The Origin of Each US State’s Name: Exploring the Etymology Behind Every State – Brilliant Maps

Alabama Choctaw/Alabama alba
amo/Albaamaha ‘Thicket-clearers’
or
‘plant-cutters’,
from alba,
‘(medicinal)
plants’,
and amo,
‘to
clear’.
The
modern
Choctaw
name
for
the
tribe
is Albaamu.
Alaska Aleut via Russian alaxsxaq via
Аляска
(Alyaska) ‘Mainland’
(literally
‘the
object
towards
which
the
action
of
the
sea
is
directed’). Arizona Basque aritz
ona ‘The
good
oak’. Arizona
(alternate) Oʼodham via Spanish ali
ṣona-g via Arizonac ‘Having
a
little
spring’. Arkansas Kansa, Quapaw via Miami-Illinois and French akakaze via Arcansas Borrowed
from
a
French
spelling
of
a Miami-Illinois rendering
of
the
tribal
name kką:ze (see
Kansas,
below),
which
the
Miami
and
Illinois
used
to
refer
to
the Quapaw.
California Spanish california Probably
named
for
the
fictional Island
of
California ruled
by Queen
Calafia in
the
16th-century
novel Las
sergas
de
Esplandián by Garci
Rodríguez
de
Montalvo. Colorado Spanish colorado ‘Ruddy’
or
‘red’, originally
referring
to
the Colorado
River. Connecticut Eastern
Algonquian, Mohegan-Pequot quinnitukqut From
some
Eastern
Algonquian
language
of
southern
New
England
(perhaps
Mahican),
meaning
‘at
the
long
tidal
river’,
after
the Connecticut
River. The
name
reflects Proto-Eastern-Algonquian *kwən-,
‘long’; *-əhtəkw,
‘tidal
river’;
and *-ənk,
the
locative
suffix). Delaware French via English de
la
Warr After
the Delaware
River,
which
was
named
for Lord
de
la
Warr (originally
probably Norman
French de
la
guerre or de
la
werre,
‘of
the
war’). Lord
de
la
Warr was
the
first
Governor-General
of
the Colony
of
Virginia. Florida Spanish (pascua)
florida ‘Flowery
(Easter)’ (to
distinguish
it
from
Christmastide,
which
was
also
called Pascua),
in
honor
of
its
discovery
by
the
Spanish
during
the Easter season. Georgia Latin via English (ultimately
from Greek) Georgius The
feminine
Latin
form
of
“George”,
named
after
King George
II
of
Great
Britain. It
was
also
a
reference
to Saint
George,
who
is
also
the
supposed
namesake
of
the
Eurasian
country
also
called Georgia,
whose
name
was
derived
from
the Greek word georgos,
meaning
‘husbandman’
or
‘farmer’,
from ge ‘earth’
+ ergon ‘work’. Hawaii Hawaiian Hawaiʻi Either
from Hawaiki,
legendary
homeland
of
the Polynesians(Hawaiki
is
believed
to
mean
‘place
of
the
gods’), or
named
for Hawaiʻiloa,
legendary
discoverer
of
the Hawaiian
Islands. Idaho Germanic Idaho Probably
made
up
by George
M.
“Doc”
Willing as
a
practical
joke; originally
claimed
to
have
been
derived
from
a
word
in
a
Native
American
language
that
meant
‘Gem
of
the
Mountains’. The
name
was
initially
proposed
for
the
Territory
of
Colorado
until
its
origins
were
discovered.
Years
later
it
fell
into
common
usage,
and
was
proposed
for
the
Territory
of
Idaho
instead. Idaho
(alternate) Plains
Apache ídaahę́ Possibly
from
the Plains
Apache word
for
‘enemy’
(ídaahę́),
which
was
used
to
refer
to
the Comanches. Illinois Algonquian, Miami-Illinois via French ilenweewa The
state
is
named
for
the French adaptation
of
an
Algonquian
language
(perhaps Miami-Illinois)
word
apparently
meaning
‘speaks
normally’
(cf. Miami-Illinois ilenweewa, Ojibwe , Proto-Algonquian *elen-,
‘ordinary’,
and -we·,
‘to
speak’), referring
to
the Illiniwek (Illinois). Indiana Latin (ultimately
from Proto-Indo-Iranian) indiāna ‘Land
of
the
Indians’. The
names
“Indians”
and
“India”
come,
via Latin, Greek, Old
Persian and Sanskrit,
from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sindhu-,
which
originally
referred
to
the Indus
River. Iowa Dakota, Chiwere via French ayúxba/ayuxwe via Aiouez Via French Aiouez,
and
named
after
the Iowa
tribe.
