How All 50 States of America Got Their Names

#21. Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a plural form of massachusett, an Algonquian term for “near the great hill.”

#22. Michigan

The state got its name from mishigami, an Ojibwe term for “large lake” or “large water.”

#23. Minnesota

The Gopher State got its name from the Dakota word “mnisota,” which means “cloudy water,” a description of the Minnesota River.

#24. Mississippi

Mississippi is named after the river, which got its name from the Ojibwe phrase “misi-ziibi,” meaning “great river.”

#25. Missouri

Native tribes who took residence along what is now Missouri River were called Mishoori in the Illinois language, which means “dugout canoe.”

#26. Montana

Montana is derived from the Spanish word for mountains, which is montaña. After all, the state is nicknamed Big Sky Country.

#27. Nebraska

Nebraska got its name from “nibraske,” a Chiwere word for “flattened water.”

#28. Nevada

The Silver State got its name from the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the name that means “snow-covered mountains.”

#29. New Hampshire

Hampshire is a county in England and this U.S. state is named in its honor.

#30. New Jersey

The territory was named for the largest of the British Channel Islands, Jersey. The name was given by its founders Sir John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret.

#31. New Mexico

It is quite obvious that this state is named after Mexico, a word that comes from Nahuatl Mēxihca, the group who founded the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan or the modern-day Mexico City.

#32. New York

The Empire State is named after the Duke of York.

#33. North Carolina

King Charles, I of England had a Latin name of Carolus or Carolana, and the Tar Heel State was named in his honor.

#34. North Dakota

Dakhóta is a Sioux term for ally or friend.

#35. Ohio

Ohio is derived from the Seneca language, “ohiyo,” which means large creek.

#36. Oklahoma

The state got its name from a mix of the Choctaw words “okla” and “humma,” which means “red people.”

#37. Oregon

The origin of the state name is unknown but it is generally believed that it was first used in 1778 by Jonathan Carver. The name was taken from the writings of English army officer, Maj. Robert Rogers.

#38. Pennsylvania

The Keystone State got its name from Adm. Sir William Penn, the father of William Penn. The word means “Penn’s Woodland.”

#39. Rhode Island

The state was named for the Greek island of Rhodes.

#40. South Carolina

The origin of this state’s name is the same as North Carolina.