Every state in America has its own unique culture, flavor, and history — including its name. State pride is alive and well from Alabama to Wyoming, but do you know the story of how your state got its name?
While the etymology for some state names is a bit muddled, in general, a good number are derived from Native American tribes and languages, such as Algonquin, Sioux, and Iroquois. Others are nods to the origins of the European settlers who claimed patches of America as their own.
Here’s a guide to where all 50 state names came from, and what they mean.
Alabama comes from the Choctaw word albah amo, meaning “thicket-clearers” or “plant cutters.”
Alaska has ties to the Aleuts and the Russians, with the words alaxsxaq and Аляска, respectively, essentially meaning “mainland.”
Arizona has ancient roots with the Uto-Aztecan word ali sona-g, which was adopted by the Spaniards as Arizonac, meaning “good oaks.”
Arkansas is the French version of an Algonquin name for the Quapaw people, akansa.
California is a magical place — so magical, it’s named after a fictional world invented by the 15th-century author Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo. Spanish explorers adopted the name when setting foot on the gold coast.
Colorado is another Spanish-influenced name that essentially means “ruddy.” The name was first applied to the Colorado River for its distinctive reddish color.
Connecticut, much like Colorado, was named for the river running through it. The word possibly stems from the Native American term quinnitukqut, meaning “beside or at the long tidal river.”
Delaware is also named for a body of water, and that body of water was named for Baron De la Warr, the first English governor of Virginia. The baron’s name is Old French for “of the war.”
Florida taps into its Spanish roots by referencing Pascua florida, meaning “flowering Easter,” as Spanish explorers found the lush area during that holiday season. There’s also a tie to the Latin word floridus, meaning “strikingly beautiful.”
Georgia may be the Peach State, but it’s named for King George II from Great Britain.
Hawaii comes from the Polynesian word hawaiki, meaning “place of the Gods.” It was also named the Sandwich Islands by James Cook in the late 1700s.
Idaho has roots in the Athabaskan word idaahe, meaning “enemy.” The name was originally applied to part of Colorado before being attached to the Gem State.
Illinois has a silent “s” at the end, because it’s of French origin. “Illinois” means “Land of Illini,” giving a nod to the Native American population. Illini is the Algonquin word for “man” or “warrior.”
Indiana, as you might expect, stems from the English word “Indian.” The Latin suffix tacked on the end roughly means “land of the.”
Iowa comes from the Dakota word yuxba, meaning “sleepy ones.”
Kansas references the Kansa tribe, meaning “people of the south wind,” which makes sense for the region nicknamed “Tornado Alley.”
Kentucky is yet another state named for the river running through it, inspired by the Shawnee word for “on the meadow.”
Louisiana, like Georgia, was named for a regent of colonial times, Louis XIV of France.
Maine has uncertain origins, though “Maine” was also the name of a traditional province in France.
Maryland is a nod from King Charles I to his wife Henrietta Maria.
Massachusetts comes directly from the Algonquian word Massachusett, which means “at the large hill.”
Michigan is based on the Algonquin word meshi-gami, meaning “big lake.”
Minnesota, like many other Midwestern state names, comes from a Native American language. In this case, the Dakota word mnisota means “cloudy, milky water.”
Mississippi means “big river” in Algonquin Ojibwa, although the spelling is based on the French variation of the word.
Missouri relates to the Algonquin word wimihsoorita, which translates to “people of the big canoes.”
Montana has some Spanish inspiration that links back to the Latin mons, for “mountains.”
Nebraska stems from the Sioux name for the Platte River, omaha ni braska, meaning “flat water.”
Nevada comes from the surrounding Sierra Nevadas, which essentially means “snowy mountains,” or “snowcapped” in Spanish.
New Hampshire begins the list of many states and cities named as new outposts of other parts of the world. In this case, Hampshire is a county in Southampton, England.
New Jersey was named by Sir George Carteret of the Channel Island of Jersey.
New Mexico is based on what was then the Spanish Nuevo Mexico. Fun fact: The ancient Aztec capital was named Mexihco.
New York was named for the Duke of York and the future King James II.
North and South Carolina are named after King Charles II, as Carolus is the Latin version of Charles.
North and South Dakota come from the Dakota people, and the word means “friend or ally” in Sioux.
Ohio comes from a body of water, the Ohio River. The Seneca word meant “good river.”
Oklahoma comes from a Choctaw word meaning “red people.”
Oregon’s origin is less clear, although some scholars point to Algonquin as the source.
Pennsylvania was named after Admiral William Penn, under King Charles II. It literally means “Penn’s woods.”
Rhode Island is the subject of multiple theories, including the idea that Dutch explorer Adrian Block applied the name Roodt Eylandt, meaning “red island,” to reflect the red cliffs of the region. Alternatively, it may come from the Greek island of Rhodes.
Tennessee comes from the Cherokee village name ta’nasi, but the meaning is unclear.
Texas is a Spanish name from the word tejas, meaning “friends or allies.”
Utah comes from the Spanish yuta, the name given to Indigenous Uto-Aztecan people of the mountains.
Vermont comes from the French mont vert, meaning “green mountain.”
Virginia and West Virginia are a nod to Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen.
Washington is named for President George Washington. His surname means “estate of a man named Wassa” in Old English.
Wisconsin may come from the Miami word meskonsing, which was spelled by the French as mescousing and then shifted to ouisconsin.
Wyoming has origins from the Algonquian chwewamink, meaning “at the big river flat.” There is another theory, however, that proposes Wyoming comes from a word for “mountains and valleys alternating.”
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