The names used for some major European cities differ in different European and sometimes non-European languages. In some countries where two or more languages are spoken, such as Belgium or Switzerland, dual forms may be used within the city itself, for example on signage. This is also the case in Ireland, despite a low level of actual usage of the Irish language. In other cases where a regional language is officially recognised, that form of the name may be used in the region, but not nationally. Examples include the Welsh language in Wales in the United Kingdom, and parts of Italy and Spain.
There is a slow trend to return to the local name, which has been ongoing for a long time. In English, Livorno is now used, the old English form Leghorn having become antiquated at least a century ago. In some cases, such as the replacement of Danzig with Gdańsk, the official name has been changed more recently. Since 1995, the government of Ukraine has encouraged the use of Kyiv rather than Kiev.
Below is a summary of the known alternative names for major European cities whose English names begin with the letters E, F, G, and H.
E
| English Name | Selected Other Names |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh | Dún Éideann (Irish), Dùn Èideann (Scottish Gaelic), Caeredin (Welsh), Édimbourg (French), Edimburgo (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese), Edinburg (German, Romanian, Slovenian), Edynburg (Polish), Edinburk (Czech), Edinborg (Icelandic, Faroese), Ejimbara (Japanese), Àidīngbǎo / 爱丁堡 (Mandarin Chinese) |
| Edirne | Adrianopel (former German), Adrianople (former English), Adrianoúpoli – Αδριανούπολη (Greek), Odrin – Одрин (Bulgarian, Macedonian), Jedrene – Једрене (Serbian), Hadrianopolis (Latin) |
| Eger | Erlau (German), Agria (Latin), Eğri (Turkish), Jáger (Slovak) |
| Eindhoven | Eindhove (Limburgish), Endhovia (Latin) |
| Eisenstadt | Kismarton (Hungarian), Železno (Slovak, Slovene), Castrum Ferrum (Latin) |
| Elbląg | Elbing (German), Truso (Old Prussian) |
| Elsinore | Helsingør (Danish, Norwegian), Helsingör (Swedish, German, Finnish), Elseneur (French), Elsinore (Italian) |
| Erfurt | Erfordia (Latin), Jarobrod (Upper Sorbian) |
| Espoo | Esbo (Swedish) |
| Essen | Assindia (Latin) |
| Esztergom | Gran (German), Ostřihom (Czech), Ostrihom (Slovak), Ostrzyhom (Polish), Strigonium (Latin), Estergon (Turkish) |
| Exeter | Caerwysg (Welsh), Isca Dumnoniorum (Latin), Karesk (Cornish) |
F
| English Name | Selected Other Names |
|---|---|
| Famagusta | Ammóchostos – Αμμόχωστος (Greek), Gazimağusa (Turkish), Famagosta (Italian) |
| Feodosia | Kefe (Crimean Tatar, Turkish), Caffa (archaic English), Theodosia (Latin) |
| Flensburg | Flensborg (Danish, Low German), Flensburch (West Frisian) |
| Florence | Firenze (Italian), Florenz (German), Florence (French), Florencia (Spanish), Florença (Portuguese), Firenca (Croatian, Bosnian), Florencja (Polish), Florentia (Latin), Fóluólúnsi / 翡冷翠 (Chinese) |
| Flushing | Vlissingen (Dutch), Flessingue (French), Flesinga (Spanish) |
| Frankfurt am Main | Francfort-sur-le-Main (French), Francoforte sul Meno (Italian), Fráncfort del Meno (Spanish), Frankfurt nad Menem (Polish), Fǎlánkèfú / 法蘭克福 (Mandarin Chinese) |
| Frankfurt (Oder) | Frankfurt an der Oder (German), Frankfurt nad Odrą (Polish), Francfort-sur-l'Oder (French) |
