Origins of United States Names

What is the origin of the name for each of the 50 states?

- Alabama, Means "tribal town" in the Creek Indian language.

- Alaska, after the Aleut word "alaxsxaq" meaning "the mainland."

- Arizona, based on Pima Indian word "arizonac" for "little spring place."

- Arkansas, a French interpretation of the word "acansa," in Sioux meaning "downstream place."

- California, comes from "Califia" a mythical paradise in old Spanish romance word.

- Colorado, means "Reddish" or "Color Red."

- Connecticut, Based on Mohican and Algonquin Indian words for a "place beside a long river."

- Delaware, for the early Virginia governor, Lord De La Warr.

- Florida was a Spanish territory, and the name is in Spanish too. Florida means "Flowered."

- Georgia, Named for King George II of England

- Hawaii, which of course is in native Hawaian could be based on their word for homeland, "Owhyhee."

- Idaho, is just an invented word.

- Illinois, word in Algonquin Indian for "warriors."

- Indiana, from "Land of the Indians."

- Iowa, Indian word for "a beautiful land."

- Kansas, from the Sioux Indian for "south wind people."

- Kentucky, based on the Iroquois Indian word "Ken- tah- ten," meaning "land of tomorrow."

- Lousiana, Named in honor of France's King Louis XIV, this territory had French influence.

- Maine, assumed to be a reference to the state region being a mainland, different from its many surrounding islands.

- Maryland, named to honor Henrietta Maria, wife of England's King Charles I.

- Massachusets, Named after local Indian tribe whose name means "a large hill place."

- Michigan, for the Chippewa Indian word "meicigama" meaning "great water" (for the big lakes).

- Minnesota, based on the Dakota Sioux Indian word for "sky-tinted water," referring to the Minnesota River or the state's many lakes.

- Mississippi, probably based on the Indian "mici zibi," loosely meaning great river.

- Missouri, named after the Missouri Indian tribe.

- Montana, based on the Spanish word "Montaña" that means Mountain.

- Nebraska, Name based on an Oto Indian word that means "flat water," referring to the Platte River.

- Nevada, comes from a Spanish word that means "snowy" or "snow-clad."

- New Hampshire, named after the area of Hampshire in England.

- New Jersey, named after the area of Jersey in England.

- New Mexico, from the country of Mexico.

- New York, named after the city of York in England.

- North Carolina, named in honor of England's King Charles I.


- North Dakota, for the Sioux or Dacotah Indians.

- Ohio, comes from the Iroquois Indian word for "good river."

- Oklahoma, a Choctaw Indian word for "red man."

- Oregon, may have been derived from that of the Wisconsin River shown on a 1715 French map as "Ouaricon-sint."

- Pennsylvania, for the Admiral William Penn, father of the state's founder, William Penn.

- Rhode Island, after "Roode Eylandt" by Adriaen Block, Dutch explorer, because of its red clay.

- South Carolina (see North Carolina).

- South Dakota (see North Dakota).

- Tenessee, named after Cherokee Indian villages called "Tanasi"

- Texas, comes from the Spanish "Tejas" when it belonged to Mexico (they exchanged the J for X as an English contribution).

- Utah, from the Ute Indians (people of the mountains).

- Vermont, from the French "verts monts," meaning green mountains.

- Virginia, named for England's "Virgin Queen," Elizabeth I.

- West Virginia (see Virginia).

- Washington, after the first President of the US.

- Wisconsin, from the word "Ouisconsin" believed to mean "grassy place" in the Cheppewa tongue.

- Wyoming, Indian word meaning "large prairie place."