Peep through the opposite end of the looking glass, however, and we find that examples of foreign place names here in Scotland are thin on the ground.
But that’s not to say there are no examples to be found. In fact, there are more than half a dozen Scottish town and village names that boast an exotic cousin.
Setting off by car from California at 11am and arriving in Moscow by noon, we take a tour around 7 Scottish place names derived from foreign shores.
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription at https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions.
5. Joppa
Next door to Costa del Porty is Joppa and this too can trace its origins across thousands of miles of land and sea. Being of biblical origin, the name Joppa is said to have been adapted from the port of Jaffa in Israel in the 18th century. Photo: Creative Commons
6. Mount Florida
Today it's a densely-populated Glasgow suburb and the last train stop for football fans disembarking for Hampden, but Mount Florida can trace its name back to the early 19th century and a villa called Mount Florida House, which was owned by a family who came from Florida USA. Photo: Creative Commons
7. Patna
The Ayrshire village of Patna was founded in 1802 by estate owner William Fullarton, whose father had been employed by the British East India Company. Fullarton named the new village after the ancient city of Patna in Bihar province, India, where he was born. Photo: Creative Commons