| Alabama |
May come
from Choctaw meaning �thicket-clearers� or
�vegetation-gatherers� |
| Alaska |
Corruption
of Aleut word meaning �great land� or �that
which the sea breaks against� |
| Arizona |
Uncertain.
Perhaps from the O'odham Indian word for
�little spring� |
|
Arkansas |
From the
Quapaw Indians |
|
California |
From a
book, Las Sergas de Esplandi�n, by
Garcia Ord��ez de Montalvo, c. 1500 |
|
Colorado |
From the
Spanish, �ruddy� or �red� |
|
Connecticut |
From an
Indian 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. |
|
Illinois |
Algonquin
for �tribe of superior men� |
| Indiana |
Meaning
�land of Indians� |
| Iowa |
Probably
from an Indian word meaning �this is the
place� or �the Beautiful Land� |
| Kansas |
From a
Sioux word 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
Massachusett tribe of Native Americans,
meaning �at or about the great hill� |
|
Michigan |
From
Indian word �Michigana� meaning �great or
large lake� |
|
Minnesota |
From a
Dakota Indian word meaning �sky-tinted
water� |
|
Mississippi |
From an
Indian word meaning �Father of Waters� |
|
Missouri |
Named
after the Missouri Indian tribe. �Missouri�
means �town of the large canoes.� |
| Montana |
From the
Spanish word meaning �mountain.� |
|
Nebraska |
From an
Oto Indian word meaning �flat water� |
| Nevada |
Spanish:
�snowcapped� |
| New
Hampshire |
From the
English county of Hampshire |
| New
Jersey |
From the
Channel Isle of Jersey |
| New
Mexico |
From
Mexico, �place of Mexitli,� an Aztec god or
leader |
| New
York |
In honor
of the Duke of York |
| North
Carolina |
In honor
of Charles I of England |
| North
Dakota |
From the
Sioux tribe, meaning �allies� |
| Ohio |
From an
Iroquoian word meaning �great river� |
|
Oklahoma |
From two
Choctaw Indian words meaning �red people� |
| 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
Sioux tribe, meaning �allies� |
|
Tennessee |
Of
Cherokee origin; the exact meaning is
unknown |
| Texas |
From an
Indian word meaning �friends� |
| Utah |
From the
Ute tribe, 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 an Indian word whose meaning
is disputed |
| Wyoming |
From the
Delaware Indian word, meaning �mountains and
valleys alternating�; the same as the
Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania |
