15 November is Dynasty Day or King’s Day in Belgium. 15 November being the name day of Leopold, the name of three of the seven Kings of the Belgians. To mark this occasion, and inspired by a Belga News Agency post, let’s take a look at names of villages, towns, municipalities and cities in the Kingdom of Belgium who have names in Dutch, French and German. And let’s add some English as well. 

Navigating Belgium presents an additional challenge: many towns and cities have more than one name, most commonly in Dutch and French, and occasionally a third in German. As these names often differ significantly, both visitors and Belgians can be unaware that they refer to the same place. Belga English sheds some light on this linguistic complexity.

For many newcomers, the confusion begins on the train en route to the country’s busiest station. Should one disembark at Brussel-Zuid or Bruxelles-Midi for Brussels-South? Even with a basic understanding of Dutch and French, such uncertainty is entirely understandable.

In fact, Brussels-South (Zuid in Dutch) is referred to in French as ‘Midi‘, a term historically linked to the south of France – the destination of many 19th-century trains departing from the station.

Brussels itself, being officially bilingual, can be especially tricky. The minor difference between Schaarbeek and Schaerbeek or Laken and Laeken may go unnoticed, and it is relatively easy to grasp that Sint-Gillis is the same as Saint-Gilles, or that Sint-Jans-Molenbeek corresponds to Molenbeek-Saint-Jean.

Confusion may arise when heading to a concert at Vorst Nationaal or Forest National – yes, they are one and the same. But perhaps the greatest surprise comes from seeing both Elsene and Ixelles used interchangeably, with little indication that they refer to the same municipality.

Outside the Brussels-Capital Region, matters become more complicated. Road signs and station announcements typically use only the local regional language – Dutch in Flanders and French in Wallonia – meaning that if one knows only the French name of a Flemish town (or vice versa), reaching the destination may prove difficult.

Many names are either the same or similar, such as Antwerpen / Anvers, Gent / Gand, and Liège / Luik. But the list of exceptions is long. It is less obvious, for instance, that Mechelen and Malines are the same, or that Bastogne is Bastenaken and Tournai is Doornik. While Leuven and Louvain are closely related, Louvain-la-Neuve (which doesn’t get translated to Leuven-het-Nieuwe or Nieuw-Leuven) is a different, newer city altogether.

Mountains of Belgium

Among Belgium’s larger cities, the most confusing is arguably Mons, also known as Bergen. Despite appearing entirely unrelated, both names refer to the same concept. ‘Mons‘ is derived from the Latin word for ‘mountain’, while ‘Bergen‘ is the Dutch word for ‘mountains’. Though the city is not actually on a mountain – Belgium has none – it is situated on hilly terrain.

In Flanders, Scherpenheuvel presents a similar case. Its name and its French counterpart, Montaigu, both describe a sharply rising hill. The town became a pilgrimage site in the 16th century after a statue of Mary was placed on an oak tree atop the hill – a tradition that endures to this day.

There are numerous other examples, particularly around Brussels: Jezus-Eik switches gender and becomes Notre-Dame-au-Bois in French, Braine-l’Alleud as Eigenbrakel, and Dworp as Tourneppe.

Cocky

Further afield, the coastal town De Haan in Dutch becomes Le Coq in French – both names meaning ‘the rooster’. Meanwhile, the French name of Borgloon, Looz, is far from intuitive.

In Wallonia, Soignies is known in Dutch as Zinnik. One of the most striking cases is Tourinnes-la-Grosse, which appears on Dutch maps as Deurne – a name shared with a district in Antwerp and a town in Flemish Brabant. If your journey takes you to Deurne, it is advisable to confirm exactly which one.

Deutsch

German, as one of Belgium’s official languages, adds a third layer. Although the German names of cities like Brüssel or Brügge closely resemble their Dutch equivalents, the difference between German and French can be more pronounced.

Halanzy becomes Holdingen, and Nobressart is Elchenroth. Perhaps the most perplexing is Liège (French) and Luik (Dutch), which in German is known as Lüttich – a name that may sound so unfamiliar, it is mistaken for a completely different place. As one Reddit user put it, it can take years to realise that “Lüttich is, in fact, not a German border city”.

