Title says it all.
How did US states get their names?
Title says it all.
Re: How did US states get their names?
Pennsylvania = Penn's woods, named after colony founder and Quaker-pursuing-religious-freedom-in-the-New-World William Penn.
Last edited by Gregoshi; 08-01-2005 at 15:03.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Virginia was named after the virgin Queen, Queen Elizabeth I.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Florida was first seen by the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon on Palm Sunday on April 2, 1513. He then named the "Pascua de Florida," meaning "Feast of Flowers" and claimed it for Spain. Now Florida has been conquered by old people when nobody was looking.
Re: How did US states get their names?
Most of the east coast states where named either for British places (New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey) or royalty (Georgia - George, N/S Carolina - Caroline). I think the rest are mostly Native American names, like Mississippi and Illinois.
What's the Spanish phrase for "God's Waiting Room"?Originally Posted by xemitg
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Re: How did US states get their names?
new york was named new amsterdam first wasnt it
Re: How did US states get their names?
yeah they traded it for suriname. those dutchies have ripped us off
Re: How did US states get their names?
The city of New York was called New Amsterdam, I'm not sure about New York state.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Somehow??
The English took it in 1664 during the 2nd Anglo-Dutch War (1664-1667, iirc). It was named New York after King Charles II's brother, James, Duke of York, and was exchanged so the Dutch could have back Suriname. New York was reoccupied by the Dutch in 1673, but affirmed to the English in the 1678 peace treaty.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
knew it was something like that
Re: How did US states get their names?
"Sala de espera de dios" (or something like that) doesn´t have quiet the same ring to it.What's the Spanish phrase for "God's Waiting Room"?
Nevada also comes from the spanish....nevada means "snowy"...i guess they tough that the sand seemed like snow...
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Actually, Nevada has a great many mountains so much of the state does receive snowfall in winter. Sometimes it does even in Vegas, not often though.
Montana means mountain in spanish doesn't it?
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Re: How did US states get their names?
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Many states names come from the indians.
Alabama May come from Choctaw meaning “thicket-clearers” or “vegetation-gatherers”
Alaska Corruption of Aleut word meaning “great land” or “that which the sea breaks against”
Arizona From the Indian “Arizonac,” meaning “little spring” or “young spring”
Arkansas From the Quapaw Indians
Connecticut From an Indian word (Quinnehtukqut) meaning “beside the long tidal river”
Illinois Algonquin for “tribe of superior men”
Almost but not quite from the indians. I love this one. Pretty self explanatory
Indiana Meaning “land of Indians”
Iowa Probably from an Indian word meaning “this is the place” or “the Beautiful Land”
Kansas From a Sioux word meaning “people of the south wind”
Kentucky From an Iroquoian word “Ken-tah-ten” meaning “land of tomorrow”
Massachusetts From Massachusett tribe of Native Americans, meaning “at or about the great hill”
Michigan From Indian word “Michigana” meaning “great or large lake”
Minnesota From a Dakota Indian word meaning “sky-tinted water”
Mississippi From an Indian word meaning “Father of Waters”
Missouri Named after the Missouri Indian tribe. “Missouri” means “town of the large canoes.”
Nebraska From an Oto Indian word meaning “flat water”
North Dakota From the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies”
Ohio From an Iroquoian word meaning “great river”
Oklahoma From two Choctaw Indian words meaning “red people”
South Dakota From the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies”
Tennessee Of Cherokee origin; the exact meaning is unknown
Texas From an Indian word meaning “friends”
Utah From the Ute tribe, meaning “people of the mountains”
Wisconsin French corruption of an Indian word whose meaning is disputed
and finally
Wyoming From the Delaware Indian word, meaning “mountains and valleys alternating”; the same as the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania
So you see although we may have stolen their land we at least honor their spirit by naming the land after them in most case.
Heres some to ponder
Idaho Though popularly believed to be an Indian word, it is an invented name whose meaning is unknown.
Maine First used to distinguish the mainland from the offshore islands. It has been considered a compliment to Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I of England. She was said to have owned the province of Mayne in France.
Montana Chosen from Latin dictionary by J. M. Ashley. It is a Latinized Spanish word meaning “mountainous.”
This one surprises me
California From a book, Las Sergas de Esplandián, by Garcia Ordóñez de Montalvo, c. 1500
Oregon Unknown. However, it is generally accepted that the name, first used by Jonathan Carver in 1778, was taken from the writings of Maj. Robert Rogers, an English army officer.
