Here’s How Every State in America Got Its Name

Alabama: Land of vegetation

The first in our list of state name origins, Alabama is named after the river that European explorers named for a local Native American tribe, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The tribal name of Alabama was spelled in various ways by the early Spanish, French and British chroniclers: Alabama, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alibamon, Alabamu and Allibamou. However, according to one Choctaw scholar, the tribe name itself is a portmanteau combining Alba (vegetation) and Amo (gatherer).

Alaska: The great land

We know the Russians sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, but how did Alaska get its name? The name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word alaxsxaq, meaning “the mainland,” or more literally, “the object towards which the action of the sea is directed.” It is also known as Alyeska, the “great land”—another Aleut word derived from the same root. The name is understandable, considering the state is bigger than Texas, California and Montana combined. Its nickname—the “Last Frontier”—is a nod to the fact that Alaska is the 49th state and still has vast swaths of unsettled land. “North to the Future” is the state’s forward-thinking motto.

Arizona: A little spring, or a big oak

Historians disagree over how Arizona got its name. One theory is that the name comes from the Tohono O’odham words Al Shon, translated as “Place of Little Spring.” Another theory is that the name derives from a Basque word meaning “good oak tree.” Interestingly, there are places named Arizona in Central and South America where the Spanish and Basque settled, and where Tohono O’odham names are unlikely to be found, boosting the credibility of the second theory.

Arkansas: People of the south wind

The name Arkansas can be traced back to the name of the Quapaw Indigenous tribe, who lived west of the Mississippi and north of the Arkansas River. The name Quapaw translates to “people who live downstream,” though Algonquian-speaking Indigenous people of the Ohio Valley called them the Arkansas, or “south wind” (another way of saying “downstream”).

And then there’s the matter of pronunciation. Soon after Arkansas became a state, its two U.S. senators were divided on how the name was to be pronounced: One said “ARkanSAW” and the other said “Ar-KANSAS.” They met somewhere in the middle. In 1881, the state’s General Assembly passed a resolution declaring that the state’s name should be spelled “Arkansas” but pronounced “Arkansaw.”

California: (Mis)named for an island

The name comes from a character from a popular series of Spanish romance stories named Queen Califa, ruler of an island called “California.” (As it turns out, the early explorers thought the land they had “discovered” was an island.) When Hernán Cortéz landed on Baja California in 1536, he believed he had found the island of Queen Califa, populated only by women who used gold to make tools and weapons. He wasn’t far wrong, since three centuries later, gold was discovered in California.

Colorado: Red rocks, or red river

There are two possible Spanish origins of the name Colorado. One possibility is that it comes from the phrase “coloreado rojo,” which means “colored red.” This is likely either a nod to the state’s iconic red rocks or the muddy red Colorado River. The second explanation is that it comes from the Spanish word colorido, which translates to “colorful.” Congress chose the name Colorado for the territory in 1861, and it became a state in 1876.

Connecticut: Beside a long river

The Founding Fathers began drafting the U.S. Constitution in the state, but that has nothing to do with the name (the colony of Connecticut existed before the Constitution). By the 1600s, what is now the Connecticut River was already known by a derivation of the Mohegan word Quinnehtukqut, which means “long river place” or “beside the long tidal river.” Connecticut also has several nicknames, including the “Constitution State,” the “Nutmeg State,” the “Provisions State” and the “Land of Steady Habits”—a reference to the supposed “strict morals of its inhabitants.”

Delaware: The first state, named for a first governor

So, which was the first U.S. state? That would be Delaware, which got its name way back in 1610 from explorer and navigator Samuel Argall. Sailing from Virginia, Argall saw what is now Cape Henlopen and called it “Cape De La Warr” in tribute to the first governor of Virginia, Thomas West—also known as Lord De La Warr. Interestingly, the Earldom of De La Warr still exists in the United Kingdom.

Florida: A place of flowers

There are two possible explanations as to how Florida got its name, both of which involve Fountain of Youth–seeking explorer Juan Ponce de León’s 1513 arrival. The first is that he got to the future state on Easter Sunday—also known as La Pascua de las Flores, or “the festival of flowers.” According to that theory, de León named the new land La Pascua Florida in honor of Easter Sunday. The other explanation is that de León was so taken with all the lush flowers and plants that he called the land La Florida, or “the place of flowers.”

Georgia: A royal moniker

Not to be confused with Georgia the country, Georgia the state was named by and for King George II of England. The name first appeared in the Royal Charter that the king granted to General James Oglethorpe, colonial administrator, in 1732. Georgia was the 13th and final colony to be founded prior to the Revolutionary War. As far as nicknames, though Georgia is best known as the “Peach State,” it’s also referred to as the “Goober State” (the official state crop is peanuts) and the “Empire State of the South.”

Hawaii: A small but fierce homeland

When Captain James Cook discovered the islands that are now Hawaii in 1778, he initially named them the Sandwich Islands, after the Earl of Sandwich. So, how did Hawaii get its name? Well, Hawaiian King Kamehameha I wasn’t buying into the anglicized thing; he united the islands under his rule by 1819 as the Kingdom of Hawaii. Like many state name origins, the etymology of Hawaii is subject to debate. Some say it means “homeland,” and others say it means “small and raging.” Still others say it comes from the traditional settler of the islands, Hawai’iloa.

Idaho: Ida-hoax?

While it may sound like an Indigenous word, the name Idaho was entirely made up. It was first put forward in 1860 as a name for the Colorado territory, because a Congressional delegate from the area had been told it was an Indigenous word meaning “gem of the mountains.” But when he learned that a previous delegate had simply made up the name, he withdrew it from consideration, and the territory was named Colorado. However, by 1862, Congress had forgotten that the name was fake and dubbed the state territory Idaho the following year.

Illinois: An Indigenous name with a French slant

If you were to pronounce Illinois using French pronunciation rules, it would sound something like “Ill-in-WAH.” That’s the key to understanding why Illinois is spelled that way, despite being pronounced “Ill-in-OY.” When French explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, came across a river, he gave it the name of the Indigenous tribe in the area—the Illiniwek—but he spelled it “Illinois,” as the French would. That’s the name Congress chose in 1818, but with a pronunciation that was decidedly not French.

Indiana: A territory with an identity crisis

No one would blame Indiana for having an identity crisis back in its early days. First, it was ruled by the French. When the English took over from the French, the territory became a county of Virginia before being separated into the Northwest Territory. By the early 19th century, Indiana had its own geographical boundaries and a name—after the “Indians” from whom the land was acquired—which it shared with Michigan until 1805 and Illinois until 1809.

Iowa: Sleepy but beautiful

Iowa takes its name from the tribe of Indigenous people who lived in the area: the Ayuxwa (pronounced “Ah-hee-oo-ba”). They lived in the valley of the state’s main river, which they named for their tribe. The name was later applied to the state. While the French spelled it “Ayoua,” the English spelling is “Ioway.” The name is believed to mean “sleepy ones” or “drowsy ones.” Iowa’s first recorded use was by Lieutenant Albert M. Lea, who ventured across it on a mission in 1835 (when it was still part of the Wisconsin Territory) and later wrote about it in a book he published in 1836.

Kansas: People of the south wind

Kansas takes its name from the Kansa tribe that lived in the area. The name loosely translates to “people of the South Wind.” French explorers, who arrived in 1812, are credited with writing down the name of the Kansas Indigenous people for the first time, and they named a river after them. One of the explorers wrote the name Kansas on a map, and after that, it just stuck.

