Alabama -Indian for tribal town, later a tribe (Alabamas or Alibamons) of
the Creek confederacy.
Alaska -Russian version of Aleutian (Eskimo) word, alakshak, for
"peninsula," "great lands," or "land that is not an island."
Arizona -Spanish version of Pima Indian word for "little spring place," or
Aztec arizuma, meaning "silver-bearing."
Arkansas -French variant of Quapaw, a Siouan people meaning "downstream people."
California -Bestowed by the Spanish conquistadors (possibly by Cortez).
It was the name of an imaginary island, an earthly paradise, in "Las
Serges de Esplandian," a Spanish romance written by Montalvo in 1510. Baja
California
(Lower California, in Mexico) was first visited by Spanish in 1533.
The present U.S. state was called Alta (Upper) California.
Colorado -Spanish, red, first applied to Colorado River.
Connecticut -From Mohican and other Algonquin words meaning "long river
place."
Delaware -Named for Lord De La Warr, early governor of Virginia;
first applied to river, then to Indian tribe (Lenni-Lenape), and the state.
District of Columbia -For Columbus, 1791.
Florida -Named by Ponce de Leon on Pascua Florida, "Flowery Easter," on
Easter Sunday, 1513.
Georgia -For King George II of England by James Oglethorpe, colonial
administrator, 1732.
Hawaii -Possibly derived from native word for homeland, Hawaiki or Owhyhee.
Idaho -A coined name with an invented Indian meaning: "gem of the
mountains;" originally suggested for the Pike's Peak mining territory
(Colorado), then applied to the new mining territory of the Pacific
Northwest. Another theory suggests Idaho may be a Kiowa Apache term for
the Comanche.
Illinois -French for Illini or land of Illini, Algonquin word meaning men
or warriors.
Indiana -Means "land of the Indians."
Iowa -Indian word variously translated as "one who puts to sleep"
or "beautiful land."
Kansas -Sioux word for "south wind people."
Kentucky -Indian word variously translated as "dark and bloody ground,"
"meadow land" and "land of tomorrow."
Louisiana -Part of territory called Louisiana by Sieur de La Salle for
French King Louis XIV.
Maine -From Maine, ancient French province. Also: descriptive, referring to
the mainland as distinct from the many coastal islands.
Maryland -For Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I of England.
Massachusetts -From Indian tribe named after "large hill place" identified
by Capt. John Smith as being near Milton, Mass.
Michigan -From Chippewa words mici gama meaning "great water," after the
lake of the same name.
Minnesota -From Dakota Sioux word meaning "cloudy water" or "sky-tinted
water" of the Minnesota River.
Mississippi -Probably Chippewa; mici zibi, "great river" or "gathering-in
of all the waters." Also: Algonquin word, "Messipi."
Missouri -An Algonquin Indian term meaning "river of the big canoes."
Montana -Latin or Spanish for "mountainous."
Nebraska -From Omaha or Otos Indian word meaning "broad water" or "flat
river," describing the Platte River.
Nevada -Spanish, meaning snow-clad.
New Hampshire -Named 1629 by Capt. John Mason of Plymouth Council
for his home county in England.
New Jersey -The Duke of York, 1664, gave a patent to John Berkeley and Sir
George Carteret to be called Nova Caesaria, or New Jersey, after England's
Isle of Jersey.
New Mexico -Spaniards in Mexico applied term to land north and west of Rio
Grande in the 16th century.
New York -For Duke of York and Albany who received patent to New Netherland
from his brother Charles II and sent an expedition to capture it, 1664.
North Carolina -In 1619 Charles I gave a large patent to Sir Robert Heath
to be called Province of Carolana, from Carolus, Latin name for Charles. A
new patent was granted by Charles II to Earl of Clarendon and others.
Divided into North and South Carolina, 1710.
North Dakota -Dakota is Sioux for friend or ally.
Ohio -Iroquois word for "fine or good river."
Oklahoma -Choctaw coined word meaning red man, proposed by Rev. Allen
Wright, Choctaw-speaking Indian, said: Okla humma is red people.
Oregon -Origin unknown. One theory holds that the name may have been
derived from that of the Wisconsin River shown on a 1715 French map as
"Ouaricon-sint."
Pennsylvania -William Penn, the Quaker, who was made full proprietor by
King Charles II in 1681, suggested Sylvania, or woodland, for his tract.
The king's government owed Penn's father, Admiral William Penn, A316,000,
and the land was granted as partial settlement. Charles II added the Penn
to Sylvania, against the desires of the modest proprietor, in honor of the
admiral.
Puerto Rico -Spanish for Rich Port. (Yes...I know this is not a "state."
Rhode Island -Exact origin is unknown. One theory notes that Giovanni de
Verrazano recorded an island about the size of Rhodes in the Mediterranean
in 1524, but others believe the state was named Roode Eylandt by Adriaen
Block, Dutch explorer, because of its red clay.
South Carolina -See North Carolina.
South Dakota -See North Dakota.
Tennessee -Tanasi was the name of Cherokee villages on the Little Tennessee
River. From 1784 to 1788 this was the State of Franklin, or Frankland.
Texas -Variant of word used by Caddo and other Indians meaning friends or
allies, and applied to them by the Spanish in eastern Texas. Also written
texias, tejas, teysas.
Utah -From a Navajo word meaning upper, or higher up, as applied to a
Shoshone tribe called Ute. Spanish form is Yutta, English Uta or Utah.
Proposed name Deseret, "land of honeybees," from Book of Mormon, was
rejected by Congress.
Vermont -From French words vert (green) and mont (mountain). The Green
Mountains were said to have been named by Samuel de Champlain. When
the state was formed, 1777, Dr. Thomas Young suggested combining vert and
mont into Vermont.
Virginia -Named by Sir Walter Raleigh, who fitted out the expedition of
1584, in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen of England.
Washington -Named after George Washington. When the bill creating
theTerritory of Columbia was introduced in the 32d Congress, the name was
changed to Washington because of the existence of the District of
Columbia.
West Virginia -So named when western counties of Virginia refused to secede
from the United States, 1863.
Wisconsin -An Indian name, spelled Ouisconsin and Mesconsing by early
chroniclers. Believed to mean "grassy place" in Chippewa. Congress made it
Wisconsin.
Wyoming -The word was taken from Wyoming Valley, Pa., which was the site of
an Indian massacre and became widely known by Campbell's poem, "Gertrude of
Wyoming." In Algonquin it means "large prairie place."