This
demonym
has
no
further
known
etymology, though
some
give
it
the
meaning
‘sleepy
ones’. Kansas Kansa via French kką:ze via Cansez Named
after
the Kansas
River,
which
in
turn
was
named
after
the Kaw or
Kansas
tribe. The
name
seems
to
be
connected
to
the
idea
of
“wind”. Kentucky Iroquoian Mohawk
kenhtà:ke,
Seneca
gëdá’geh Originally
referring
to
the Kentucky
River.
While
some
sources
say
the
etymology
is
uncertain,
most
agree
on
a
meaning
of
‘(on)
the
meadow’
or
‘(on)
the
prairie’ Louisiana French (ultimately
from Frankish) Louisiane After
King Louis
XIV of France. The
name
Louis
itself
comes
from Frankish hluda,
‘heard
of,
famous’
(cf.
loud)
+ wiga,
‘war’. Maine English main A
common
historical
etymology is
that
the
name
refers
to
the
mainland,
as
opposed
to
the
coastal
islands. Maine
(alternate) French Maine After
the French province
of Maine. Maine
(alternate) English (Broad)mayne A
more
recent
proposal
is
that
the
state
was
named
after
the
English
village
of Broadmayne,
which
was
the
family
estate
of
Sir Ferdinando
Gorges,
the
colony’s
founder. Maryland English (ultimately
from Hebrew) Myriam After
Queen Henrietta
Maria,
wife
of
King Charles
I
of
England. The
name Mary originally
meant
‘bitterness’
or
‘rebelliousness’
in Hebrew,
and
could
also
have
come
from
the Egyptian word
for
‘beloved’
or
‘love’. Massachusetts Eastern
Algonquian, Massachusett muhsachuweesut Plural
of muswachusut,
meaning
‘near
the
great
little-mountain’
or
‘at
the
great
hill’,
which
is
usually
identified
as Great
Blue
Hill on
the
border
of Milton and Canton,
Massachusetts (cf.
the Narragansett name Massachusêuck).
Michigan Ojibwe via French ᒥᔑᑲᒥ
(mishigami) ‘Large
water’
or
‘large
lake’ (in
Old
Algonquin, *meshi-gami). Minnesota Dakota mní
sóta ‘Cloudy
water’,
referring
to
the Minnesota
River. Mississippi Ojibwe via French ᒥᓯᓰᐱ
(misi-ziibi) ‘Great
river’,
after
the Mississippi
River. Missouri Miami-Illinois via French wimihsoorita ‘Dugout
canoe’.
The Missouri
tribe was
noteworthy
among
the Illinois for
their
dugout
canoes,
and
so
was
referred
to
as
the wimihsoorita,
‘one
who
has
a
wood
boat
[dugout
canoe]’. Montana Spanish montaña ‘Mountain’. Nebraska Chiwere via French ñįbraske ‘Flattened
water’,
after
the Platte
River,
which
used
to
be
known
as
the
Nebraska
River.
Due
to
the
flatness
of
the
plains,
flooding
of
the
river
would
inundate
the
region
with
a
flat
expanse
of
water. Nevada Spanish nevada ‘Snow-covered’, after
the Sierra
Nevada (‘snow-covered
mountains’). New
Hampshire English (ultimately
from Old
English) Hampshire After
the
county
of Hampshire in
England, whose
name
is
derived
from
the
original
name
for
its
largest
city, Southampton,
that
being Hamtun,
which
is
an
Old
English
word
that
roughly
translates
to
‘Village-Town’. New
Jersey English (ultimately
from Old

Norse) Jersey After Jersey, the
largest
of
the
British Channel
Islands and
the
birthplace
of
one
of
the
colony’s
two
co-founders, Sir
George
Carteret. The
Latin
name
Caesarea
was
also
applied
to
the
colony
of
New
Jersey
as
Nova
Caesarea,
because
the
Roman
name
of
the
island
was
thought
to
have
been
Caesarea. The
name
“Jersey”
most
likely
comes
from
the Norse name Geirrsey,
meaning
‘Geirr’s
Island’. New
Mexico Nahuatl via Spanish Mēxihco via Nuevo
México From
Spanish Nuevo
México. The
name
Mexico
comes
from
Nahuatl Mēxihca (pronounced [meːˈʃiʔko]),
which
referred
to
the Aztec people
who
founded
the
city
of
Tenochtitlan. Its
literal
meaning
is
unknown,
though
many
possibilities
have
been
proposed,
such
as
that
the
name
comes
from
the
god Metztli. New
York English York After
the Duke
of
York (later
King James
II
of
England).
