Riga

Meaning

Proper Noun

• capital city Latvia (country).

Origin

• From Latvian Rīga, of disputed origin:
• Possibly from Livonian ringa ("loop"), referring to the ancient natural harbor formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava river.
• Possibly a form of Riege, the German name for the Rīdzene, a tributary of the Daugava river.
• Possibly from rija, the j becoming a g in German (note that - geographer Richard Hakluyt calls the city Rie in 1589, and that - historian Dionysius Fabricius confirms in 1610 the origin of Rīga from rija).