Choronym (from χώρα 'region' or 'country' and ὄνομα 'name') is a linguistic term that designates a proper name of an individual region or a country. The study of regional and country names is known as choronymy, or choronymics. Since choronyms are a subclass of toponyms, choronymic studies represent a distinctive subfield of toponymic studies and belong to the wider field of onomastic studies.
Choronymic studies are primarily focused on questions related to the origin (etymology) and meanings (semantics) of choronyms. Since names of regions and countries have great historical, cultural, political and social significance, the field of choronymic studies is closely related to sociolinguistic and ethnolinguistic studies.
The term choronym was introduced to linguistic terminology in the second half of the 20th century.
Choronyms can be classified by several criteria, primarily related to their origin (etymology) or meaning (semantics).
According to their origin (etymology), choronyms are divided in two basic groups:
According to their meanings (semantics), choronyms can also be divided into: