Editor's Corner

Good morning, everyone!

I was reading an article from Thesaurus.com the other day about state names. No, this isn’t like moods or states of mind. I’m talking about the 50 United States of America. The article is about where the state names come from. I’m sure you have an inkling about some of them, but maybe not all. For my next few Editor’s Corner articles, I’ll share what etymologies I can.

First, a disclaimer from the site:

Disclaimer: Many states have names with unclear or uncertain specific origins, especially if they originate from Native American words. We have done our best to consult as many historical sources as possible, but sometimes even the states themselves can’t figure this stuff out—we’re looking at you, Maine!

So, for the first several, in alphabetical order, of course, because that’s how we roll here!

Alabama

The southeastern state of Alabama kicks off our alphabetical list of all 50 states. The word Alabama is an Anglicized form of the name of a Native tribe of the Muscogee Creek Confederacy that lived in the southeastern United States when the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto arrived in the region. The name is said to combine the Choctaw words alba and amo, meaning “plant-gatherer.” Alabama was first a name given to the Alabama River and then adopted as the state name in 1819.

Alaska

The name of the state of Alaska comes from the language of the Aleut or Unangan people. Alaska ultimately comes from Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning “the mainland” or “the object toward which the action of the sea is directed.” Alaska was originally the name of a peninsula and was adopted for the entire region in 1867 in part because it was “brief, euphonious, and suitable.” As you’ll see, many state names were regionally adopted long before the official date of statehood. (Alaska joined in 1959.)

Arizona

The origin of the name of Arizona is disputed by experts. Some claim that it comes from Tohono O’odham/Pima language for “place of the small spring.” Others, however, argue that the name is from the Basque language, as the area was settled by ranchers of Basque origins in the early 1700s. They believe that Arizona comes from the Basque words aritz, meaning “oak,” and ona, meaning “good” or “place of the good oaks.”

Arkansas

Arkansas took a long, meandering path into English. The story begins with the Algonquin people who referred to the Sioux tribe the Quapaw or Ugahxpa as the “Akansa.” The French in the area picked up the Algonquin term, spelling it Arkansas. In French, the final –s is not pronounced, and neither is the final -s in Arkansas, even after the English-speaking state adopted it as a name.

California

The name California is believed to come from, of all things, a 16th-century chivalric novel. The 1510 epic Las Sergas de Esplandián by Garcí Rodríguez de Montalvo includes a story of the titular Esplandián defending Constantinople from soldiers from a mythical island paradise named California. The early Spanish explorers thought California was a magical place like the fictional island. Historian Damian Bacich suggests the name California in the novel itself may ultimately derive from the real-life medieval fortress city of Kal-Ifrene off the coast of modern-day Algeria.

Colorado

Colorado comes from the Spanish for “of red color” and may refer to the muddy reddish color of the river or the red rocks in the area. When Colorado became a territory of the United States in 1861, the name was given to the region itself.

Connecticut

The name Connecticut comes from the Mohegan or Algonquian word quinnehtukqut, meaning “beside the long tidal river,” describing what is today known as the Connecticut River. The name was Anglicized by at least 1630.

Delaware

Delaware is named for the expedition investor and governor of Virginia from 1610 until 1618: Thomas West, 3rd Baron de la Warr. At the time, the territory was part of the commonwealth of Virginia. The name de la Warr itself comes from Anglo-French for “of the war” or “warrior.”

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

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