The New Student's Reference Work/United States Names and Meanings

United States Names and Meanings.

Alabama	Indian name of a river meaning Here We Rest	Cotton State.
Arkansas	Indian name of a tribe meaning They Who Went down the River	Bear State.
California	Spanish for Hot Furnace	Golden State.
Colorado	Spanish for colored or red	Centennial State.
Connecticut	Indian name meaning The Long River	Nutmeg State.
Delaware	English name of a nobleman	Diamond State (or Little Blue Hen).
Florida	Spanish word meaning Flowery	Everglade State.
Georgia	Latin form meaning Land of (King) George	Empire State of the South or Goober State.
Idaho	Indian name meaning Mountain-Gem	Gem of the Mountains.
Illinois	Indian name of a tribe, meaning The Men	Prairie State.
Indiana	Latin form, meaning Land of Indians	Hoosier State.
Iowa	Indian name of a tribe and a river	Hawkeye State. (There was an Indian chief named Hawkeye).
Kansas	Indian; from kanza, meaning Swift and Wind. It also is said to mean Smoky Water	Sunflower State.
Kentucky	Indian word meaning The Barrens and Prairie	Bluegrass State.
Louisiana	Latin form meaning Land of (King) Louis	Creole, Pelican or Canebrake State.
Maine	French name of a province; or English “main,” to distinguish the mainland from the islands	Pinetree State.
Maryland	English name for the queen of Charles I of England	Old-Line State.
Massachusetts	Indian name meaning Place of Great Hills	Bay State.
Michigan	Indian name meaning the Great Lake	Peninsular or Wolverine State.
Minnesota	Indian name meaning Sky-colored Water	Bread and Butter, or Gopher, or North Star State.
Mississippi	Indian name meaning Father of Waters or Great River	Bayou State.
Missouri	Indian name meaning The Big Muddy	Bullion State.
Montana	Spanish for mountain	Mountain or Treasure State.
Nebraska	Indian name meaning Shallow Water or Water Valley	Tree-Planter State.
Nevada	Spanish for snow-covered	Sage-Brush or Sage-Hen State
New Hampshire	English name for a county in England	Granite State.
New Jersey	English name of an island in the English Channel	Garden State.
New York	English name of a city in England and of a duchy	Empire State.
North Carolina	Latin form meaning Country of (King) Charles	Old North, or Tarheel, or Turpentine State.
North Dakota	Indian name of tribes meaning Allies	Flickertail State.
Ohio	Indian name meaning The Beautiful River	Buckeye State.
Oklahoma	Indian name meaning Land of the Fair God
Oregon		Beaver or Sunset State.
Pennsylvania	Latin form meaning Penn's Woodland	Keystone State.
Rhode Island	Dutch name meaning Red Island	Little Rhody.
South Carolina	See North Carolina	Palmetto State.
South Dakota	See North Dakota	Coyote or Sunshine State.
Tennessee	Indian name meaning The River of the Big Bend	Big Bend or Volunteer State.
Texas	Indian name of tribes meaning Confederates	Lone Star State.
Utah	Indian name of a tribe	Salt Lake State.
Vermont	French name meaning Green Mountains	Green Mountain State.
Virginia	Latin form meaning Virgin's Land, for Queen Elizabeth	Old Dominion State.
Washington	English and American name of a family	Corner or Evergreen State.
West Virginia	See Virginia	Panhandle State.
Wisconsin	Indian name meaning The Wild, Rushing River	Badger State.
Wyoming	Indian name meaning Great Plains	Equality State.

Alaska is an Inuit word meaning The Great Land; Arizona an Indian name that signifies The Place of Small Springs; Hawaii a Polynesian title; Mexico, as in New Mexico, is from the Aztec name of Mexitl, the Mexican war-god; Panama is an Indian or Spanish name; Philippines is a Latinized Spanish form meaning Land of (King) Philip (of Spain), Filipino meaning an inhabitant of the Philippines; and Porto Rico is a Spanish term meaning Rich Port.