GeoNames

Overview

GeoNames is one of the oldest free geographic databases — place names, coordinates, countries, postal codes, timezones, and Wikipedia links — served via keyless-ish web services (a free username is the “key”). The demo account exists for testing but its shared daily quota is frequently exhausted.

Note (verified 2026-08): the shared demo username returned “daily limit exceeded” — register a free username at geonames.org for your own quota.

Quick Start

Search places (replace YOUR_USERNAME):

curl "http://api.geonames.org/searchJSON?q=berlin&maxRows=5&username=YOUR_USERNAME"

{
  "totalResultsCount": 1234,
  "geonames": [
    {
      "name": "Berlin",
      "lat": 52.52437,
      "lng": 13.41053,
      "countryCode": "DE",
      "population": 3426354,
      "fcl": "P",
      "fcode": "PPLC"
    }
  ]
}

Postal code lookup:

curl "http://api.geonames.org/postalCodeSearchJSON?postalcode=90210&maxRows=3&username=YOUR_USERNAME"

Timezone by lat/lng:

curl "http://api.geonames.org/timezoneJSON?lat=52.52&lng=13.41&username=YOUR_USERNAME"

Country info:

curl "http://api.geonames.org/countryInfoJSON?username=YOUR_USERNAME"

Authentication

• Free username (geonames.org → register) acts as your key — passed as username= param.
• The demo account works but shares a quota that’s often exhausted (verified).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free tier: ~30,000 credits/day (per registered username); higher via paid plans.
• Services: search, postal codes, timezones, country info, Wikipedia links, elevation, and more.
• HTTP is available (the site is http-first; https works for most endpoints).
• fcl/fcode fields classify places (PPLC = capital city, PPL = town…).

FAQ

Is GeoNames free? Yes — a free username gives ~30k credits/day.

Why did demo fail? The shared demo account’s quota is often exhausted — register your own username.

What data is available? Place names, coordinates, postal codes, timezones, country data, and Wikipedia links.