created and named as a U.S. territory 1817 by a division of Mississippi Territory; ultimately named for one of the native peoples who lived there, who speak Muskogean. Their name probably is from a Choctaw term meaning "plant-cutters." Related: Alabamian.

native American people formerly of Mississippi and Alabama, 1670s, from Chickasaw Chikasha, the people's name for themselves. Also their (Muskogean) language.

city in Alabama, U.S., from Muskogee /talati:ki/, a tribal town name, from /(i)talwa/ "tribal town" + /-atiiki/ "at the edge, border."

place in Alabama, named from a Muskogee tribal town taskeke (first recorded in Spanish as tasquiqui), literally "warriors."

industrial city in central England, 1086, Bermingehame, literally "homestead of the place (or people) named for Beorma, a forgotten Anglo-Saxon person, whose name probably is a shortening of Beornmund. The Birmingham in Alabama, U.S., was founded 1871 as an industrial center and named for the English city.

city in north-central France, Roman Senones, the capital of the Gaulish people of the same name.

capital of Afghanistan, named for its river, which carries a name of unknown origin.

Russian capital, named for the Moskva River, the name of which is of unknown origin. Moscow mule vodka cocktail is attested from 1950.

southern Vietnamese city, capital of former South Vietnam, named for its river, which bears a name of uncertain origin.

so named 1868, from Japanese to "east" + kyo "capital;" its earlier name was Edo, literally "estuary."