Capital : Washington D.C.
Size: 3 619 000 sq m Popn: 255 020 000
| State | Origin/Meaning | Nicknames | Capital |
| Alabama | Indian tribal name | Heart of Dixie, Cotton State, Yellowhammer State | Montgomery |
| Alaska | Aleutian 'mainland' | Land of the Midnight Sun, The Last Frontier | Juneau |
| Arizona | Papago 'place of the small spring' | Apache State, Grand Canyon State | Phoenix |
| Arkansas | Indian tribal name | Bear State, Wonder State, Land of Opportunity | Little Rock |
| California | Invented name for an imaginary island (chosen by Cortes) | Golden State | Sacramento |
| Colorado | Spanish 'reddish' (the Colarado river) | Centennial State (joined Union 100 years after Independence) | Denver |
| Connecticut | Algonquian 'long river' | Constitution State, Nutmeg State | Hartford |
| Delaware | Thomas West, Lord de la Warr (1577-1618) | First State, Diamond State | Dover |
| District of Columbia (Federal District) | Washington D.C. | ||
| Florida | Spanish 'flowery' (suggests Easter) | Sunshine State, Peninsula State | Tallahassee |
| Georgia | After George II | Empire State of The South, Peach State | Atlanta |
| Hawai'i | 'place of the Gods' | Aloha State (love/farewell) | Honolulu |
| Idaho | Apache | Gem State, Gem of the Mountains | Boise |
| Illinois | Algonquian 'men, warriors' | Prairie State | Springfield |
| Indiana | After the Indian tribes | Hoosier State | Indianapolis |
| Iowa | Indian tribal name | Hawkeye State (after the chief) | Des Moines |
| Kansas | Indian tribal name | Sunflower State, Jayhawk State | Topeka |
| Kentucky | Iroquois 'meadow land' | Bluegrass State | Frankfort |
| Louisiana | After Louis IV of France | Pelican State, Creole State, Bayou State, Sugar State | Baton Rouge |
| Maine | 'mainland' made to look like French province name | Pine Tree State | Augusta |
| Maryland | After Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I | Old Line State, Free State | Annapolis |
| Massachusetts | Algonquian 'at the big hills' | Bay State, Old Colony State | Boston |
| Michigan | Algonquian 'big lake' or 'forest clearing' | Wolverine State | Lansing |
| Minnesota | Sioux 'cloudy water' | North Star State, Gopher State | St Paul |
| Mississippi | Algonquian 'big river' | Magnolia State | Jackson |
| Missouri | Algonquian river name 'muddy' | Show Me State | Jefferson City |
| Montana | Spanish 'mountainous' | Treasure State | Helena |
| Nebraska | Sious 'flat water' (River Platte) | Cornhusker State, Beef State, Tree Planter's State | Lincoln |
| Nevada | Spanish 'snowy' (Sierra Nevada Mountains) | Sagebrush State, Silver State, Battle Born State | Carson City |
| New Hampshire | Named by John Mason from Hampshire | Granite State | Concord |
| New Jersey | Named by Sir George Carteret, from Jersey | Garden State | Trenton |
| New Mexico | Hoped territory would be as rich as Mexico | Land of Enchantment, Sunshine State | Sante Fe |
| New York | Duke of York, brother of Charles II | Empire State | Albany |
| North Carolina | Charles IX of France, Charles I + II of England | Tar Heel State, Old North State | Raleigh |
| North Dakota | Indian tribal name 'alliance of friends' | Sioux State, Flickertail State (squirrels) | Bismarck |
| Ohio | Iroquian 'beautiful river' | Buckeye State | Columbus |
| Oklahoma | Choctaw 'red people' | Sooner State | Oklahoma City |
| Oregon | Maybe from C18th map river name 'Ouaricon-sint' (Wisconsin) | Beaver State | Salem |
| Pennsylvania | William Penn + Latin 'woodland' | Keystone State | Harrisburg |
| Rhode Island | After Greek island of Rhodes | Little Rhody | Providence |
| South Carolina | See North Carolina | Palmetto State | Columbia |
| South Dakota | See North Dakota | Coyote State, Sunshine State | Pierre |
| Tennessee | Cherokee river name | Volunteer State | Nashville |
| Texas | Indian tribe or greeting | Lone Star State | Austin |
| Utah | Indian tribal name | Beehive State | Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | French 'green mountain' | Green Mountain State' | Montpelier |
| Virginia | After Elizabeth I, 'the Virgin Queen' | The Old Dominion, Cavalier State | Richmond |
| Washington | After George Washington, 1st President | Evergreen State, Cinook State | Olympia |
| West Virginia | See 'Virginia' | Mountain State, Panhandle State | Charleston |
| Wisconsin | Algonquian 'long river' | Badger State | Madison |
| Wyoming | Algonquian 'broad plain' | Equality State | Cheyenne |
This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.
Copies may be made for personal use only.