Origin of State Names
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
| 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 Esplandián, by Garcia Ordóñez 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 |
