Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
Table of contents
| Alabama | From the Alabama or Alibamu people, though the river was named first. Alabama comes from the Choctaw for "vegetation pickers," in reference to local farming practices. |
| Alaska | A corruption of the Aleut word for "mainland", alaxsxaq (lit. "that which the sea breaks against"). |
| Arizona | Likely from an O'odham phrase meaning "little spring," in reference to a particular mining area. |
| Arkansas | Likely from a French version of the Illinois name for the local Quapaw people. |
| California | From an adventure book, Las Sergas de Esplandián, by Garcia Ordóñez de Montalvo, c. 1500 |
| Colorado | From the Spanish for "ruddy" or "red" (lit. "colored") in reference to color of the Colorado River. |
| Connecticut | From an Algonquian word (Quinnehtukqut) meaning "beside the long tidal river" |
| Delaware | From Delaware River and Bay; named in turn for Sir Thomas West, Baron De La Warr |
| Florida | From the Spanish Pascua Florida, meaning "feast of flowers" (Easter) |
| Georgia | In honor of George II of England |
| Hawaii | Uncertain. The islands may have been named by Hawaii Loa, their traditional discoverer. Or they may have been named after Hawaii or Hawaiki, the traditional home of the Polynesians. |
| Idaho | An invented name whose meaning is unknown. The man who named it claimed it was from a Shoshone word, but later said it was made up. |
| Illinois | French version of an Algonquian word referring either to "men" in general, or a particular group known as the Illinois. |
| Indiana | Meaning "land of Indians" using a traditional Latin suffix. |
| Iowa | From the Iowa River which was named after the Ioway, or Báxoǰe. |
| Kansas | From a local word—used by the Dakota, Omaha, Kaw, and others—meaning "people of the south wind." |
| Kentucky | From an Iroquoian word "Ken-tah-ten" meaning "land of tomorrow" |
| Louisiana | In honor of Louis XIV of France |
| Maine | First used to distinguish the mainland from the offshore islands. It has been considered a compliment to Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I of England. She was said to have owned the province of Mayne in France. |
| Maryland | In honor of Henrietta Maria (queen of Charles I of England) |
| Massachusetts | From the Massachusett people, whose endonym means "people of the great hills" |
| Michigan | From an Ojibwe word, "mishigamaa" meaning "great or large lake" |
| Minnesota | From a Dakota word meaning "sky-tinted water" |
| Mississippi | From the French rendering of an Anishinaabe name for the river—"Misi-ziibi" meaning "Great River." |
| Missouri | Named after the local Missouri people. "Missouri" means "town of the large canoes." |
| Montana | From the Spanish montaña, meaning "mountain" |
| Nebraska | From an Oto word meaning "flat water." |
| Nevada | Spanish for "snowy" or "snow-capped," in reference to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. |
| New Hampshire | From the English county of Hampshire |
| New Jersey | From the Channel Isle of Jersey |
| New Mexico | From Mexico, itself named for the Mexica people. Their endonym is believed to reference Mexitli, a Nahua deity. |
| New York | In honor of the Duke of York |
| North Carolina | In honor of Charles I of England |
| North Dakota | From the Dakota peoples. |
| Ohio | From a Seneca word meaning "great river" |
| Oklahoma | From the Choctaw words for "red people," reportedly named by a Choctaw leader following the Trail of Tears. |
| Oregon | Unknown. However, it is generally accepted that the name, first used by Jonathan Carver in 1778, was taken from the writings of Maj. Robert Rogers, an English army officer. |
| Pennsylvania | In honor of Adm. Sir William Penn, father of William Penn. It means "Penn's Woodland" |
| Rhode Island | From the Greek Island of Rhodes |
| South Carolina | In honor of Charles I of England |
| South Dakota | From the Dakota peoples. |
| Tennessee | The origin of the name is unknown, though it possibly comes from a Cherokee rendering of a Yuchi word. |
| Texas | From a Caddo word meaning "allies," used by the Spanish to describe the Caddo and the region they lived in. |
| Utah | From the Ute people, meaning "people of the mountains" |
| Vermont | From the French "vert mont" meaning "green mountain" |
| Virginia | In honor of Elizabeth "Virgin Queen" of England |
| Washington | In honor of George Washington |
| West Virginia | In honor of Elizabeth, "Virgin Queen" of England |
| Wisconsin | French corruption of, possibly, a Miami word meaning "it lies red" in reference to the bed of the Wisconsin River. |
| Wyoming | Competing interpretations place it as from a Delaware word, a Munsee word, or an Algonquian word. THe most popular holds that it is from a Delaware word for "mountains and valleys alternating"; the same as the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania |
| State Nicknames | States | Names of State Residents |
