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Alabama -

Alabama, like many states, derives its name from the Native Americans who have lived in the area for thousands of years. Alabama, or Alibamu in the native Muskeogan language, can be roughly translated to "the tribe of thicket clearers," a characteristic of the farming Alibamu tribe that lived along the banks of the Alabama River.

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Alaska -

America's northernmost state, Alaska was part of Russia until 1867. The Russian name for Alaska, Alyaska, was derived from the native Aleut word alaxsxaq, which can be translated to "the main land which the sea breaks against."

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Arizona -

The southwestern state of Arizona most likely gets its name from the O'Odham language spoken by the native tribes of the Sonoran Desert. In the O'odham language, the compound of the words ali' and sona-g translate to "little spring," most likely referring to the many spring and oases that dot the desert landscape.

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Arkansas -

The word Arkansas, in the Algonquian language, translates to "the wind people," and was used by Algonquian speakers to refer to the Quapaw tribes that lived in the region. Interestingly, the "s" at the end of the word was originally pronounced, until settlers began to refer to the territory by the name of the river that runs through it instead of the people who inhabit it, which, as a single river, was pronounced "arkansaw."

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California -

California has one of the oldest names of European origin in the country. The word California was first coined by 16th-century novelist Garcia Ordóñez de Montalvo, who named a fictional, paradisiacal island as such in one of his books. Spanish explorers, after stumbling upon the beautiful Baja California Peninsula, began to refer to the newly discovered region as California in honor of the fictional island.

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Colorado -

Colorado is named after the Colorado River that runs through it, and was originally named as such after an old Spanish word roughly meaning "a reddish color," inspired by the reddish hue of the sediment-rich waters of the Colorado River.

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Connecticut -

The name of the eastern state of Connecticut was adopted from the native people who originally inhabited the region, who called it Quinnihtukqut, which can be translated to "beside the long tidal river."

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Delaware -

One of the first settlers of Jamestown, Virginia, and the original colonial territories, was Sir Thomas West. West was also known by another title: the Baron De La Warr, a corrupted version of the French title Baron de la Guerre. The Delaware River, Delaware Bay, and eventually the state of Delaware would all be named after him in time.

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Florida -

Legend has it that Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer who led the first European expedition in Florida, arrived on or around Easter in 1513, and decided to name the territory after the holiday as it is known in Spanish: Pascua Florida.

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Georgia -

As is the case with many of the early eastern colonial settlements, the territory of, and later on the state of, Georgia, was named after the monarch who approved its formation. In this case, King George II.

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Hawaii -

While no definitive evidence exists, most historians agree that the islands of Hawaii were named after the legendary sailor Hawaii Loa, who, according to local folklore, sailed from the Polynesian South Pacific to the islands in 400 CE.

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Idaho -

The origins of Idaho's name are one of the hardest to pin down. Many theories exist, ranging from the Apache word for enemy, to a European settler who wanted to name the territory after a girl named Ida.

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Illinois -

Illinois was the name given to the native tribes of the area by its first French settlers. The word is derived from Illiniwek, which in Algonquian can be translated to "tribe of superior men."

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Indiana -

While many states have names derived from the names of the indigenous populations that first inhabited their respective areas, the United States Congress decided the simply name Indiana after the misleading word used as a blanket term for all of the native populations of the continent.

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Iowa -

The history of Iowa's name is short and simple. The tribe who inhabited most of the state's territory was, you guessed it, the Iowa tribe.

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Kansas -

Similar to its neighbor to the southeast, Kansas' name is widely considered to be a reference to the native populations that were deeply connected with the wind, and were thus referred to as "wind people" or "people of the south wind" by their neighbors.

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Kentucky -

The history of the word Kentucky is murky, and historians haven't quite reached a consensus. One popular theory posits that the word is derived from an Iroquoian word that means "on the prairie."

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Louisiana -

Louisiana was originally named Louisiane, after French King Louis XIV, by explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle who claimed the area for France. Over time, the name blended with its Spanish counterpart, Luisiana, until it formed into its modern iteration of Louisiana.

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Maine -

Maine is another state who's etymology is hard to pin down. The prevailing story is that the colony was first named Maine in honor of Broadmayne, the English hometown of one its founders, Sir Ferdinand Gorges.

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Maryland -

Maryland, one of the original 13 colonies, was named in honor of King Charles I's queen, Henrietta Maria. The name was given by Lord Baltimore, who had the capital city of Maryland named after himself.

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Massachusetts -

The state of Massachusetts derives its name almost directly from the Algonquian term for the same region. Before the European settlers arrived, the name for the area was a compound of the Algonquian words mass, achu, and et, which, when put together, can be roughly translated to "the place of the big hill."

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Michigan -

Most historians believe that the word Michigan is a French corruption of the Algonquian word meshi-gami, which fittingly translates to "great lake."

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Minnesota -

Like many states in the US, the state of Minnesota is named after the river of the same title that runs directly through it. The river was originally referred to as mnisota, which, in the Dakota Sioux language, translates to "cloudy water."

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Mississippi -

Mississippi is named after the second-longest river in the United States, which empties out from the state's coast into the Gulf of Mexico. The original Algonquian word, miss sepi, translates to "great river."

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Missouri -

The midwestern state of Missouri has directly adopted its name from the particular Sioux tribe that originally inhabited its territory, the Missouri Sioux tribe. While a consensus hasn't quite been reached on an exact translation, the most popular opinion posits the word means "people of the large canoes."