Named
by
King Charles
II
of
England,
James
II’s
brother. The
name
“York”
is
derived
from
its
Latin
name Eboracum (via Old
English Eoforwic and
then Old
Norse Jórvík),
apparently
borrowed
from Brythonic Celtic *eborakon,
which
probably
meant
‘Yew-Tree
Estate’. North
Carolina Latin via English (ultimately
from Frankish) Carolus via Carolana After
King Charles
I
of
England and
his
son,
King Charles
II
of
England. The
name
Charles
itself
is
derived
from Frankish karl,
‘man,
husband’. North
Dakota Sioux/Dakota dakhóta ‘Ally’
or
‘friend’, after
the Dakota tribe. Ohio Seneca via French ohi:yo’ ‘Large
creek’,
originally
the
name
of
both
the Ohio
River and Allegheny
River. Often
incorrectly
translated
as
‘beautiful
river’, due
to
a
French
mistranslation. Oklahoma Choctaw okla + homa Devised
as
a
rough
translation
of
‘Indian
Territory’.
In
Choctaw, okla means
‘people’,
‘tribe’,
or
‘nation’,
and homa- means
‘red’,
thus
‘red
people’. Oregon Unknown Disputed Disputed
meaning.
First
named
by
Major Robert
Rogers in
a
petition
to King
George
III. Pennsylvania Welsh and Latin Penn + silvania ‘Penn’s
woods’,
after Admiral
William
Penn,
the
father
of
its
founder William
Penn. Pennsylvania
is
the
only
state
that
shares
part
of
its
name
with
its
founder. The
name
“Penn”
comes
from
the Welsh word
for
‘head’. Rhode
Island Greek Ρόδος
(Ródos) For
a
resemblance
to
the
island
of Rhodes in
the Aegean
Sea. Rhode
Island
(alternate) Dutch roodt
eylandt ‘Red
island’,
referring
to Aquidneck
Island. The
Modern
Dutch
form
of
the
phrase
is
‘rood
eiland’. South
Carolina Latin via English (ultimately
from Frankish) Carolus via Carolana After
King Charles
I
of
England and
his
son,
King Charles
II
of
England.
The
name
Charles
itself
is
derived
from Frankish karl,
‘man,
husband’. South
Dakota Sioux/Dakota dakhóta ‘Ally’
or
‘friend’, after
the Dakota tribe. Tennessee Cherokee ᏔᎾᏏ
(tanasi) Tanasi (in Cherokee:
ᏔᎾᏏ)
was
the
name
of
a Cherokee village; the
meaning
is
unknown. Texas Caddo via Spanish táyshaʔ via Tejas ‘Friend’, used
by
the
Caddo
to
refer
the
larger
Caddo
nation
(in
opposition
to
enemy
tribes).
The
name
was
borrowed
into Spanish as texa,
plural texas,
and
was
used
to
refer
to
the Nabedache
people (and
later
to
the Caddo
Nation in
general).
When
the
Spanish
decided
to
convert
the
Nabedache
to
Catholicism,
they
constructed La
Misión
de
San
Francisco
de
los
Texas,
which
later
came
to
be
used
in
naming
the Viceroyalty
of
New
Spain’s province. Utah Apache via Spanish yúdah via yuta From
the
Spanish
designation
for
the Ute people, yuta,
in
turn
perhaps
a
borrowing
from Western
Apache yúdah,
meaning
‘high’, sometimes
incorrectly
translated
as
‘people
of
the
mountains’. Utah
(alternate) Ute via Spanish noochee via yuta From
the Ute’s
self-designation [nutʃi̥],
plural [nuːtʃiu],
as
suggested
by J.
P.
Harrington,though
this
etymology
is
disputed. Vermont French vert + mont ‘Green
mount’
or
‘green
mountain’; vert in
French
means
‘green’,
and mont means
‘mount’
or
‘mountain’.
However,
in
French,
‘green
mountain’
would
actually
be
written mont
vert. Virginia Latin Virginia ‘Country
of
the
Virgin’,
after Elizabeth
I
of
England,
who
was
known
as
the
“Virgin
Queen”
because
she
never
married. Washington English Washington After George
Washington, whose
surname
was
in
turn
derived
from
the
town
of Washington in
historic County
Durham,
England.
The
etymology
of
the
town’s
name
is
disputed,
but
agreed
to
be
ultimately Old
English.
West
Virginia Latin Virginia The
western,
transmontane
counties
of
Virginia,
which
separated
from
Virginia
during
the American
Civil
War.
See
Virginia,
above. Wisconsin Miami-Illinois via French Meeskohsinki[107] via Ouisconsin(k) Originally
spelled Mescousing by
the
French,
and
later
corrupted
to Ouisconsin. It
likely
derives
from
a Miami-Illinois word Meskonsing,
meaning
‘it
lies
red’
or
‘river
running
through
a
red
place’. It
may
also
come
from
the Ojibwe term miskwasiniing,
‘red-stone
place’.
Wyoming Munsee/Delaware xwé:wamənk ‘At
the
big
river
flat’;
the
name
was
transplanted
westward
from
the Wyoming
Valley in
Pennsylvania.

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Author: Brilliant Maps