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.