Kentucky: Land of many names

While it’s unclear how, exactly, Kentucky got its name, it’s safe to say it has Indigenous origins. Some experts believe the name comes from the Wyandot tribal name for “plain,” in reference to the central plains of the state. Others believe it comes from the Wyandot name for the area, Kah-ten-tah-teh, which, roughly translated, means “land of tomorrow.” Some historians, however, say it comes from the Iroquoian or Mohawk word Kentucke, meaning “among the meadows.” Another possibility is that it comes from the Shawnee name for the area, Kain-tuck-ee, which means “at the head of the river.”

Louisiana: Name fit for a king

How Louisiana got its name might not be so surprising when you think about it. Robert de LaSalle—the same French explorer who later named Illinois—chose Louisiana in homage to Louis XIV, King of France, in 1682, after claiming the territory for the French. LaSalle also raised the first official flag of Louisiana, which featured the French fleur-de-lis. Louisiana became a state in 1812, nine years after President Thomas Jefferson acquired the territory from France, in the Louisiana Purchase.

Maine: The main land

The first reference to the land that would later become Maine can be found in a 1622 charter of the Council of New England, granting land to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Mason. Mason named his portion of the land “New Hampshire” in 1629, while Gorges named his part “New Somerset.” King Charles strongly disliked this name and issued a charter in 1639 proclaiming that it “shall forever hereafter be called and named the Province or County of Mayne and not by any other name or names whatsoever.” Some believe that the territory was referred to as “the main,” “Main Land,” “Mayne” or “Mainland,” which distinguished the land from the numerous nearby islands.

Maryland: Queen Mary, of course

Maryland is named for a French-born queen of England: King Charles I’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria (aka Queen Mary). When King Charles gave Lord Baltimore a charter in 1632 to establish the new colony, he included the stipulation that it be named in his wife’s honor. Lord Baltimore was Catholic and sought to create a colony that would serve as a haven for Catholics. Maryland is also known by two nicknames: the “Old Line State” and the “Free State.”

Massachusetts: The great hill

This New England state was named after the Massachuset tribe that lived in the Great Blue Hill region south of Boston. The name loosely translates to “at or about the great hill.” Massachusetts has many nicknames, including the “Bay State,” “Old Bay State,” “Pilgrim State,” “Puritan State,” “Old Colony State” and “Baked Bean State.” The state motto is “Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem,” which translates to “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.”

Michigan: The great big water

The name Michigan comes from the Algonquin word Mishigamaw, which means “big lake” or “great water.” The name was used first for the lake (Lake Michigan), and later for the state. Michigan’s nickname is the “Wolverine State,” and it became the 26th state in 1837. When you combine land and water area, Michigan is the 10th largest state in the United States.

Minnesota: The land of much water

Minnesota was named after the Minnesota River. Mni means “water” in the Dakota language. The –sota part is up for debate. Some say it means “sky-tinted,” while others say it means “cloudy.” One possibility is that the clay along the Minnesota River is slightly blue, making it either cloudy or sky-tinted. Meanwhile, Gwen Westerman, author of Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota, says the direct translation is “land where the water is so clear it reflects the sky.” Whether it was cloudy, sky-tinted or clear, we know that the water in Minnesota—also known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”—is what gave the state its name.

Mississippi: The big river

The name Mississippi comes from the Ojibwa word misi-sipi, meaning “big (misi) water (sipi).” French explorers first learned of this name in 1666, when they were somewhere in the western Great Lakes region, and rendered it as “Messipi.” The French brought the name with them as they traveled down the Big River to its delta, using it instead of any of the names already given to the river by local Indigenous tribes or Spanish explorers. The name stuck. In 1798, Congress named a new territory Mississippi, organized from lands inhabited by the Natchez, Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes.

Missouri: Large canoes, not so muddy water

Missouri is named after a Sioux tribe called the Missouris. The name may come from the Algonquian word ouemessourita, which roughly translates to “wooden canoe people,” or “those who have dugout canoes.” Although some believe the word Missouri means “muddy water,” according to the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the name is, in fact, canoe-related, meaning “town of the large canoes.”

Montana: Most mountainous region

Montana is the fourth-largest state by area (behind Alaska, Texas and California), but it is also one of the country’s least densely populated states. So how did Montana get its name? It’s derived from the Spanish word montaña, meaning “mountain” or “mountainous region,” even though Montana’s average elevation of 3,400 feet makes it the lowest of all the Rocky Mountain States. Montana’s nicknames include the “Treasure State” and “Big Sky Country.”

Nebraska: The broad river

The state name of Nebraska is derived from the Oto name for the Platte River—Nebrathka, meaning “flat water”—which runs through it. Another theory is that the name comes from a Sioux word describing the river, a word that means “shallow water” or “broad water.” The Nebraska Territory was created in 1854, and Nevada was admitted to the union as the 37th state on March 1, 1867. Nebraska has had two official nicknames: the “Tree Planter State” (1895) and the “Cornhusker State” (1945 to the present day).

Nevada: The snow-covered range

Nevada was named for the nearby mountain range—mostly in California—called the Sierra Nevadas. That name comes from the Spanish settlers who marveled at the snowy peaks (nevada translates to “snow covered”). In 1859, Congress shortened the name of the territory (which became the state) to Nevada. An Act of Congress created the Territory of Nevada in 1861, and it became the 36th state in 1864. Note: Nevadans prefer to pronounce the state’s name with the flat a, like the one in trap, even though the name’s derived from Spanish, where the a would sound like the one in palm.

New Hampshire: Live free or die

New Hampshire was so named in 1629 by Captain John Mason, a merchant and native of the English county of Hampshire, who had been given title to a royal province between the Merrimack and Piscataqua Rivers. He named it New Hampshire in 1629 after his home county in England. New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and the first state to have its own constitution. Its spirit of independence is epitomized in the state motto, “Live Free or Die.”

New Hampshire plays an important role in national elections, as it is the first state to hold national primaries, and its primary results are thought to influence those in the rest of the nation, giving rise to the saying “As New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation.”

New Jersey: Two namesakes in one

The name comes from the English Channel island of Jersey, in honor of Sir George Carteret (one of the two men to whom the land of New Jersey was originally given). And Sir Carteret? He’s the namesake of the township called Carteret—in New Jersey. Although the state is known for its industry, its “Garden State” nickname is well-deserved: New Jersey is a leading producer of blueberries, cranberries, peaches, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, spinach and squash.

New Mexico: An Aztec god

New Mexico became part of the Spanish Kingdom in 1598, a long 221 years before the country of Mexico adopted the name. The Spanish settlers referred to the lands as “Nuevo México” after the Aztec Valley of the Rio Grande River in Mexico. Though the origins of the name Mexico are unclear, it’s thought to be a version of a name that the Aztecs had for Mexitli, one of their gods.

New York: The big orange?

In 1624, the Dutch arrived in the land that’s now New York and called it New Amsterdam, after Holland’s biggest city. By 1664, New Amsterdam fell into the hands of the British, who renamed it New York, in honor of the Duke of York. In 1673, the Dutch regained control of New York and rechristened it New Orange, which was its official name for about a year—at which point it was permanently ceded to the British under the Treaty of Westminster, and it went back to being New York.

North Carolina: King Charles’s namesake

In 1629, King Charles I granted the territory to Sir Robert Heath. The king named it Carolina, a word derived from the name Carolus, translated as “Charles.” So yes, he named it after himself. That said, King Charles II, who granted another charter that expanded the province, was also honored by the name. North and South Carolina were part of one colony until 1712, when the Province of Carolina was split.

North Dakota: One of two Dakotas

The land that is now North Dakota was acquired from the French as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The Dakota Territory was formed in 1861 and included what is now North and South Dakota, as well as Montana and Wyoming. The word Dakota comes from a Sioux tribe from the region and translates to “friend.” In 1889, the Dakotas were admitted into the Union as states (Montana also became a state in 1889, and Wyoming soon followed, in 1890).

Ohio: Another good river

The state of Ohio was named after the Ohio River. The Seneca (Iroquois) named the river Ohi:yo’ (roughly pronounced O-hee-O), meaning “good river.” The Ohio River was an important waterway in American history, and there was conflict between European settlers and the Indigenous nations who already resided near the river over who controlled the Ohio Valley. Indigenous tribes, including the Iroquois, the Miami and the Shawnee, attempted to retain parts of present-day Ohio and Kentucky to house their villages and hunting grounds. But gradually the settlers took over, and the land eventually became part of the United States as part of the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

Oklahoma: A now outdated descriptor

Oklahoma comes from Okla humma—a phrase in the Choctaw language that supposedly described their skin color. Okla means “people” and humma means “red.” (Referring to Indigenous people as “red” or “red-skinned” is now seen as derogatory or racist language.) Oklahoma was first opened to white settlers in 1889. It became a territory two years later and was granted statehood in 1907. Oklahoma’s nickname, the “Sooner State,” is a reference to the settlers who entered the territory before the designated time.

Oregon: Big storm or wild herb?

The first use of Oregon seems to date back to 1778 and refers to the local river—now called the Columbia. There are several theories as to the origins of the state’s name—not to mention how it’s pronounced: “Ore-gun”? Or the locals’ preferred three-syllable “OR-a-gun”? Anyway, one theory is that the name comes from the Quebecois word ouragn, which sounds close to the way Oregon residents pronounce their state’s name. It means “hurricane” and may refer to the weather conditions faced by Canadian fur trappers. Another theory for how Oregon got its name is that it comes from orégano, the Spanish word for the wild herb that’s indigenous (and grows like a weed) in parts of Oregon.

Pennsylvania: Penn’s woods

In 1681, England’s King Charles II gave William Penn, a Quaker, the right to settle in what would become the Keystone State, in payment of a debt owed to his father. The King didn’t specify that the settlement should have any particular name, so Penn named it Pennsylvania—meaning “Penn’s Woods”—after his father, Admiral Sir William Penn. Or after himself, depending on how you look at it. Pennsylvania was founded for Quakers, but open to everyone.

Rhode Island: An island in a far-flung sea

The Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano very much enjoyed his visit to what would later be known as Rhode Island. In a 1524 letter to King Francis I of France, Verrazzano described what’s known today as Aquidneck Island as being “in size like the island of Rhodes”—referring to the Isle of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. This inspired the founder of the province to name it Rhode Island in 1636. An alternate theory is that Dutch explorer Adriaen Block called the area Roodt Eylandt, meaning “red island,” because of the red clay on its shore. From there, it’s not hard to see how the name later evolved to become Rhode Island.

South Carolina: Another Charles namesake, with golf galore

Unsurprisingly, South Carolina has the same origin story as North Carolina. One thing that does set it apart from its northern neighbor is that the state is home to more than 350 golf courses. Not only that, but South Carolina has had a relationship to the game since at least 1743, when David Deas, a Scottish emigrant and successful Charleston merchant, received a shipment of 96 golf clubs and 432 golf balls. South Carolina has several nicknames, including the “Palmetto State,” the “Rice State,” the “Swamp State,” the “Keystone of the Atlantic Seaboard” and the “Iodine State.”

South Dakota: Named for a friend

Established on March 2, 1861, the Dakota Territory encompassed what is today both North and South Dakota, as well as Montana and Wyoming. It was named after the Dakota Sioux tribe, which lived in the area. In the Sioux language, Dakota means “friend.” On Nov. 2, 1889, both North and South Dakota became states. However, the order in which they entered the union is unknown. That said, because North Dakota comes first alphabetically, it’s often considered the 39th state.

