The surprising history behind every state nickname

Iowa: The Hawkeye State - This state's nickname was given in honor of the American Indian leader Chief Black Hawk, who was forced to relocate to Iowa along with the rest of his tribe. One newspaper publisher who was friends with the chief renamed the paper The Hawkeye and Iowa Patriot in his honor, and the state's nickname was born.

15 / 51 Fotos

Kansas: The Sunflower State - At the tail end of summer, the state is covered in wild sunflowers. Kansas chose this beautiful blossom as its state flower in 1903.

16 / 51 Fotos

Kentucky: The Bluegrass State - When settlers first came to Kentucky, it became known for having fields of grass with buds that were tinted blue. Though this is where the nickname came from originally, many now just associate it with bluegrass music.

17 / 51 Fotos

Louisiana: The Pelican State - Pelicans actually became a state symbol almost instantaneously after settlers arrived. Today Louisiana is home to roughly 40,000 of these birds.

18 / 51 Fotos

Maine: The Pine Tree State - The White Pines in Maine are among the tallest trees in North America. In its early days of statehood, the trunks of these pines were used to build ships for settlers. Both the beauty of these trees and the history gave this northeastern state its nickname.

19 / 51 Fotos

Maryland: The Old Line State - This name actually comes from George Washington himself according to historians. In many of the president's writing, he referred to Maryland as the "old line" to praise the bravery of its citizens during the Revolutionary War.

20 / 51 Fotos

Massachusetts: The Bay State - The origin of this name has been debated, but some historians have concluded that it was because pioneers originally settled in Cape Cod Bay. Also, the Massachusetts Bay Company governed the state until 1684.

21 / 51 Fotos

Michigan: The Wolverine State - It is widely said that the state gets its nickname for once being home to large packs of wolverines. However, the Michigan Historical Center argues there was likely only a small number of them. Ohioans also supposedly compared people in Michigan to "vicious and bloodthirsty" wolverines during the Toledo War.

22 / 51 Fotos

Minnesota: The North Star State - Minnesota's motto "L’Étoile du Nord" or "Star of the North" was given by the first state governor. It is also commonly known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes even though it is home to well over 11,000.

23 / 51 Fotos

Mississippi: The Magnolia State - This southern state is covered in gorgeous magnolia trees and flowers, which eventually became symbols of the state as well as the nickname.

24 / 51 Fotos

Missouri: The Show-Me State - A congressman from Missouri once famously stated in 1899, "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me."

25 / 51 Fotos

Montana: The Treasure State - This nickname became popular in 1895 when the state was producing plenty of silver, gold, and copper. It was also given the nickname “The Stubbed-Toe State” in 1922, because an amateur hiker could not get through the western mountains in the state without getting a few injuries along the way.

26 / 51 Fotos

Nebraska: Cornhusker State - Long before cornhusking machines were invented, settlers in Nebraska had to perform this grueling task by hand. The name is now closely tied to the University of Nebraska football team.

27 / 51 Fotos

Nevada: The Silver State - This nickname came about thanks to the 1858 Comstock Lode, which ultimately led to a massive silver rush in the state. To this day Nevada is the second largest silver producing state in the US.

28 / 51 Fotos

New Hampshire: The Granite State - New Hampshire's myriad of granite formations earned this nickname. One of the most famous examples is The Old Man of the Mountain on the state's Cannon Mountain.

29 / 51 Fotos

New Jersey: The Garden State - This nickname was originally bestowed upon New Jersey by Abraham Browning, the first Attorney General under the Constitution. He said the state is "an immense barrel, filled with good things to eat and open at both ends."

30 / 51 Fotos

New Mexico: Land of Enchantment - This became the state's official nickname in 1999 due to its vast array of natural beauty, from White Sands National Monument to the Rio Grande Gorge.

31 / 51 Fotos

New York: The Empire State - This name was given to the state by our first president himself. In a letter in 1785, George Washington called New York the “seat of the empire” due to the state's wealth and resources.

32 / 51 Fotos

North Carolina: Tar Heel State - Though it has been debated, the most accepted theory of this nickname is that it comes from the state's history as a producer of naval stores. Between roughly 1720 to 1870 North Carolina was one of the world's greatest tar producers.

33 / 51 Fotos

North Dakota: The Peace Garden State - This was adopted as the state's official nickname in 1957 to honor South Dakota's International Peace Garden that lies on the border with Canada.

34 / 51 Fotos

Ohio: The Buckeye State - The Buckeye is Ohio's official state tree. It originally was given this name by American Indian groups who believed the nuts growing on the tree resembled a deer's eye.

