Rocky Star Geography

Origin of Names of the United States

Alabama Capital-Montgomery State Bird-yellowhammer State Flower-camellia	Indian tribe of the Creek Confederacy originally called the Alabamons, who gave the name to a river from which the state name originated.
Alaska Capital-Juneau State Bird-willow ptarmigan State Flower-forget-me-not	Eskimo word alakshak which means peninsula; also may mean great lands.
Arizona Capital-Phoenix State Bird-cactus wren State Flower-saguaro	Many claim it means arid zone. Others say it is from the Aztec word arizuma which means silver bearing . Other versions recognize the Papagos of the southwest giving the name Arizonac which means site of small springs (lack of water). Arizonac was near present-day Nogales and, in the early 1700s, silver was discovered giving some credence to the Aztec word arizuma .
Arkansas Capital-Little Rock State Bird-mockingbird State Flower-apple blossom	Uncertain. Words of Indian origin usually have various spellings. Arkansas has been spelled Alkansia, Alkansasa, and Akamsea. Some believe the word was Algonquin but the meaning is not known. Some say that Arkansas is French form of Kansas, a Sioux name for south wind people.
California Capital-Sacramento State Bird-California quail State Flower-golden poppy	Most believe Hernando Cortez applied the name and is traced to an imaginary island in a Spanish novel by Montalvo. The island is a paradise with great wealth.
Colorado Capital-Denver State Bird-lark bunting State Flower-Rocky Mountain columbine	May have been named for the river yet only tributaries of the Colorado run through the state. Some propose it may be from the Spanish word for red, describing the color of the river in some places.
Connecticut Capital-Hartford State Bird-robin State Flower-mountain laurel	Possible from the Indian word Quonoktacut (also Quonecktacut ) which may mean river whose water is driven in waves by tides or winds . Some offer the interpretation to mean long river, the long, endless, river, and long river place.
Delaware Capital-Dover State Bird-blue hen chicken State Flower-peach blossom	Lord De La Warr, first governor of Virginia who explored the bay and river area in 1630.
Florida Capital-Tallahassee State Bird-mockingbird State Flower-orange blossom	Ponce de Leon arrived on Easter Sunday. Pascua de Flores is Spanish for Feast of Flowers for which the state is named.
Georgia Capital-Atlanta State Bird-brown thrasher State Flower-Cherokee rose	King George II of England. The colony, founded in 1732, was named in a charter from King George to General James Oglethorpe, colonial administrator.
Hawaii Capital-Honolulu State Bird-nene State Flower-hibiscus	Anglicized version of Owhyee which may be the inhabitants word for homeland .
Idaho Capital-Boise State Bird-mountain bluebird State Flower-syringa	Uncertain. May be Indian word of unknown meaning, while other claim it is for gem of the mountains . Another possibility is Shoshone for Edah hoe or light on the mountains .
Illinois Capital-Springfield State Bird-cardinal State Flower-violet	An Illini Indian term for men or warriors with the French adjective, ois added on the end.
Indiana Capital-Indianapolis State Bird-cardinal State Flower-peony	May be due to the land along the Ohio River was purchased from the Indians.
Iowa Capital-Des Moines State Bird-eastern goldfinch State Flower-wild rose	An Indian tribe, Ah-hee-oo-ba which is sleepy or drowsy one . They lived in the valley of the river which bears their name and thus the name was applied to the state.
Kansas Capital-Topeka State Bird-western meadow lark State Flower-sunflower	Named for the Kansas or Kanza tribe of the Sioux that lived near a river in the area and gave and gave it their tribes name. The name translates as south wind people or wind people .
Kentucky Capital-Frankfort State Bird-cardinal State Flower-goldenrod	Origin and meaning is controversial. George R. Clark claimed the name was from the Indian word Kentake which means meadow land . It is also claimed that it is from the Shawnee word meaning at the head of the river as they Kentucky River can be used to travel in the area. Others claim it is from the Wyanot word Ken-tah-ten which means land of tomorrow .
Louisiana Capital-Baton Rouge State Bird-eastern brown pelican State Flower-magnolia	Named for Louis XIV of France. First used in 1683 by a French explorer, René Robert Cavalier de La Salle, and applied to all the area of the Mississippi/Missouri drainage basin.
Maine Capital-Augusta State Bird-chickadee State Flower-white pine cone and tassel	Some believe it was named by French explorers for a French province, Maine which was the property of Henrietta Maria. Others attribute the name to fishermen of the islands along the coast who called it the main or mainland. In 1639, a grant to Sir Fernando Gorges by Charles I refers to it as the province of Mayne.
Maryland Capital-Annapolis State Bird-Baltimore oriole State Flower-black-eyed Susan	Named for the wife of Charles I of England, Queen Henrietta Maria.
Massachusetts Capital-Boston State Bird-chickadee State Flower-mayflower	First of the states to have an Indian name. the Algonquin word Massadchu-es-et which means great-hill-small-place .
Michigan Capital-Lansing State Bird-robin State Flower-apple blossom	An Algonquin word, Mishigamaw , which means big lake or great water . The name is from the lake of the same name. Also may be from Michi, meaning great, and Gama meaning water.
