Editor's Corner

Hello dear readers,

I hope you are all doing well. I am back to tell you more about the names of our 50 states and their origins, from an article on Thesaurus.com. We left off at Delaware, so today we’re picking up at Florida and headed to Maine. Let me remind you of the site’s disclaimer:

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! [KC – Today we find out why!]

Florida

The Florida territory was named by explorer Juan Ponce de Léon when he landed on the peninsula in April 1513. The name is believed to be a reference to the Spanish celebration of Pascua Florida or the Easter feast, which happened to be around the day of his landing, and Florida’s abundance of flowers, as florida roughly translates to “full of flowers.”

Georgia

The American state of Georgia is named for King George II of Great Britain. In 1732, King George granted the charter for the formation of the Georgia Colony, granting it limited self-governance powers. The -ia part of the word comes from Greek and is used to denote the names of places, especially states.

Hawaii

The origin of the name Hawaii, or Hawai’i, is disputed. The name Hawai’i is traditionally written with an ʻokina, representing a glottal stop, although this is often represented with an apostrophe.

Some believe the name Hawaii comes from the Polynesian “small or new homeland,” Hawa ii. Others claim the name for the islands comes from the Polynesian legend of chief Hawai’i Loa, an explorer who returned to Polynesia describing the place as a paradise. Another origin story is that the name comes from Polynesian hawaiki, meaning “Place of the Gods.”

Idaho

How Idaho got its name is pretty funny. It starts in 1860, when mining lobbyist George M. Willing proposed Idaho as a name for a part of what would become Colorado. He would later claim that he invented the name inspired by a girl named Ida. Whether promoted by Willing or simply widely believed, however, Idaho was thought to be related to a Shoshone expression meaning “Gem of the Mountains.” When the origin couldn’t be verified, the name Idaho was dropped for Colorado. Thirty years later, the state of Idaho adopted the name when it broke off from Oregon Country, believing once again its fake connection to a Native American word.

Illinois

The name Illinois comes to English via—you guessed it—French. But it actually started as a borrowed word between two indigenous American languages. The confederacy of tribes in the Mississippi River valley called themselves the Inoca. The neighboring Ojibwa tribes in the eastern Great Lakes region adopted an Inoca word irenweewa, meaning “he who speaks in a regular way,” as their name for the Inoca. In Ojibwa, irenweewa became ilinwe. French explorers transformed the name into Illinois, and it became the name of the river and then the territory where the Inoca lived.

Indiana

Indiana literally means “Indian country,” said to come from the purchase of the land from the Iroquois Confederacy. The Indian- part refers to Native Americans, and -ana is a variant of -ia, which is used to denote a name of a place, particularly of a state.

Iowa

While according to folk legend Iowa comes from a Native American word for “the beautiful land,” the origin is much more complex. The Báxoje people of the area were known as Ayuway by neighboring tribes. The name Ayuway comes from the Dakota for Ayuxba, said to mean “sleepy ones.” Ayuway was transcribed as Ioway by the French explorers, and it was Anglicized to Iowa in 1835 by Lt. Albert M. Lea.

Kansas

As you may have guessed, the name of Kansas comes from the same root as Arkansas. The Algonquin people referred to the Sioux tribe the Quapaw or Ugahxpa as the “Akansa,” or, in its plural form, the Akansas. By 1854, Kansas was used to refer to a large portion of the territory itself.

Kentucky

The name Kentucky is of highly disputed origin. It’s said to come from Wyandot for “land of tomorrow,” Shawnee for “at the head of the river,” or Iroquois for “among the meadows.” Another common story is that it comes from a Native American expression meaning “dark and bloody ground.” While that last meaning is almost certainly untrue, the ultimate origins of Kentucky remain murky.

Louisiana

The origins of Louisiana’s name begin with King Louis XIV of France, who gave his royal mandate to the expedition of René-Robert Cavelier de la Salle. La Salle named the territory he discovered in the Sun King’s honor in 1682. The French name La Louisiane was later adopted into English as Louisiana.

Maine

The name Maine has disputed origins. The earliest record of Maine as the name of the territory is spelled Mayne. This word’s origin is uncertain, but it may have been inspired by one of the small British towns with a variation of Maine, as in Broadmayne. Another folk etymology is that the name refers to the mainland, to distinguish it from the islands just off the coast.

Happy trails!

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.