The Ultimate Guide to State Names

Every state tells a story with its name. From French to Spanish to Native American -- the vast brocade of cultures that makes up the United States is reflected in the names of the 50 states.

Alabama - This name comes from the Alpaamo people, the original inhabitants of this area.

Alaska - The Inuit people called this land, alaxsxaqu, which is the word for mainland. The name Alaska comes from the Russian pronunciation of this Inuit word.

Arizona - The Spanish influence in America can be found in this name. From the Papago word for place with a small spring, arishoonak, the Spanish changed the name to Arizonac.

Arkansas -- The Arkansa were a band of Sioux people. The French added an 's' to the name to make the word plural, but as often happens in French, did not pronounce the final letter, which is why it's pronounced the way it is.

California - This state is named by early Spanish settlers after Calafia, the queen of an imaginary island paradise.

Colorado - The name of this state comes from the Spanish word for ruddy.

Connecticut - This state is named for a Native American word for "long tidal river", Quinnitukqut. This was the local name of the Connecticut River.

Delaware -- One of the best ways to get a state named after you is to rule it. Lord de la Warr was the first English governor of the area that would bare his name.

Florida - The Spanish influence comes though in the name of this state, the Spanish word for "land of flowers."

Georgia - This state is named after King George II of England.

Hawaii -- The origins of Hawaii are uncertain, but the name appears to come from the Polynesian word for their traditional lands, Havaikii.

Idaho - The origin of this state's name is also uncertain. It is thought to come from the Shoshone phrase for "good morning."

Illinois - Chances are if a state name has letters in it that are not pronounced, it is of French origin. Illinois derives from the French pronunciation of the Algonquin word ilinwek, which means warriors.

Indiana - This area of the country was originally to be 'Indian territory." The letter 'a' was added to mean "land of the Indian."

Iowa - This name comes from the Dakota word ayuba, which meant "sleepy ones."

Kansas - This name also comes from the Arkansa band of Sioux.

Kentucky - This name appears to have conflicting origins. The Iroquois word for meadowlands is kenta-ke. Another possible origin is also from the Iriquois language: ken-tah-ten, which means the land of tomorrow.

Lousiana - This state's French influence can be found in it's name. The state is named after King Louis XIV.

Maine - This state is named for the French province, Mayne, from which many of the area's first explorers came from.

Maryland - If you can't rule an area, you can still get it named after you with the right connections. This state was named after Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles II of England. It was originally called Marieland.

Massachusetts - This state comes from the Algonquin phrase, mass-adchu-seuck, which means "big hills people."

Michigan - This state's name comes from the Chippewa phrase mica gama meaning big water.

Minnesota - This state was named after the Dakota phrase for "sky-blue water."

Mississippi - The Chippewa words for big (mici) and river (sipi) make up this state's name.

Missouri - The French influenced Chippewa word for "big canoes" gives this state its name.

Montana - This state's name comes from the Spanish word for "land of mountains."

Nebraska - The Platte River was referred to by the Omaha people as ni bthaska, which means "wide river".

Nevada -- From the Spanish word for "land of snow", this name may seem an odd choice for Nevada where it never snows; however, the name refers to the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

New Hampshire - The land that comprises the state of New Hampshire was originally granted to Captain John Mason, whose home was Hampshire County in England.

New Jersey - When the British seized this land from the Dutch, they renamed it after an island off the coast of England, which was home to the man the land was given to by the king of England.

New Mexico - This name comes from Nuevo Mexico, the name given to this area by Spanish settlers from Mexico.

New York - Another part of New Netherland taken by the British and renamed after the Duke of York, brother of King Charles II.

North and South Carolina - This area was named after King Charles II of England. Carolina is the Latin version of Charles. The area was split into two provinces in 1710.

North and South Dakota -- these states are named after the Dakota band of the Sioux. The word means "friend".

Ohio - This state is named after the Iroquois word oheo, which means "beautiful water". They used this word to describe the Ohio River.

Oklahoma - This state is a combination of two Choctaw words: okla (people) and homa (red).

Oregon - This name comes from uncertain origins. It is thought to derive from the French-Canadian word for hurricane, ouragan.

Pennsylvania -- This state was named for William Penn, who was given the land grant for this area. Penn wanted to name it Sylvania, which is Latin for "wooded land"; however, the king of England, perhaps upset by not having the land named after him, added Penn's name to Sylvania, to tweak Penn's Quaker sensibilities.

Rhode Island - This name comes from the Dutch meaning "island of red clay" and the Greek Island of Rhodes.

Tennessee -- This state is named after a Cherokee town, Tinnase.

Texas - This state is named for a local Native American for friend or ally, texia. This word was altered by the Spanish, whose word for allies is tejas. The combination of the two gives us Texas.

Utah - This state's name comes from the Ute word for "land of the Ute people". Another possible origin is from the Navajo word, utah, which means "high land".

Vermont - Originally called New Connecticut, Vermont was named for the French words for green (vert) and mountain (mont).

Virginia - named by Elizabeth I of England. Her name was the Virgin Queen and also alludes to the virginity of the land in regards to being untouched by Europeans.

Washington - You can guess who this state was named after. First name: George.

West Virginia - The western counties of Virginia split off from Virginia during the Civil War.

Wisconsin - This name is possible a French alteration of an Algonquin word for "river".

Wyoming - This state's name derives from an Algonquin word weam-ing meaning "mountains and flatlands". This same word lends itself to Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley.