Oikonyms in Western and South Asia

Common affixes used in South Asian oikonyms can be grouped based on their linguistic origin: (with examples from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and elsewhere such as in Sanskrit-influenced Indonesia):

• Dravidian:

  wal, wali, wala, warree, vli, vadi, vali, pady and palli

  hamlet[4] — e.g. Dombivli; Kasan Wala; Sandhilianwali;Gujranwala

• Kot

  fort[5][4] — Pathankot; Sialkot

  Patnam, patham, pattana

  "city", or "city of"[6] — e.g. Visakhapatnam'

• Indo-Aryan:

  Alay

  Abode; from Sanskrit ā-laya. e.g. Meghalaya, Himalaya, Lokā-laya (settlement).

  Desh

  village, land, country; from Sanskrit देश (desa) for "country"[7][8] — e.g. Bangladesh. In Indonesia it becomes Desa which is another Indonesian word for "village".

  Nagar

  city, land, country, village;[5] from Sanskrit नगर (nagara) — e.g. Ahmednagar, Biratnagar. In Indonesian, the word Negara means "country" and the word Nagari is a term used in West Sumatra referring to "village". Also used in Borneo island, e.g. Negara Brunei Darussalam

  Patti

  From Hindi paṭṭī, meaning "strip", itself derived from Sanskrit paṭṭikā. As a place name element, it is used in the sense of "a strip of land". In some cases it refers to a share of land held in joint tenure by a pattidar (literally "shareholder").[9]

  Pur

  village, town, state, country;[5] from Sanskrit पुर (pura) — e.g. Jamalpur; Kanpur; Khanpur; Janakpur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur. In Southeast Asian and some south Asian countries, it is known as pura, e.g. Anuradhapura, Singapura, and Indonesian cities such as Jayapura, Siak Sri Indrapura, Amlapura, Sangkapura, Semarapura, etc. In Indonesia, pura also refers to a Hindu temple.[10]

  Pind

  literally "lump" or a small altar of sand[5]

  Garh

  fortress[11] — Chandigarh, Panchgarh, Ramgarh

• Persian or Arabic:

  Abad (آباد)

  "dwelling of" or "town of", combined with a person's or group's name (usually the founder or primary inhabitant(s))[5][12] — e.g. Ahmedabad; Hyderabad; Ordubad;Agrabad; Shirabad; Islamabad; Khorramabad; Mirza Abad; Ashgabad; Jalalabad; Jalal-Abad; Leninabad; Kirovabad; Vagharshapat; Sardarabad; Sardarapat . Being a generic and an ambiguous term referring to small isolated farms, village (but not city) on one hand, and towns and cities, on the other hand.[13][14][15] See also abadi (settlement).

  Bandar

  port (wikt:بندر) — e.g. Bandar Abbas; see All pages with titles containing Bandar

  Dasht

  field, desert (wikt:دشت) — e.g. Hulandasht; see All pages with titles containing dasht

  Ihtimali and Ghair Ihtimali

  From Perso-Arabic iḥtimāl, meaning "probability". In historical South Asian revenue terminology, Ihtimali referred to flood-prone lands along river banks or in low-lying areas. Ghair Ihtimali meant the opposite, i.e. not liable to flooding during the rainy season. These were used in place names to distinguish two villages with the same name, such as Todarpur Ihtimali and Todarpur Ghair Ihtimali in present-day Aligarh district, India.[16]

  Khas

  From Arabic khāṣṣ, meaning "selected" or "private". In India, it was historically used to refer to a place managed directly by the government or by a jagirdar, without any intermediaries. For example, Jamal Mohd Siddiqi identifies six places with "khās" in their name in present-day Aligarh district, India. All six were founded by Rajput chiefs during the Mughal period, and they all occupy a prominent position on high ground. Khās is also sometimes used in cases where there are two villages with the same name; in this case, khās is affixed to the older and/or larger one.[17]

  Kuy

  neighborhood (wikt:کوی) — e.g. Kordkuy; see All pages with titles containing kuy

  Mazar

  (in various languages) shrine, grave, tomb, etc. (from wikt:مزار), cf. "Mazar (mausoleum)". The placename usually refers to a grave of a saint, ruler, etc.: Mazar-i-Sharif; see All pages with titles containing Mazar

  Mazra or Majra

  Derived from Arabic mazraʕ, which originally refers to a farm field. In parts of India, though, the term refers to a hamlet or cluster of houses that is separate from, but subordinate to, a larger village. (The reason for the hamlet's separation is so that farmers can be closer to their crops.) Places with Majra in their name typically originated in this manner and later became independent villages of their own.[18]

  Milk

  Derived from Arabic milk, meaning "possession" or "property". Like chak, it was historically used to designate a rent-free piece of land. Milk in particular usually designated land held by Muslim zamindars.[19]

  Munzabtah

  Derived from Perso-Arabic munzabt, meaning "confiscated". For example, the village of Raipur Munzabtah in Aligarh district got its name because it was confiscated by the British government after its pattidar participated in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.[19]

  Mutafarriqat

  From Arabic mutafarriqāt, literally meaning "miscellaneous". This was used historically to denote a fiscal or administrative unit consisting of various scattered pieces of land. Villages called "mutafarriqat" are so named because they belonged to such a unit.[17]

  Nisfi

  Derived from Arabic niṣf, meaning "half". For example, the village of Marhauli Nisfi Ashrafabad in present-day Aligarh district was formed by taking out a half portion from Ashrafabad.[19]

  Raiyyat

  From Perso-Arabic ra'iyyat, meaning "subjects, peasants, cultivators". It is used, for example, in the name of Lalpur Raiyyatpur in present-day Aligarh district, which likely originated as a settlement of peasants under the zamindar of nearby Lalpur.[20]

  Shahr, shehr

  city[5] — e.g. Bulandshahr

  Kale, Kaleh, Qala, Qalat, Qila

  fort, fortres, castle;[5] see also "Qalat (fortress)"

  Ganj, gunj, gunge

  Persian-Urdu, taken to mean neighborhood in Indian context. For example, Daryaganj, Sunamganj

  Basti

  a granted habitat, also sanctuary from the Persian suffix, bastī[21]— e.g. Basti Maluk, Azam Basti,

  Nahri

  (irrigation) canal[5]

  Nahr

  wikt:نهر, river, e.g., Nahr-e Mian; see All pages with titles containing Nahr-e

  Dera

  tent[22] — e.g. Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan

  Gerd or Gerad' گرد یا جرد': گرد Belgrad Stalingerad دارابگرد دستجرد

• -Stan, Estan

  "a place abounding in...", "place of..."[23] — e.g. Afghanistan; Pakistan

• Glossary of Arabic toponyms
• Place names in India, for a more in-depth explanation of various place names in India.