35 / 51 Fotos

Oklahoma: The Sooner State - Settlers who claimed land in Oklahoma before the government allowed them to do so would come to be known as the "sooners." They eventually gave the state its nickname.

36 / 51 Fotos

Oregon: The Beaver State - Early settlers in Oregon would survive by setting beaver traps along the state's multitude of rivers and selling their fur to other traders. The beaver eventually became the official state animal in 1969.

37 / 51 Fotos

Pennsylvania: The Keystone State - Pennsylvania earned this nickname by being the location for some of the most important moments in American history, such as the writing of the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address.

38 / 51 Fotos

Rhode Island: The Ocean State - This East Coast state has often been compared to an island due to its 400 mi of ocean shoreline—even though it is the smallest US state.

39 / 51 Fotos

South Carolina: The Palmetto State - The Palmetto isn't just South Carolina's state tree. During the Revolutionary War in June 1776, soldiers in Charleston used palmetto trees as protection in a fight against the British, and were ultimately triumphant.

40 / 51 Fotos

South Dakota: The Mount Rushmore State - It comes as little surprise that South Dakota would be named after the world-famous monument carved into the Black Hills that took roughly 15 years to complete.

41 / 51 Fotos

Tennessee: The Volunteer State - This comes from a time during the Mexican War (1846-1848) when the governor requested 2,600 volunteers to assist the fight, and astoundingly 30,000 responded to his call.

42 / 51 Fotos

Texas: The Lone Star State - This has been the proud symbol of Texas since the 1800s. The state's legislature declared that the star on the flag surrounded by red, white, and blue symbolizes bravery, purity, and loyalty.

43 / 51 Fotos

Utah: The Beehive State - Legend says that the early Mormon settlers in Utah carried swarms of bees with them on their journey. However, some historians instead say that bees are simply a symbol of the strength of the pilgrims themselves.

44 / 51 Fotos

Vermont: The Green Mountain State - Because the state was originally settled by the British and French in the 18th century, Vermont's nickname comes from the french term "montagne verte" which means green mountain.

45 / 51 Fotos

Virginia: The Old Dominion State - This nickname was given to Virginia by King Charles II due to the state siding with the English crown during the Revolutionary War. It is also known as the Mother of Presidents because many of the Founding Fathers were born there.

46 / 51 Fotos

Washington: The Evergreen State - Due to Washington's abundance of emerald green forests, pioneer C.T. Conover gave the state its nickname. It would not be formally adopted until 1893.

47 / 51 Fotos

West Virginia: The Mountain State - West Virginia has mountains with some of the highest altitudes east of the Mississippi. The Allegheny Mountains are one of the state's most popular tourist attractions.

48 / 51 Fotos

Wisconsin: The Badger State - Wisconsin was given this name in the 1800s when coal miners had to stay in "badger caves." The workers would later be called badgers themselves. The state nickname was made in honor of these hard workers.

49 / 51 Fotos

Wyoming: The Equality State -

In the 1860s men outnumbered women in the state six to one. The state legislature made it legal for women to vote in the hopes to bring more females to the state.

50 / 51 Fotos

0 / 51 Fotos

1 / 51 Fotos

Alaska: The Last Frontier - Being the 49th state to join the union, Alaska inherited its nickname almost instantaneously. This was reinforced by its vast array of unspoiled remote wilderness.

2 / 51 Fotos

Arizona: The Grand Canyon State - The state's world-famous national park was given its name by explorer John Wesley Powell in the 1870s during his voyage down the Colorado River.

3 / 51 Fotos

Arkansas: The Natural State - Arkansas's plentiful natural beauty, including rushing rivers, lush valleys, and rolling hills, gives the state its name.

4 / 51 Fotos

5 / 51 Fotos

6 / 51 Fotos

7 / 51 Fotos

Delaware: The First State - Delaware was officially the first state to ratify the US Constitution in 1787. However, it is also known as The Diamond State and the Blue Hen State.

8 / 51 Fotos

9 / 51 Fotos

Georgia: The Peach State - Of course, this southern state gets its name from its delectable plethora of peaches! Peaches became Georgia's state fruit in 1995.

10 / 51 Fotos

Hawaii: The Aloha State - The island's famous greeting—meaning hello and goodbye—gave this picturesque state its name. Hawaii was officially granted statehood in 1959.

11 / 51 Fotos

Idaho: The Gem State - The word Idaho is actually a Shoshone American Indian term meaning "gem of the mountains." Its peaks are packed with precious minerals like jade and topaz.

12 / 51 Fotos

Illinois: The Land of Lincoln - Despite President Lincoln actually being born in Kentucky, the state adopted this nickname in 1955 because Lincoln was living in Illinois when he was elected in 1861.

13 / 51 Fotos

14 / 51 Fotos