How Each State got its Name

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The 50 U.S. states have taken their names from a wide variety of languages. The names of 24 U.S. states emanate from Native American languages, while 22 other state names derive from European languages. Below is the U.S. colored by the linguistic source of each state’s name.

The names of 25 U.S. states derive from indigenous languages:
• Algonquian languages – 8 states
• Siouan languages – 7
• Iroquoian languages – 3
• Uto-Aztecan language – 1
• Hawaiian language – 1
• Other Native American languages – 5

The map below created by @fromthepeople.co shows U.S. states’ names with native American origins.

22 other U.S. state names derive from European languages:
• Latin – 7 states
• English – 5
• Spanish – 5
• French – 4

The etymologies of 6 states are disputed.

Of the 50 U.S. states, 11 are named after a person. Of those 11, 6 are named in the glory of European majesties (North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Georgia).

Over the years, several tries have been made to name a U.S. state after one of the Founding Fathers or other great leaders of U.S. history (Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, etc.). Still, only Washington materialized.

Here’s a list of each U.S. state and the meaning or translation of its name:

• Alabama – The name “Alabama” comes from the Choctaw Indian language and is derived from the words “alba” meaning vegetation or plants and “amo” meaning gatherer or picker. It refers to the indigenous people’s skill in collecting plants.
• Alaska – The name “Alaska” is believed to have originated from the Aleut word “Alyeska,” which means “the mainland” or “great land.”
• Arizona – The name “Arizona” is derived from the Spanish word “Arizonac,” which was a term used by early Spanish explorers. Its exact meaning is uncertain, but it may be related to the Basque word “aritz ona,” meaning “good oak.”
• Arkansas – The name “Arkansas” is derived from the French pronunciation of the Quapaw Native American tribe’s name, “Akansa.” The term “Akansa” refers to the people of the southern wind.
• California – The name “California” is attributed to the Spanish author Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, who used it in his novel “Las sergas de Esplandián.” It is believed to be a fictional place named “California” and was later applied to the region that is now the state of California.
• Colorado – The name “Colorado” is Spanish for “colored red” and refers to the Colorado River, which was named by Spanish explorers for its reddish-brown sediment.
• Connecticut – The name “Connecticut” is derived from the Algonquian word “Quinnehtukqut,” which means “beside the long tidal river” or “at the long tidal river.”
• Delaware – The state of Delaware is named after the Delaware River, which, in turn, was named after Sir Thomas West, Lord De La Warr, the first English colonial governor of Virginia.
• Florida – The name “Florida” comes from the Spanish term “Pascua Florida,” meaning “Flowery Easter.” Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León named the region during his exploration in 1513, which happened around the Easter season.
• Georgia – The state of Georgia was named in honor of King George II of Great Britain.
• Hawaii – The name “Hawaii” is believed to have originated from the Proto-Polynesian word “hawaiki,” which refers to the ancestral homeland of the Polynesians. Over time, the name evolved into “Hawaii.”
• Idaho – The name “Idaho” is a coined term and was suggested by George M. Willing, a lobbyist for the Pike’s Peak Mining Company. The exact origin and meaning of “Idaho” remain uncertain, and Willing later claimed it was a Native American word meaning “gem of the mountains,” but no such word has been found in any Native American language.
• Illinois – The name “Illinois” comes from the Algonquin Indian word “ilinwek,” which means “best people” or “tribe of superior men.”
• Indiana – The state of Indiana was named after the Native American tribes who once lived in the region. The term “Indiana” means “Land of the Indians.”
• Iowa – The name “Iowa” comes from the Native American Dakota Sioux word “Ayúxba,” which means “sleepy ones” or “drowsy ones,” referring to the tribe’s relaxed or peaceful nature.
• Kansas – The name “Kansas” is derived from the Sioux Indian word “Kansa” or “Kaw,” which means “south wind people.”
• Kentucky – The name “Kentucky” is an anglicized version of the Iroquoian Indian word “Ken-tah-ten,” which means “land of tomorrow.”
• Louisiana – The state of Louisiana was named in honor of King Louis XIV of France.
• Maine – The name “Maine” is derived from the French province of Maine. The origin of the French name is uncertain, but it may come from the Latin word “Mediolanum,” meaning “middle” or “center.”
• Maryland – The state of Maryland was named in honor of Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I of England. The name “Maryland” means “Land of Mary.”
