At a Glance: Name: Samarkand – Meaning: often read as 'stone fort,' or simply 'town/fort' – Origin: Sogdian/Persian – Pronunciation: sam-er-KAND
Samarkand is a Sogdian/Persian name meaning “often read as 'stone fort,' or simply 'town/fort'”. It appears in our list of 225+ City Names for Babies With a World-Traveler Soul.
Meaning & Origin of Samarkand
Meaning: Often read as 'stone fort,' or simply 'town/fort'.
Origin: Sogdian/Persian.
A common claim: Popularly translated as 'stone fort' or, less often, 'fat city.' Actually: 'Fat city' isn't well supported. 'Town/fort,' from the well-established suffix '-kand,' is the more credible reading, with 'stone' as the leading (though still debated) guess for the first part.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Samarkand
Phonetic: sam-er-KAND IPA: /ˌsæmərˈkænd/
Popularity of Samarkand
Samarkand doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.
Lists That Include Samarkand
Similar Names
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