List of river name etymologies

Asia

• Chang Jiang (Yangtze): Chinese "long river"
• Dongjiang: Chinese "east river"
• Huang He: Chinese "yellow river"

Europe

• Avon: Brythonic meaning "river"
• Cam: Brythonic meaning "crooked"
• Clwyd: Welsh meaning "hurdle"
• Danube: Latin Danuvius, from Iranian (Scythian or Sarmatian) dānu- 'river', of Indo-European origin
  • Argeş: from Greek or maybe Thracian "arges" = "bright"
  • Bistriţa : Slavic "bistrica" = "fast flowing"
  • Caraş : Slavic "kraš" = "calcareous"
  • Drave: in Latin "Dravus", of Thracian or Illyrian origin, probably from PIE *dhreu = "to flow, to fall"
  • Ialomiţa: Slavic "jalov" = "barren"
  • Mureş: Dacian "mur" = "murky"
  • Prahova: Slavic "prah"="waterfall"
  • Siret: ancient Thracian "Seretos", probably from PIE *sreu = "to flow"
• Don: Celtic goddess Devona
• Mersey: Anglo Saxon meaning "boundary river"
• Ness: Old Norse meaning "isthmus"
• Thames: Latin "Tamesis" from Brythonic meaning "dark river"
  • The River Thame has a similar etymological root
• Tyne: Brythonic meaning "river"
• Wear: Brythonic meaning "water"

North America

• Brazos: Spanish "Los Brazos de Dios" (the arms of God), there are several different explanations for the name, all involving it being the first water to be found by desperately thirsty parties.

See also

• Placename etymology