Tennessee: Bend in the river (maybe)

The name Tennessee comes from the Cherokee town of Tanasi—the present-day location of Vonore, Tennessee. “In the 1720s, Moytoy was elected to be the emperor of the Cherokee. He relocates the capital … and sets up his capital here at Tanasi,” Sequoyah Museum director Charlie Rhodarmer told 10News in 2023. Some believe that Tanasi is Cherokee for “bend in the river,” but it’s unclear if that’s the case. Tanasi was the Cherokee capital until 1740, when it moved to the larger town of Chota.

Texas: Hello, friend

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, local Indigenous tribes used the word texas (also spelled tejas, tayshas, texias, thecas, techan, teysas and techas) to refer to friends or allies. One tribe, the Hasinais, used the same word for the greeting “hello friend.” Its use predates 1689, when the area was referred to as “the great kingdom of Texas” by a Spanish explorer. The reference itself created a debate about whether the land should be called by a word for kingdom, or a word that’s merely a greeting, but it stuck, and that’s how Texas got its name.

Vermont: The green mountains

Vermont is a portmanteau of sorts from the French words for “green” and “mountain”—verd and mont. (Vermont is the Green Mountain State, after all.) The French explorer Samuel de Champlain first recorded the name on a map in 1647. Some of Vermont’s other nicknames include the “Marble State,” the “Maple Syrup Capital of the U.S.” and the “Covered Bridge State.”

Virginia: First colony, and first named for a woman

Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, also known as the Virgin Queen. King Charles II of England named the state in appreciation of the queen’s loyalty to the crown during the English Civil War of the mid-1600s. The state of Virginia has three nicknames: “Old Dominion,” “Mother of States”  (all or part of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin were once part of Virginia) and “Mother of Presidents” (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson were all born in the state).

Utah: People of the mountains

There are two theories explaining how Utah got its name. The first is that it originates from the Indigenous Ute tribe, whose name means “people of the mountains.” The second theory is that it comes from the Apache word yuttahih, meaning “one/those that is/are higher up.” Before it was Utah, it was known as the “Territory of Deseret.” That changed on Jan. 4, 1896, when it became the 45th state under an order from President Grover Cleveland. Utah’s nickname is the “Beehive State.”

Washington: The only state named for a president

Yep, both Washington State and Washington, D.C., are named for the first president of the United States. Interestingly, both the state and the city were almost named Columbia. More specifically, the nation’s capital was originally named the “Territory of Columbia” and “City of Washington” in 1791. But then, in 1852, settlers in northern Oregon requested permission from the government to establish the Columbia Territory. While Congress granted their request for independence from Oregon, they named the territory Washington to honor the first president. Granted statehood in 1889, Washington is the only state named after a president.

West Virginia: Separated, but keeping the name

When West Virginia withdrew from Virginia in 1861 because it didn’t agree with Virginia’s seceding from the Union, it considered the names Kanawha, Vandalia, Augusta, Allegheny, New Virginia and Western Virginia. But despite their political disagreement with Virginia, residents in the western half of the state still retained a fondness for the name, as it was where many were born and raised. West Virginia became the nation’s 35th state in 1863.

Wisconsin: Stream meandering through red bluffs

Wisconsin was originally Meskonsing, the English spelling of a French version of the Indigenous Miami tribe’s name for the river that runs 430 miles through the state. (That river is now called Wisconsin as well.) The English eventually changed the spelling to Wisconsin, because that’s what the Miami word sounded like to them. In the Miami language, the name means “this stream meanders through something red.” That “something red” is Wisconsin’s sandstone bluffs, known as the Wisconsin Dells.

Wyoming: A state of indecision

Depending on who you ask, the word Wyoming means either “large plains” or “mountains and valleys alternating” in the language of the Delaware tribe, “at the big river flat” in the Munsee language or “a large prairie place” in Algonquin. What is known for sure is that the name was proposed by Ohio Congressman James M. Ashley in 1865, although he later questioned his decision to support creating a congressional district out of the incredibly arid land. Wyoming became a territory in 1868 and a state in 1890.

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