| Freiburg | Fribourg-en-Brisgau (French), Friburgo de Brisgovia (Spanish), Fryburg Bryzgowijski (Polish) |
| Fribourg | Freiburg im Üechtland (German), Friborgo (Italian) |
| Frombork | Frauenburg (German) |
G
| English Name | Selected Other Names |
|---|---|
| Galway | Gaillimh (Irish), a' Ghailbhinn (Scottish Gaelic) |
| Gdańsk | Danzig (German), Gduńsk (Kashubian), Gdansk (Finnish, Turkish), Gdaňsk (Czech), Gedanum (Latin) |
| Gdynia | Gdingen (German), Gotenhafen (German 1939–1945), Gdiniô (Kashubian) |
| Geneva | Genève (French), Genf (German), Ginevra (Italian), Ginebra (Spanish), Genebra (Portuguese), Ženeva (many Slavic languages), Cenevre (Turkish) |
| Genoa | Genova (Italian), Gênes (French), Genua (German, Polish, Latin), Génova (Spanish), Zena (Ligurian), Janov (Czech, Slovak) |
| Ghent | Gent (Dutch), Gand (French), Gante (Spanish, Portuguese), Gaunt (archaic English), Gandavum (Latin) |
| Gibraltar | Jabal Tāriq – جبل طارق (Arabic), Gibilterra (Italian), Cebelitarık (Turkish) |
| Girona | Gerona (Spanish), Gérone (French), Gerunda (Latin) |
| Glasgow | Glaschu (Scottish Gaelic), Glaschú (Irish), Glesga (Scots) |
| Gliwice | Gleiwitz (German) |
| Głogów | Glogau (German), Glogovia (Latin) |
| Gomel | Homel (Polish, German), Homiel (Belarusian) |
| Gorizia | Görz (German), Gorica (Slovene, Croatian), Gurize (Friulian) |
| Görlitz | Zgorzelec (Polish), Zhořelec (Czech), Zhorjelc (Upper Sorbian) |
| Gorzów Wielkopolski | Landsberg an der Warthe (German) |
| Gothenburg | Göteborg (Swedish), Gotemburgo (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian), Gotenburg (Afrikaans) |
| Göttingen | Getynga (Polish), Goettinga (Latin) |
| Granada | Grenade (French), al-Ġarnāda – غرناطة (Arabic), Illiberis (Latin) |
| Graz | Gradec (Slovene), Štýrský Hradec (Czech), Grodziec (Polish) |
| Greifswald | Gryfia (Polish) |
| Grenoble | Gratianopolis (Latin), Cularo (Gaulish) |
| Groningen | Grunn (Low Saxon), Groningue (French) |
| Grozny | Sölƶ-Ġala – Соьлж-ГIала (Chechen), Džochargala (Lithuanian) |
| Grudziądz | Graudenz (German) |
| Győr | Raab (German), Jaurinum (Latin), Đer – Ђер (Serbian) |
H
| English Name | Selected Other Names |
|---|---|
| Haarlem | Harlemum (Latin), Haarlim (West Frisian) |
| Hamburg | Hambourg (French), Amburgo (Italian), Hamburgo (Spanish, Portuguese), Hamburk (Czech), Hammonia (Latin), Hampuri (Finnish), Hamborg (Danish, Low Saxon), Hànbǎo / 漢堡 (Chinese) |
| Hämeenlinna | Tavastehus (Swedish) |
| Hamelin | Hameln (German), Hamelin (French) |
| Hamina | Fredrikshamn (Swedish) |
| Hanover | Hannover (German), Hanovre (French), Hanóver (Spanish), Hanôver (Portuguese) |
| Helsingborg | Hälsingborg (former Swedish) |
| Helsinki | Helsingfors (Swedish, former German), Helsset (Northern Sami), Stadi / Hesa (local slang) |
| Heraklion | Iraklio – Ηράκλειο (Greek), Candia (Italian), Kandiye (Turkish) |
| Hrodna | Grodno (Polish, Russian), Gardinas (Lithuanian), Horadnia (Belarusian) |
| Huesca | Osca (Latin, Catalan), Uesca (Aragonese) |
| Huy | Hoei (Dutch), Hoium (Latin) |
Note: This list is not exhaustive. Many smaller towns and cities also have multiple names across different languages. The names listed include both current official forms and historical or obsolete variants. Sources include the KNAB Place Names Database of EKI and standard reference works on Latin place names (Orbis Latinus).
