Raleigh

Meanings

proper noun

A medieval manor in Devon, England.
An English habitational surname from the manor in England.
Sir Walter Raleigh, English explorer and soldier.
A male given name, transferred from the surname.
The capital city of North Carolina, United States and the county seat of Wake County; named for Sir Walter Raleigh.
A locality in the Bellingen council area, north-eastern New South Wales, Australia.
A town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; named for Sir Walter Raleigh.First known use 1914
Multiple smaller locales in the United States:
1. A town, the county seat of Smith County, Mississippi; named for Sir Walter Raleigh.
2. A neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee; named for the city in North Carolina.
3. A village in Illinois; named for the city in North Carolina.
4. A census-designated place in Florida.
5. A census-designated place in North Dakota; named for Sir Walter Raleigh.
6. An unincorporated community in Georgia; named for Raleigh Bowden.
7. An unincorporated community in Indiana; named for the city in North Carolina.
8. An unincorporated community in Iowa.
9. An unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia; named for its county, which was named for Sir Walter Raleigh.

From Old English rā, rāha (“roe deer”) + lēah (“woodland, clearing”). Equivalent to roe + -ley (“lea”).

More words from Old English

rally (one pronunciation)

Cite this entry

APA

Raleigh. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Raleigh

MLA

“Raleigh.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Raleigh. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Raleigh,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Raleigh.

Source: Raleigh on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.