Modern English.

Image: Bob Walker

Quite fittingly, the name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern," and specifically from the hypothetical _Terra Australis_—a "southern land" postulated in pre-modern geography.

The name was popularized by the explorer Matthew Flinders in 1804, and it has been in official use since 1817, replacing New Holland, an English translation of the Dutch name first given in 1643 to the continent.

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The name of this Central African republic comes from the name given by the Portuguese to the Wouri River, which they called Rio dos Camarões, meaning "river of shrimps" or "shrimp river," in reference to the once-abundant Cameroon ghost shrimp. Today, the country’s name in Portuguese remains Camarões.

Image: niko photos

This beautiful country takes its name from the pau-brasil tree, which was once plentiful in its coastal forests. Pau is a colloquial Portuguese word for "wood" or "tree," and brasil comes from brasa, meaning "ember"—a reference to the tree’s reddish sap, once used for dyeing cloth. Today, the wood of the pau-brasil is prized for making cello and violin bows.

Image: Jeremy Cai

Someone who has never seen a picture of Greenland could be forgiven for thinking the country is covered in green, lush pastures—after all, the name implies just that. So how did this ice-covered island come to be called Greenland? It got its name from the Norwegian adventurer Erik Thorvaldsson, better known as Erik the Red, in 985 A.D.

The popular explanation is that the name was a kind of public relations strategy to encourage settlement. However, ice core and mollusk shell data indicate that between 800 and 1300 A.D., the island’s temperatures were considerably warmer than they are today—so perhaps Erik was simply reacting to a greener landscape that has long since vanished.

Image: Ariana Prestes

Moldavia was a historic principality along the Danube River, ruled successively by the Ottomans, the Russians, and the Romanians before becoming the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic after World War II. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, it adopted the name Moldova, after the Moldova River.

Local lore attributes the name to a Transylvanian prince whose favorite hunting dog, Molda, drowned in the river. While this makes for a charming origin story, the name more likely derives from a Proto-Indo-European root, melh, meaning "dark," or from the Gothic word mulda, meaning "dust."

Who were they?

Who was Pollyana? These 12 words derive from fictional characters

Image: Emilio Sánchez Hernández

Giants, dreamers, and even a few villains: They all hide behind a handful of words that sprinkle our vocabulary even today. Who knew that in the 21st century we would still be using nods at heroes from Persian folktales or commedia dell’arte? In this list, we’ll explore 12 words that sprang from the pages of novels, plays, and myths because, first and foremost, they were fictional characters. Let’s dive in!

Image: Aideal Hwa

Ever heard of R.U.R.? Rossum's Universal Robots is the play that gave us "robot." Written by Karel Čapek in 1920, it features mechanical beings called roboti designed to serve humans.

Čapek borrowed the term from the Czech word robota, meaning "forced labor." In the play, these robots rebel, causing global chaos. Čapek’s vision was groundbreaking and already cautionary.

Image: Boudewijn Huysmans

A serendipitous twist is one that is fortunate, delightful, and more importantly, unexpected, like discovering a $20 bill in an old coat. That rare word derives from The Three Princes of Serendip, a Persian fairy tale.

Serendip was an old name for Sri Lanka. In the tale, these princes were known for stumbling upon discoveries by chance. In 1754, Horace Walpole coined the term to describe their knack for happy accidents.

Image: Chris F

Meet the ogre. This word stomped into our vocabulary thanks to Charles Perrault’s fairy tales, especially Puss in Boots. In the story, an ogre is a man-eating giant who can shapeshift.

Perrault likely borrowed the term from the Italian orco (meaning "demon") or Latin Orcus, a god of the underworld. Today, "ogre" describes anyone brutish or cruel—despite how popular or celebrated the ogre Shrek may have become.

Image: Birmingham Museums Trust

Are you annoyed when people misuse words? Enter Mrs. Malaprop. She’s the star of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 1775 play The Rivals. Known for hilariously mangling words, she’d say "pineapple" instead of "pinnacle," or "allegory" for "alligator."

Sheridan named her after the French phrase mal à propos ("inappropriate"). Her blunders gave us "malapropism," any unintentional—and funny—word substitution.

Image: Jeremy Bishop

The word "meander" comes from the Meander River in ancient Greece. Known for its winding path, it became a metaphor for aimless wandering. In mythology, Meander or Maiandros was the patron and deity who guarded this river.

Literature popularized the term, using it to describe any unpredictable journey or anecdote—or someone’s long-winded speech.

Image: Laura Ohlman

You may remember the story of Pollyanna, the cheerful orphan from Eleanor H. Porter’s 1913 novel. She was the one who played the "glad game": Her goal was to find silver linings in every situation.

Her signature optimism was so relentless that "Pollyanna" became a tag for someone unrealistically cheerful, and maybe a bit naive.

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The word "zany" gestated in commedia dell’arte, a 16th-century Italian theater tradition. In these plays, zanni (a Venetian form of "Giovanni") were clownish servants who provided comic relief.

Over time, "zany" came to describe anyone too jokey or clownish. Think of the class clown you best remember, or that friend who’s always pulling pranks. They’re the modern-day zanni, keeping the audience entertained.

Image: Phil Robson

Remember Ebenezer Scrooge? The miserly lead of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is the poster child for penny-pinching and holiday grumpiness.

He was redeemed at the end of his story, but that didn't stop English speakers from using his name as a label for someone often reluctant to share. Dickens likely drew the name from the archaic word "scrouge," meaning to squeeze or press. That’s fitting for a man who hoards every penny.

Image: Laura Chouette

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein gave us not only a groundbreaking sci-fi tale but also a word that’s often misused.

The creature, assembled from body parts and brought to life by Victor Frankenstein, is frequently called "Frankenstein," though that’s technically the scientist’s name. The term now describes any jumbled creation or one that spirals out of control.

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Kind one moment, cruel the next. Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde introduced us to a man with two personalities: the respectable Dr. Jekyll and his monstrous alter ego, Mr. Hyde.

The story explores the duality of human nature. Today we still use "Jekyll and Hyde" to describe anyone with a split personality.

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Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote gave us the word "quixotic." It describes someone who’s idealistic to the point of impracticality.

The novel’s hero, Don Quixote, tilts at windmills, mistaking them for giants. His name comes from the Spanish quijote, meaning "thigh armor."

Image: Vasilis Karkalas

Gargantua was a giant with an equally massive hunger. He was introduced in François Rabelais’ 16th-century series of satirical novels, Gargantua and Pantagruel.

The name, derived from the Spanish garganta (meaning "throat"), was a nod at the creature’s appetite. Over time, "gargantuan" came to describe anything enormous.

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Svengali was a sinister hypnotist. In George du Maurier’s 1894 novel Trilby, he used his knack to manipulate the titular character into becoming a singing sensation.

The author invented the word "svengali" for this character and the novel popularized the term. It has since come to describe anyone who controls another, usually with evil intentions.