List of state and territory name etymologies of the United States



The fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the five inhabited U.S. territories, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands have taken their names from a wide variety of languages. The names of 24 states derive from indigenous languages of the Americas and one from Hawaiian. Of those that come from Native American languages, eight come from Algonquian languages, seven from Siouan languages (one of those via Miami-Illinois, which is an Algonquian language), three from Iroquoian languages, two from Muskogean languages, one from a Caddoan language, one from an Eskimo-Aleut language, one from a Uto-Aztecan language, and one from either an Athabaskan language or a Uto-Aztecan language.

Twenty other state names derive from European languages: seven come from Latin (mostly from Latinized forms of English personal names, one of those coming from Welsh), five from English, five from Spanish, and three from French (one of those via English). The source language/language family of the remaining five states is disputed or unclear: Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Oregon, and Rhode Island.

Of the fifty states, eleven are named after an individual person. Six of those are named in honor of European monarchs: the two Carolinas, the two Virginias, Georgia, and Louisiana. In addition, Maryland is named after Queen Henrietta Maria, queen consort of King Charles I of England, and New York after the then-Duke of York, who later became King James II of England. Over the years, several attempts have been made to name a state after one of the Founding Fathers or other great statesmen of U.S. history: the State of Franklin, the State of Jefferson (three separate attempts), the State of Lincoln (two separate attempts), and the State of Washington; in the end, only Washington materialized (Washington Territory was carved out of the Columbia District and renamed Washington in order to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia, which contains the city of Washington).

Several of the states that derive their names from names used for Native peoples have retained the plural ending in "s": Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Texas. One common naming pattern has been as follows: "Native tribal group → River → Territory → State"

State names
||data-sort-value="January 1, 1743"| 1743 || Spanish || colorado || 'Ruddy' or 'red', originally referring to the Colorado River. || April 15, 1696 || 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). || January 31, 1680 || 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.  || April 2, 1513 || 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.  || October 3, 1674 || 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, whose name was derived from the Greek word georgos, meaning 'husbandman' or 'farmer', from ge 'earth' + ergon 'work'. || December 29, 1879 || 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. || rowspan=2| June 6, 1864 || 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. || March 24, 1793 || 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). || December 2, 1794 || 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. || August 31, 1818 || 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'. || May 12, 1832 || 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". || April 28, 1728 || Iroquoian || (see Meaning and notes) || 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' (cf. Mohawk kenhtà:ke, Seneca gëdá’geh (phonemic ), 'at the field'). || July 18, 1787 || 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'. || rowspan=3| October 13, 1729 || English || main || A common historical etymology is that the name refers to the mainland, as opposed to the coastal islands. || January 18, 1691 || 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'. || June 4, 1665 || 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). || October 28, 1811 || Ojibwe via French || ᒥᔑᑲᒥ (mishigami) || 'Large water' or 'large lake' (in Old Algonquin, *meshi-gami). || April 21, 1821 || Dakota || mní sóta || 'Cloudy water', referring to the Minnesota River. || March 9, 1800 || Ojibwe via French || ᒥᓯᓰᐱ (misi-ziibi) || 'Great river', after the Mississippi River. || September 7, 1805 || 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]'. || November 1, 1860 || Spanish || montaña || 'Mountain'. || June 22, 1847 || 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. || February 9, 1845 || Spanish || nevada || 'Snow-covered', after the Sierra Nevada ('snow-covered mountains'). || August 27, 1692 || 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'. || April 2, 1669 || 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'. || November 1, 1859 || Nahuatl via Spanish || Mēxihco via Nuevo México || From Spanish Nuevo México. The name Mexico comes from Nahuatl Mēxihca, 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. || October 15, 1680 || 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'. || June 30, 1686 || 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'. || November 2, 1867 || Sioux/Dakota || dakhóta || 'Ally' or 'friend', after the Dakota tribe. || April 19, 1785 || 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. || September 5, 1842 || 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'. || 1765 || Unknown || Disputed || Disputed meaning. First named by Major Robert Rogers in a petition to King George III.
 * Colorado
 * Colorado
 * Connecticut
 * Connecticut
 * Delaware
 * Delaware
 * Florida
 * Florida
 * Georgia
 * Georgia
 * Hawaii
 * Hawaii
 * rowspan=2| Idaho
 * rowspan=2| Idaho
 * Plains Apache || ídaahę́ || Possibly from the Plains Apache word for 'enemy' (ídaahę́), which was used to refer to the Comanches.
 * Illinois
 * Illinois
 * Illinois
 * Indiana
 * Indiana
 * Iowa
 * Iowa
 * Kansas
 * Kansas
 * Kentucky
 * Kentucky
 * Louisiana
 * Louisiana
 * rowspan=3| Maine
 * rowspan=3| Maine
 * French || Maine|| After the French province of Maine.
 * 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 || (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
 * Maryland
 * Massachusetts
 * Massachusetts
 * Michigan
 * Michigan
 * Minnesota
 * Minnesota
 * Mississippi
 * Mississippi
 * Missouri
 * Missouri
 * Montana
 * Montana
 * Nebraska
 * Nebraska
 * Nevada
 * Nevada
 * New Hampshire
 * New Hampshire
 * New Jersey
 * New Jersey
 * New Mexico
 * New Mexico
 * New York
 * New York
 * North Carolina
 * North Carolina
 * North Dakota
 * North Dakota
 * Ohio
 * Ohio
 * Oklahoma
 * Oklahoma
 * Oregon
 * Oregon

|| March 8, 1650 || 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'. || rowspan=2 | February 3, 1680 || Dutch || roodt eylandt || 'Red island', referring to Aquidneck Island. The Modern Dutch form of the phrase is 'rood eiland'. || November 12, 1687 || 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'. || November 2, 1867 || Sioux/Dakota || dakhóta || 'Ally' or 'friend', after the Dakota tribe. || May 24, 1747 || Cherokee || ᏔᎾᏏ (tanasi) || Tanasi (in Cherokee: ᏔᎾᏏ) was the name of a Cherokee village; the meaning is unknown. || June 30, 1827 || 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. || rowspan=2| December 20, 1877 || 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'. || September 27, 1721 || 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. || 1584 || Latin || Virginia || 'Country of the Virgin', after Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married. || February 22, 1872 || 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. || September 1, 1831 || Latin || Virginia || The western, transmontane counties of Virginia, which separated from Virginia during the American Civil War. See Virginia, above. || February 5, 1822 || Miami-Illinois via French || Meeskohsinki 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'. || August 14, 1877 || Munsee/Delaware || xwé:wamənk || 'At the big river flat'; the name was transplanted westward from the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania.
 * Pennsylvania
 * Pennsylvania
 * rowspan=2 | Rhode Island
 * rowspan=2 | Rhode Island
 * Greek || Ρόδος (Ródos) || For a resemblance to the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea.
 * South Carolina
 * South Carolina
 * South Carolina
 * South Dakota
 * South Dakota
 * Tennessee
 * Tennessee
 * Texas
 * Texas
 * rowspan=2| Utah
 * rowspan=2| Utah
 * Ute via Spanish|| noochee via yuta || From the Ute's self-designation, plural , as suggested by J. P. Harrington, though this etymology is disputed.
 * Vermont
 * Vermont
 * Vermont
 * Vermont
 * Virginia
 * Virginia
 * Washington
 * Washington
 * West Virginia
 * West Virginia
 * Wisconsin
 * Wisconsin
 * Wyoming
 * Wyoming
 * }