Minnesota Capital-St. Paul State Bird-loon State Flower-lady's slipper	A Sioux word meaning cloudy water or sky-tinted water from the river with the same name.
Mississippi Capital-Jackson State Bird-mockingbird State Flower-magnolia	Great river or gathering of all the waters. Some call it the father of waters which denotes the size of the river.
Missouri Capital-Jefferson City State Bird-bluebird State Flower-hawthorne	An Indian name for muddy water and named for the large river.
Montana Capital-Helena State Bird-western meadow lark State Flower-bitterroot	Some confusion whether the name is Spanish or Latin. In both languages it means mountainous.
Nebraska Capital-Lincoln State Bird-western meadowlark State Flower-goldenrod	A Sioux word describing the river in the state which means shallow or broad water. May also be an Otos word for flat river (referring to the Platte River).
Nevada Capital-Carson City State Bird-mountain bluebird State Flower-sagebrush	A Spanish word for snow-covered, snowy land, or simply snowy. Also used in the descriptive name of the mountains in the area; Sierra Nevada.
New Hampshire Capital-Concord State Bird-purple finch State Flower-purple lilac	Named, in 1629, by John Mason for the English county of Hampshire.
New Jersey Capital-Trenton State Bird-eastern goldfinch State Flower-purple violet	Named for the Isle of Jersey, near the coast of England, by George Carteret who settled in the area with a grant from the Duke of York.
New Mexico Capital-Santa Fe State Bird-roadrunner State Flower-yucca	The Mexicans referred to the area north and west of the Rio Grande as New Mexico in the 16^th century. May derive from the Aztec war god, Mexitili.
New York Capital-Albany State Bird-bluebird State Flower-rose	Originally named New Netherlands but later, in 1664, changed to New York, for the Duke of York, when the English took the area in 1664.
North Carolina Capital-Raleigh State Bird-cardinal State Flower-flowering dogwood	Some English papers referred to the area as Carolina and may be for Charles I of England. Later, the name was applied by settlers that had a grant to the land from Charles II (see South Carolina).
North Dakota Capital-Bismarck State Bird-western meadow lark State Flower-wild prairie rose	An Indian word for allies. Other Indian word forms are: Lakota, Nakota, Lahkota, or Dakota depending on the dialect of the tribe. Allies denoted the name of the confederated Sioux tribes (see South Dakota).
Ohio Capital-Columbus State Bird -cardinal State Flower-scarlet carnation	Iroquois word meaning beautiful river from the Ohio River.
Oklahoma Capital-Oklahoma City State Bird-scissor-tailed flycatcher State Flower-mistletoe	Choctaw word for red people.
Oregon Capital-Salem State Bird-western meadow lark State Flower-Oregon grape	May be from the wild sage ( origanum ) that grows along the coast. May be from the Spanish Oregones which refers to the Indians in the area and means big-eared men.
Pennsylvania Capital-Harrisburg State Bird-ruffed grouse State Flower-mountain laurel	The only state named for its founder, William Penn, who wanted to recognize the vastness of the forests ( Sylvania ).
Rhode Island Capital-Providence State Bird-Rhode Island red State Flower-violet	The Dutch navigator Adrian Block first called it Roode Eylandt for the red clay in the area. Later the name was anglicized to Rhode Island.
South Carolina Capital-Columbia State Bird-Carolina wren State Flower-Carolina jessamine	Named for Charles II of England (see North Carolina).
South Dakota Capital-Pierre State Bird-Chinese ring-necked pheasant State Flower-pasqueflower	Sioux word for allies (see North Dakota).
Tennessee Capital-Nashville State Bird-mockingbird State Flower-iris	Cherokee for tribal village site ( Tanasse also Tennese ). The state is named for the main river flowing through it.
Texas Capital-Austin State Bird-mockingbird State Flower-bluebonnet	Usually considered to be an Indian word, tejas which means friends.
Utah Capital-Salt Lake City State Bird-sea gull State Flower-sego lily	From the Ute Indians that lived in the area.
Vermont Capital-Montpelier State Bird-hermit thrush State Flower-red clover	Named by Samuel de Champlain for the outstanding green mountains ( Vert Mont ) in the state.
Virginia Capital-Richmond State Bird-cardinal State Flower-flowering dogwood	Named for Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen of England, by Sir Walter Raleigh.
Washington Capital-Olympia State Bird-willow finch State Flower-coast rhododendron	Named for George Washington. Originally the Territory of Columbia but the name was changed to Washington to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia.
West Virginia Capital-Charleston State Bird-cardinal State Flower-rhododendron	Formerly part of Virginia. To avoid participating in secession, the western counties disassociated from Virginia. The Indian name of one of the major rivers, Kanawha, was suggested but never adopted.
Wisconsin Capital-Madison State Bird-robin State Flower-wood violet	Indian name of uncertain meaning. Wisconsin refers to the major river which means wild rushing channel. . Was spelled Ouiscinsin and Miscionsing by early settlers.
Wyoming Capital-Cheyenne State Bird-meadow lark State Flower-Indian paint brush	Wyoming has several meanings. Two are: Extensive plains (from Delaware or Leni-Lenape word maugh-wau-wama ), and mountains with valleys alternating.

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