Rhode Island From the Greek Island of Rhodes
Last edited by Gawain of Orkeny; 08-01-2005 at 18:26.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Washington: after George Washington himself. (Some wanted to call it Columbia, but others realised no state had been named after any of out founders.)
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Very interesting. Thanks
Now what about English place names?
-by means farm/villiage, eg Crosby means Village of the Cross.
-ton means hill. eg Sefton hill of sef?
Re: How did US states get their names?
HAHAHAHAHAHA - old people taking over - so true!!
I think it would have been funny to have Washington state named Columbia.
Makes me wonder whether the canadians would still have called British Columbia, British Columbia....
And whether the americans would have called their Columbia - American Columbia....
Something to ponder regarding the pronounciation of these two states:
Arkansas and Kansas.
Why is Arkansas pronounced ARE-CAN-SAW and Kansas is pronounced CAN-SASS when both words are spelled the same (with regards to Kansas)?
Why isn't Arkansas prounounced ARC-CAN-SASS or Kansas pronounced CAN-SAW?
Re: How did US states get their names?
Why is District of Columbia called that?
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Re: How did US states get their names?
most eastern states are names after british stuff.
The rest of the states are mainly indian or spansih names. some are also french like louisiana.
why district of colombia
-district cause its not a state
-colombia, not sure, probably in honor of colombus?????
Re: How did US states get their names?
Because Arkansas is full of hicks. They wanted to say it that way, so they did.
Missouri WOULD have been another good example, exept that there are a large number of civilized people living here, thus the Missour-EE Missour-UH compromise. The people who pronounce it Missour-UH live mostly down towards Arkansas, which would explain both weirdnesses.
We also pronounce the Meramec River as if it were spelled Merrimack, but that's such a subtle difference and it is a Jeff County river anyway that everyone has given up on that one and gone with the flow.
DA
Re: How did US states get their names?
Geez Kukri, spoiling all our fun making stuff up...
Anyway, about the whole people of the south wind. Yup! Darned Oklahomans and Texans won't keep their own wind so it blows across my fair state, carrying the stink of Bob Stoops and Bevo... ick.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
You just had to ask didnt you?Now what about English place names?
Well not all quite English but ill give it a try.
Delaware From Delaware River and Bay; named in turn for Sir Thomas West, Baron De La Warr
Georgia In honor of George II of England
Louisiana In honor of Louis XIV of France
Maryland In honor of Henrietta Maria (queen of Charles I of England)
Nevada Spanish: “snowcapped”
New Hampshire From the English county of Hampshire
New Jersey From the Channel Isle of Jersey
New York In honor of the Duke of York
North Carolina In honor of Charles I of England
Pennsylvania In honor of Adm. Sir William Penn, father of William Penn. It means “Penn's Woodland.”
South Carolina In honor of Charles I of England
Vermont From the French “vert mont,” meaning “green mountain”
Virginia In honor of Elizabeth “Virgin Queen” of England
Washington In honor of George Washington
West Virginia In honor of Elizabeth, “Virgin Queen” of England
Any others you would like to know?
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Do you know where Canada got it's name, gentle scribe?
Unto each good man a good dog
Re: How did US states get their names?
how did the northwest territories get its name???
iirc, canada is a french corruption of the iroquois word for "town".
now i'm here, and history is vindicated.
Re: How did US states get their names?
Actually, I think it was the word "village".
Unto each good man a good dog
Re: How did US states get their names?
"village" is the iroquois word for town? wow, what a coincidence! how the hell did the french get "canada" out of that??
now i'm here, and history is vindicated.
Re: How did US states get their names?
Damn Gawain you stole my state!!!
But to further clarify Vermont was named for Ver=green Mont=Mountain(not sure if it's plural...) because it was discovered by a frenchman.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
But French people would say Mont Vert, not Vert Mont.
The same way English people would say roller skates, not skates roller.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
Don't be a smartass (that's my job thank you). The Iroguois word for town/village/settlement is Kanata. Change 2 letters and you have Canada. Jeez."village" is the iroquois word for town? wow, what a coincidence! how the hell did the french get "canada" out of that??
Last edited by lars573; 08-02-2005 at 03:52.
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Re: How did US states get their names?
"ass-hat"? man, i haven't heard that term since my CS days..
ah, memories..
now i'm here, and history is vindicated.
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