Where Do US State Names Come From?

Map created by Gzero

The map above shows the origins for US state names. The vast majority come from Native / Indigenous words, followed by English related names (royalty, places or aristocracy), then names coming from Spanish, followed by names from French, and finally disputed and/or other origins.

The creators of the map cited Fact Montser as there source for these names.

Here’s a bit more about each one:

State	Origin of Name
Alabama	Possibly derived from a Choctaw term meaning “thicket-clearers” or “vegetation-gatherers.”
Alaska	A corrupted form of an Aleut word that means “great land” or “that which the sea breaks against.”
Arizona	Origin uncertain; may come from the O’odham Indian word meaning “little spring.”
Arkansas	Named after the Quapaw Indian tribe.
California	Taken from Las Sergas de Esplandián, a book by Garcia Ordóñez de Montalvo, around 1500.
Colorado	Derived from a Spanish word meaning “ruddy” or “red.”
Connecticut	Comes from the Indian word (Quinnehtukqut) meaning “beside the long tidal river.”
Delaware	Named after the Delaware River and Bay, which in turn was named for Sir Thomas West, Baron De La Warr.
Florida	From the Spanish term Pascua Florida, meaning “feast of flowers” (Easter).
Georgia	Named in honor of King George II of England.
Hawaii	Origin uncertain; the islands might be named after Hawaii Loa, their legendary discoverer, or the Polynesian homeland Hawaii or Hawaiki.
Idaho	An invented name with no known meaning.
Illinois	An Algonquin word meaning “tribe of superior men.”
Indiana	Meaning “land of Indians.”
Iowa	Likely comes from a Native American word meaning “this is the place” or “the Beautiful Land.”
Kansas	From a Sioux word meaning “people of the south wind.”
Kentucky	Derived from the Iroquoian word “Ken-tah-ten,” meaning “land of tomorrow.”
Louisiana	Named in honor of King Louis XIV of France.
Maine	Originally used to distinguish the mainland from offshore islands; possibly a tribute to Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I of England.
Maryland	Named in honor of Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I of England.
Massachusetts	Named after the Massachusett tribe, meaning “at or about the great hill.”
Michigan	From an Indian word “Michigana,” meaning “great or large lake.”
Minnesota	Derived from a Dakota Indian word meaning “sky-tinted water.”
Mississippi	From a Native American word meaning “Father of Waters.”
Missouri	Named after the Missouri Indian tribe; “Missouri” means “town of the large canoes.”
Montana	From a Spanish word meaning “mountain.”
Nebraska	Based on an Oto Indian word meaning “flat water.”
Nevada	From the Spanish word meaning “snowcapped.”
New Hampshire	Named after the English county of Hampshire.
New Jersey	Named after the Channel Island of Jersey.
New Mexico	Derived from Mexico, meaning “place of Mexitli,” an Aztec deity or leader.
New York	Named in honor of the Duke of York.
North Carolina	Named in honor of King Charles I of England.
North Dakota	From a Sioux word meaning “allies.”
Ohio	From an Iroquoian word meaning “great river.”
Oklahoma	From two Choctaw words meaning “red people.”
Oregon	Origin uncertain; widely believed that Jonathan Carver first used it in 1778, inspired by Maj. Robert Rogers.
Pennsylvania	Named in honor of Admiral Sir William Penn, father of William Penn, meaning “Penn’s Woodland.”
Rhode Island	Named after the Greek island of Rhodes.
South Carolina	Named in honor of King Charles I of England.
South Dakota	From a Sioux word meaning “allies.”
Tennessee	Of Cherokee origin; the exact meaning is unknown.
Texas	From a Native American word meaning “friends.”
Utah	Named after the Ute tribe, meaning “people of the mountains.”
Vermont	From the French vert mont, meaning “green mountain.”
Virginia	Named in honor of Elizabeth I, the “Virgin Queen” of England.
Washington	Named in honor of George Washington.
West Virginia	Named in honor of Elizabeth I, the “Virgin Queen” of England.
Wisconsin	A French adaptation of a Native American word, though its exact meaning is debated.
Wyoming	From a Delaware Indian word meaning “mountains and valleys alternating,” named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania.