A Concise List of Place Name Alternatives for Sephardic Genealogists

The multiplicity of ethnic groups within the Ottoman Empire, and the change of political administration from war, often led to localities being known by more than one place name. The following lists some place names with their alternative names that may be of interest to Sephardic genealogists. This is a work in progress. Please report errors/additions/corrections as you find them to staff@sephardicstudies.org

PLACE NAME	ALTERNATIVE NAMES	PRESENT LOCATION
ADAPAZARI	ADA PAZAR, ADAPAZAR	TURKEY
AHISAR	AKIHISAR, THYATIRA	TURKEY
ALEPPO	ALEP, ARAM-TSUBA, HALAB	SYRIA
ALEXANDRIA	NA AMON	EGYPT
ANTALYA	ADALIA	TURKEY
AYDIN	AYDYN, AIDIN, GUZEL HISSAR	TURKEY
BANJA LUKA	BANJALUKA, BANALUKA	BOSNIA
BEYROUTH	BEIRUT	LEBANON
BUDAPEST	BUDA, BUDIN, OFEN, PEST	HUNGARY
BURGAS	BERGOS, BOURGHAZ	BULGARIA
BURSA	BROUSEE	TURKEY
CANAKKALE	CHANAKKALE , DARDANELLES, MIGDALIM, TCHANAKALE	TURKEY
CHIOS	CHIO, HIOS, KHIOS, SAKIZ, SCIO, XIO, XIOS	GREECE
CRETE	KIRID, YERIT	GREECE
DAMASCUS	DAMAS, SHAM	SYRIA
DEDEAGATCH	DEDEAGH, DEDEAGHADJ, ALEXANDROUPOLI	GREECE
DIMOTIKA	DEMOTIKA, DIDIMOTIKHO , DIDIMOTICHO	GREECE
DOBNITCH	DOBNICA, DUPNITSA, STANKE DIMITROV	BULGARIA
EDIRNE	ADRINOPLE, ADRIANOPLE, ADRIANOPOLUS	TURKEY
ENIDZHE VARDARSKO	ALEXANDRIA	MACEDONIA
FLORINA	LERIN , FLORINO	GREECE
GELIBOLU	GALLIPOLI, CALLIPOLI	TURKEY
HALKIDA	AGRIPON, HALKIS, CHALKIS	GREECE
ISTANBUL	CONSTANTINOPLE, ESTAMBUL, KOSTAN, KOSPOLI, KOSHTA, KOSHTANDINA, KONSTANTINOPYLA, STAMBOUL	TURKEY
IZMIR	ESMIE, EZMIR, ESMIRNA, SMIRNA,SMYRNA, SMYRNE	TURKEY
JAFFA	YAFA, YAFO	ISRAEL
JANINA	IOANINNA, YANYA	GREECE
JERUSALEM	KUDS, SION, QUDS, YERUSHALAYIM, YERUSHALAIM	ISRAEL
KASSABA	CASSABA, TURGUTLU KASSABA	TURKEY
KASTORIA	KOSTUR, KESRIE	GREECE
KAVALLA	KAVALA, CAVALLA	GREECE
KIRKKILISSE	KIRKLARELI, KIRK-KILISE	TURKEY
KOMOTINI	GOUMOULTZINA, GUMULCINE, GUMULDJINA	GREECE
KOS	COS, ISTANKOY	GREECE
LUGADIN	LANGAZA	MACEDONIA
MANISA	MAGNASIA, MANISSA	TURKEY
MEGRE	FETHIYE	TURKEY
MONASTIR	BITOLA, BITOLJ, MANASTIR	MACEDNIA
MUSTAFA PASHA	MOUSTAFA PACHA, DJISTRI MOUSTAPHA	TURKEY
NIKOPOL	NICOPOLIS, NIGBOLI	BULGARIA
NISH	NIS	SERBIA
NOVI SAD	UJVIDEK	SERBIA
PAZARDJIK	TATARPAZARI, TATAR PAZARDJIK	BULGARIA
PERGAMO	BERGAMO, BERGAMA	TURKEY
PLEVNE	BLEVNE , PLEVEN	BULGARIA
PLOVDIV	FILIBE, PHILIPPOPOLIS	BULGARIA
PROVADIYA	PREVADI, PROVADIA	BULGARIA
RAGUSA	DUBROVNIK	MONTENEGRO
RHODES	RODI, RODOS	GREECE
ROUSTCHOUK	ROUSSE, RUSE, RUSC,UK	BULGARIA
THESSALONIKI	SALONIKA, SELANIKI, SALONIKI, SALONICA, SALONICO, SALONIQUE	GREECE
SARAJEVO	BOSNA SARAY, BOSNA	BOSNIA
SERRES	SEREZ, SIRON, SIROZ	GREECE
SHTIP	ICHTIB, ISHTIB, ISTIB, STIP	MACEDONIA
SKOPJE	ESCOPIA, USKUB, USKUP, UESKUEB	MACEDONIA
SLIVEN	ISLIMIYE	BULGARIA
SOFIA	SOFYA, SOPHIA	BULGARIA
STARA ZAGORA	ZAGRA-I-ATIK, ESKI ZAGRA , YESKI ZAGRA , STARA SAGORA	BUGARIA
TEKIRDAG	RODOSTO, TEKFURDAGI	TURKEY
TIBRERIAS	TIBERIADE, TABARIE	ISRAEL
VERRIA	VEREJA, VEROIA, VERIA, VERROIA, BER	GREECE
VIDIN	WIDDIN	BULGARIA
VODINA	EDESSA, EDHESSA, VODEN	GREECE
VOLOS	GOLOS, VOLO	GREECE
XANTHI	ISKECE, ISKETCHE	GREECE

Initial development by Mathilde Tagger & Dov Cohen (Israel), David Sheby & S. Alfassa-Marks (USA)