This isnt a joke, but was interesting enough to be worth passing along.
What is the origin of the name for each
of the 50 states?
- Alabama, Means "tribal town" in the Creek
Indian language.
- Alaska, after the Aleut word "alaxsxaq"
meaning "the mainland."
- Arizona, based on Pima Indian word
"arizonac" for "little spring place."
- Arkansas, a French interpretation of the
word "acansa," in Sioux meaning "downstream
place."
- California, comes from "Califia" a mythical
paradise in old Spanish romance word.
- Colorado, means "Reddish" or "Color Red."
- Connecticut, Based on Mohican and Algonquin
Indian words for a "place beside a long river."
- Delaware, for the early Virginia governor,
Lord De La Warr.
- Florida was a Spanish territory, and the name
is in Spanish too. Florida means "Flowered."
- Georgia, Named for King George II of England
- Hawaii, which of course is in native Hawaian
could be based on their word for homeland,
"Owhyhee."
- Idaho, is just an invented word.
- Illinois, word in Algonquin Indian for "warriors."
- Indiana, from "Land of the Indians."
- Iowa, Indian word for "a beautiful land."
- Kansas, from the Sioux Indian for "south
wind people."
- Kentucky, based on the Iroquois Indian word
"Ken- tah- ten," meaning "land of tomorrow."
- Lousiana, Named in honor of France's King
Louis XIV, this territory had French influence.
- Maine, assumed to be a reference to the state
region being a mainland, different from its
many surrounding islands.
- Maryland, named to honor Henrietta Maria,
wife of England's King Charles I.
- Massachusets, Named after local Indian tribe
whose name means "a large hill place."
- Michigan, for the Chippewa Indian word
"meicigama" meaning "great water" (for the
big lakes).
- Minnesota, based on the Dakota Sioux Indian
word for "sky-tinted water," referring to the
Minnesota River or the state's many lakes.
- Mississippi, probably based on the Indian
"mici zibi," loosely meaning great river.
- Missouri, named after the Missouri Indian tribe.
- Montana, based on the Spanish word "Montaña"
that means Mountain.
- Nebraska, Name based on an Oto Indian word
that means "flat water," referring to the Platte River.
- Nevada, comes from a Spanish word that means
"snowy" or "snow-clad."
- New Hampshire, named after the area of
Hampshire in England.
- New Jersey, named after the area of Jersey in
England.
- New Mexico, from the country of Mexico.
- New York, named after the city of York in
England.
- North Carolina, named in honor of England's
King Charles I.
- North Dakota, for the Sioux or Dacotah Indians.
- Ohio, comes from the Iroquois Indian word for
"good river."
- Oklahoma, a Choctaw Indian word for "red man."
- Oregon, may have been derived from that of the
Wisconsin River shown on a 1715 French map
as "Ouaricon-sint."
- Pennsylvania, for the Admiral William Penn,
father of the state's founder, William Penn.
- Rhode Island, after "Roode Eylandt" by Adriaen
Block, Dutch explorer, because of its red clay.
- South Carolina (see North Carolina).
- South Dakota (see North Dakota).
- Tenessee, named after Cherokee Indian
villages called "Tanasi"
- Texas, comes from the Spanish "Tejas" when
it belonged to Mexico (they exchanged the
J for X as an English contribution).
- Utah, from the Ute Indians (people of the
mountains).
- Vermont, from the French "verts monts,"
meaning green mountains.
- Virginia, named for England's "Virgin Queen,"
Elizabeth I.
- West Virginia (see Virginia).
- Washington, after the first President of the US.
- Wisconsin, from the word "Ouisconsin" believed
to mean "grassy place" in the Cheppewa tongue.
- Wyoming, Indian word meaning "large prairie
place."
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