A full list of Belgian place names in Dutch, French and German can be found here. And a list of more translations here.

English and our policy (?)

Some villages, towns, municipalities and cities have English names. Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent are obvious. Mechelen has an English name – Mechlin – but it’s not used anymore. 

We use the English name when there is one. We don’t adhere to the trend of using endonyms. Some geopolitical names have translations and that’s how it is. It means that place has some international significance. 

So if we ever write about the Italian region of Puglia, we’ll use Apulia. We write Turkey, even if the government wants Türkiye. Ivory Coast for Côte d’Ivoire and so on. Although I seemed to have used Côte d’Ivoire in the tags.

But it’s not a set in stone policy. 

Inventing?

Danny and I love to get creative. I usually put Saint-Nicolas and St. Nicholas in Italic and in brackets after Sint-Niklaas. Because Niklaas or Nicolaas is Nicolas and Nicholas. Sint-Mariaburg can become Bourg-Sainte-Marie (FR), Sankt Mariaburg (DE) or Bury St. Mary’s (EN). But we’re inventing. 

But turning Boom, where Tomorrowland is held, into Arbre (FR), Baum (DE) or Tree (EN) sounds too silly.

Kings and queens

Place names are not the only ones evolving. For centuries, it was common practice to translate the names of monarchs, popes, and other prominent figures—particularly when those names originated from languages with different alphabets or naming conventions. 

Kings, queens, and popes were routinely referred to by their localised names, often bearing no resemblance to the original form. For instance, the French king Henri would become Henry in English, Heinrich in German, Hendrik in Dutch and Enrique in Spanish. This tendency was especially strong in European languages with close historical ties, shared monarchic traditions, and robust translation customs.

Let’s not forget legal documents and treaties were often drawn up in Latin and given names were latinized. 

The practice began to change gradually from the mid-twentieth century onwards, largely due to the rise of international media and the standardisation of diplomatic and academic communication. 

As newspapers, radio, and later television began to report on foreign leaders more frequently, a preference developed for using original names rather than translated equivalents. This shift reflected a broader cultural move towards respecting the national and linguistic identity of public figures. In diplomacy and journalism, consistency and precision increasingly took precedence over domesticated forms.

My name is…

By the late twentieth century, it had become standard practice to retain the original names of reigning monarchs and presidents, particularly in English-language media. 

King Felipe VI of Spain, for example, is not referred to as Philip VI in English, nor is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden translated into Charles or Gustav. Likewise, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark retains her Danish name across most languages. 

While some variation persists in languages such as Spanish and German—where Charles may appear as Carlos or Karl when discussing foreign royals—this is increasingly rare and often reserved for historical figures. 

The pope

Popes remain a partial exception to this trend. Papal names are still routinely translated in many languages. Pope Francis, for instance, is known as François in French, Franziskus in German, Franciscus in Dutch and Francisco in Spanish. 

Similarly, Pope John Paul II is widely referred to as Jean-Paul II, Johannes Paul II, Johannes-Paulus II, Juan Pablo II, and Giovanni Paolo II, depending on the language. Nevertheless, even here, the original Latin forms such as Franciscus or Ioannes Paulus II are used in formal Church documents and academic contexts. In English-language journalism, however, the translated names remain the norm for popes.

History

When it comes to historical monarchs, translation is still common, especially in cases where long-established forms exist within a language’s historiography. Charlemagne, known in German as Karl der Große and in Spanish as Carlomagno, retains his Latin-derived French name in English. 

Philip II of Spain is typically translated in English and French as Philip and Philippe, respectively, while the French king Louis XIV appears as Ludwig XIV in German and Luis XIV in Spanish. These traditional renderings persist primarily because they have become entrenched in historical writing and educational systems.

Outside Europe

In contrast, non-European or contemporary political leaders are now almost universally referred to by their original names. Figures such as Volodymyr Zelensky, Xi Jinping, or Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are not translated at all, reflecting a global consensus that political identity and international respect are best maintained by preserving original names.

Overall, the move away from translating names is the result of modernisation, internationalisation, and a growing sensitivity to linguistic and cultural authenticity. While some translated forms endure in the case of popes and historically renowned rulers, the trend in both public discourse and formal communication is towards fidelity to the original.