FROM ARNO TO ZEZERE: River Names That Really Flow
We think and talk a lot about place names–countries like China, states like Georgia, cities like Dallas, even boroughs like Brooklyn. And we also think and talk about nature names, of flowers and trees. Well there’s one category that merges the two together, and that’s river names.
I was planning to put together a list of interesting river names worldwide, but I came upon so many intriguing and unusual possibilities in Western Europe alone, that I decided to save our own country, England and Ireland and others farther afield for some time in the future. Some of those listed here are major waterways like the Seine, others are much smaller streams; and some run through more than one country. And I’m sure you’ll notice that there are those that sound decidedly masculine (Arno), while others could be possible girls’ names (Adaja).
Not surprisingly, some of the most appealing names come from the French countryside:
ALZETTE
ANDELLE
ANOUX
AUBETTE
CALAVON
CEROU
CLAREE
CREUSE
DADOU
EAULINE
ESTERON
LAITA
LAQUETTE
MIDOU
RAVILLOU
RHONE
VARENNE
And here are some Latinate choices from Italy, Spain, and Portugal:
ADAJA
ARBIA
BREGGIA
CAIA
EBRO
ENZA
JABALON
JARAMA
MARANO
NAVIA
OLONA
ORBA
SELLA
TAJO
TIBER
ZANCARA
ZEZERE
And finally a few found in Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium and Greece
ARDOS
AXIOS
DANUBE (which is shown in the illustration)
ISAR
KRIOS
LADON
NEDA
NETTE
RABA
SENNE
THAYA
VLIET