Bulgarian placename etymology is characterized by the linguistic and ethnic diversity of the Balkans through the ages and the position of the country in the centre of the region.
While typical Bulgarian placenames of Slavic origin vastly dominate, toponyms which stem from Iranian, Turkic, Arabic, Hebrew, Celtic, Gothic, Greek, Thracian and Latin can also be encountered.
Examples: Kardzhali (Kırca Ali, partially Arabic through Hebrew), Kazanlak (Kazanlık), Pazardzhik (Pazarcık), Kyustendil (Köstendil), Buzludzha (Buzluca).
Some names of Romance origin date to later times and are ascribed to the Balkan Latin (Vlach) population, several examples being Vakarel, Pasarel, Banishor, Gurgulyat.
The placename Varna of the non-metathesized group CorC bears witness of Old Bulgarian's preliterate period – or perhaps stemming from a more ancient Proto-Indo-European root.