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Montana -

Montana remains one of the wildest and most beautiful states in the US. The grand, mountainous terrain was appropriately named Montana, which is the Spanish word for mountain.

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Nebraska -

The midwestern state of Nebraska is one of the flattest states in the country, and its landscape is reflected in its name. Like so many other states, Nebraska is named after its primary river, which was originally known as the Nabrathka river. In the Oto language, this word is roughly translated to "flattened water."

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Nevada -

Nevada's name is derived from the mountain range that runs through the state, the Sierra Nevada mountains. In this context, the Spanish Sierra Nevada translates to "snow-capped mountains." In 1861, the territory was declared a state and officially named Nevada.

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New Hampshire -

A sizable plot of landed was granted to Captain John Mason by the King of England. As an homage to his English hometown of Hampshire, Captain Mason chose to name his new territory New Hampshire.

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New Jersey -

Today, New Jersey is known as the Garden State. In 1664, however, it was dubbed New Jersey by Sir George Carteret, in honor of the Norman-English island of Jersey, close to the shores of France.

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New Mexico -

The origin of the name of the southwestern state of New Mexico is fairly self-explanatory. For centuries, New Mexico was simply a part of Mexico, until the region was annexed as a US territory and named New Mexico in 1846.

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New York -

The brother of King Charles II, James, the Duke of York was put in charge of a huge swath of land in the New World by the king. Naturally, the duke chose to name his newfound property after the land he was historically in charge of.

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North Carolina -

Yet another state named in honor of King Charles I, North Carolina derives its name from the Latin version of Charles: Carolina.

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North Dakota -

Exactly like its neighboring state to the south, North Dakota is named after the Dakota Sioux tribe that has historically inhabited the region. From the original Siouan word, Dakota can be translated to "ally."

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Ohio -

Ohio is yet another word associated with rivers. In this case, the state name of Ohio is derived from the Iroquoian word ohiyo, which can be translated to "good river."

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Oklahoma -

Similar to Indiana, although far less obvious, the name Oklahoma refers to a general territory originally belonging to the indigenous populations of the region, without specifying any particular tribes.

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Oregon -

The etymological history of the state name of Oregon is shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. The first recorded use occurred during the reign of King George II, when explorer Major Robert Rogers first named the northwestern territory Ouragon. Unfortunately, the explanation for this name is lost to history.

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Pennsylvania -

In the same swoop of King Charles II's pen that chartered New York and New Jersey, the state of Pennsylvania was chartered to Admiral William Penn. The name as a whole is meant to translate to "Penn's Woods."

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Rhode Island -

The smallest state in the US, the history of Rhode Island's name is difficult to pin down. One popular theory posits that the state was named Roodt Eyland by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, referencing the red clay that lines the state's coastline, and was later anglicized as Rhode Island.

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South Carolina -

Up until 1729, South Carolina and its northern neighbor shared a name, simply being referred to as "Carolina," an homage to King Charles I.

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South Dakota -

A similar situation occurred with the Dakotas, which didn't split into separate states until 1889. Before that date, they were known simply as Dakota, a title derived from the Sioux word for "ally," or "friend."

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Tennessee -

Tennessee's name is widely believed to originate in the name, or names, of a Cherokee village, or villages, that settlers passed through in the region. Throughout various historical sources, names of villages such as Tanasqui, Tannassy, and Tennecy pop up regularly. Whether or not these were all referring to the same village or not, unfortunately, can't be proven.

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Texas -

Coming from the Hasinai word teysha, which can be translated to "friend," the region had been referred to as such by the indigenous population since long before any European settlers arrived. Once the Spanish did arrive, the term was changed to Texa, and then Texas.

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Utah -

The beautiful southwestern state of Utah almost directly adopted the name of the Ute tribe. "Ute" most likely has its origins in the Apache term yuttahih, which can be translated to "those who live further up in the mountains."

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Vermont -

The history of the name of the northeastern state of Vermont is relatively simple. The word itself comes from the French term monts verts, in reference to the Green Mountains section of the Appalachians that runs through the state.

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Virginia -

Virginia, the eastern coastal state where some of the first European settlements were erected, and which would later become the 10th state to officially join the Union, was named Virginia in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, also commonly referred to as the Virgin Queen.

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Washington -

One of the last states to join the country, not officially becoming part of the Union until 1889, Washington was originally meant to be called Columbia. However, Congress decided it would be more fitting to name the new northwestern state after the nation's first president, George Washington.

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West Virginia -

West Virginia didn't split from Virginia until 1863, two years after the Civil War broke out. Before that time, both states were one, simply known as Virginia, named in honor of the Virgin Queen Elizabeth I.

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Wisconsin -

The term for the midwestern state of Wisconsin  has changed over the centuries. First, it was named in relation to a tributary of the Mississippi River known as Misconsing, named such by French settlers. Eventually, Misconsing became Ouisconsin, until finally the word was anglicized to Wisconsin.

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Wyoming -

The great state of Wyoming is, like so many others, named after an indigenous term. In the case of this state, however, Wyoming isn't a word local to the state's region. First came the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. After the name was popularized by a 19th-century poem titled 'Gertrude of Wyoming,' the name was suggested as the official title for the new state.

Sources: (Owlcation) (Insider)

See also: Countries that changed their names

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