• Massachusetts – The name “Massachusetts” comes from the Algonquian Indian language and means “at or about the great hill.”
• Michigan – The name “Michigan” is derived from the Ojibwe Indian word “mishigamaa,” which means “large water” or “large lake,” referring to Lake Michigan.
• Minnesota – The name “Minnesota” is derived from the Dakota Sioux word “Mnisota,” which means “clear blue water,” referring to the state’s many lakes.
• Mississippi – The name “Mississippi” comes from the Ojibwe Indian word “misi-ziibi,” which means “great river” or “gathering of waters.”
• Missouri – The name “Missouri” comes from the Algonquian Indian word “mihsoori” or “ouemessourit,” meaning “wooden canoe people” or “dugout canoe people.”
• Montana – The name “Montana” is derived from the Spanish word “montaña,” which means “mountain” or “mountainous region.”
• Nebraska – The name “Nebraska” comes from the Otoe Indian word “nebrathka,” which means “flat water” or “broad water,” referring to the Platte River.
• Nevada – The name “Nevada” is derived from the Spanish word “nevada,” which means “snow-capped” or “snowy.”
• New Hampshire – The state of New Hampshire was named after the English county of Hampshire.
• New Jersey – The state of New Jersey was named after the English Channel Island of Jersey.
• New Mexico – The name “New Mexico” comes from the country of Mexico, named after the Aztec capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. The term “Mexico” may have originated from the Nahuatl word “mexitli,” referring to the Mexica tribe.
• New York – The state of New York was named after the Duke of York (later King James II of England) when the British captured the area from the Dutch in 1664. It was previously known as New Netherland under Dutch rule.
• North Carolina – The state of North Carolina was named to honor King Charles I of England, who granted the Carolina territory to a group of proprietors. “Carolina” comes from the Latin word “Carolus,” meaning “Charles.”
• North Dakota – The name “Dakota” comes from the Dakota Sioux word “Dakhóta,” meaning “friend” or “ally.” “North” was added to differentiate it from South Dakota.
• Ohio – The name “Ohio” comes from the Iroquoian Indian word “ohiːyo,” which means “great river” or “large creek,” referring to the Ohio River.
• Oklahoma – The name “Oklahoma” comes from the Choctaw Indian words “okla” meaning “people” and “humma” meaning “red,” translating to “red people.”
• Oregon – The origin of the name “Oregon” is uncertain. It may come from the French word “ouragan,” meaning “hurricane” or “storm,” which early explorers used to describe the region’s strong winds.
• Pennsylvania – The state of Pennsylvania was named in honor of Admiral Sir William Penn, the father of William Penn, the founder of the Pennsylvania Colony. “Pennsylvania” means “Penn’s Woods.”
• Rhode Island – The state of Rhode Island’s full name is “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” It was named after the Greek island of Rhodes.
• South Carolina – Like North Carolina, the state of South Carolina was named to honor King Charles I of England. “Carolina” comes from the Latin word “Carolus,” meaning “Charles.”
• South Dakota – The name “Dakota” comes from the Dakota Sioux word “Dakhóta,” meaning “friend” or “ally.” “South” was added to differentiate it from North Dakota.
• Tennessee – The name “Tennessee” comes from the Cherokee village of “Tanasi.” The meaning of “Tanasi” is uncertain, but it is thought to have native roots.
• Texas – The name “Texas” is derived from the Caddo Indian word “teysha” or “tejas,” which means “friends” or “allies.” The Spanish explorers later used this term to refer to the area.
• Utah – The name “Utah” comes from the Ute Indian tribe and means “people of the mountains.”
• Vermont – The name “Vermont” comes from the French words “vert” meaning “green” and “mont” meaning “mountain,” translating to “green mountain.”
• Virginia – The state of Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was often referred to as the “Virgin Queen.”
• Washington – The state of Washington was named after the first President of the United States, George Washington, to honor his leadership during the American Revolution.
• West Virginia – The name “West Virginia” was given when Virginia seceded from the Union during the Civil War. The western counties that remained loyal to the United States formed the new state of West Virginia.
• Wisconsin – The name “Wisconsin” comes from the Native American Ojibwe word “Ouisconsin,” which means “grassy place” or “gathering of the waters.”
• Wyoming – The name “Wyoming” is derived from the Munsee Delaware Indian word “xwé:wamənk,” which means “at the big river flat” or “large plains.”

To learn more about the history of the United States, the following books may be of interest:

• A People’s History of the United States
• A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to America’s Age of Entitlement, Revised Edition
• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (REVISIONING HISTORY)
• These Truths: A History of the United States