Stats: U.S. State Name Origins/Etymologies

General Stats

This quiz has been taken 18 times
The average score is 47 of 50

Answer Stats

Hint	Answer	% Correct
Comes from the native Aleut word "Alyeska" or "alaxsxaq", meaning "mainland" ("that which the sea breaks against").	Alaska	100%
Named after the native Ioway people.	Iowa	100%
From the Chiwere word "ñįbraske", spoken by the Otoe people, meaning "flattened water". Refers to the wide, shallow Platte River that, when flooded, inundates the region with a flat expanse of water.	Nebraska	100%
Named after the English county of Hampshire.	New Hampshire	100%
Derived from the Spanish "Nuevo México". Named by Spanish settlers after the Aztec Valley of the Rio Grande River in Mexico (the word Mēxihca, from the Nahuatl language, refers to the Aztec people).	New Mexico	100%
Name after the Duke of York (who later became King James II of England).	New York	100%
Named after the native Dakota Sioux tribes (dakhóta), meaning "ally" or "friend".	North Dakota	100%
Derived from the native Choctaw word "alba amo", meaning "thicket clearers" or "plant-cutters".	Alabama	93%
Disputed, but originates from the native Tohono O'odham (or Papago) people's term "ali sona-g via Arizonac" meaning "site of small springs" (lack of water). OR comes from the Aztec word "arizuma" meaning "silver bearing".	Arizona	93%
Disputed, generally accepted to be derived from the Quapaw tribe, who referred to themselves as Ugakhpah/Ogáxpa, meaning "people who live downstream". The French interpretated/pronounced this word in various ways; "acansa", "akansa", "Alkanisa". Could also be the French spelling/interpretatoin of the Illini word for the Quapaw people "kką:ze" / "akakaze".	Arkansas	93%
Named after a mythical island paradise ruled by Queen Calafia in the 16th-century Spanish novel "Las sergas de Esplandián". Spanish explorers believe they had discovered his fictional island, described as an earthly paradise, abundant with gold and precious gems, when they reached the western coast of North America.	California	93%
Spanish for "colored red", referring to the silt of the ________ River.	Colorado	93%
Originally named "La Pascua Florida" meaning "Easter/Eastertime" in Spanish. Discovered and named by Ponce de Leon during Easter, who was inspired by the lush and flowering landscape he encountered.	Florida	93%
2 possible origins: from the word Hawaiki, meaning "place of the gods" in Polynesian, or from Hawai'iloa, the legendary (possibly mythical) sailor/fisherman credited with discovering these islands.	Hawaii	93%
Made up by a mining lobbyist, claiming it was a Shoshone word meaning "Gem of the Mountains".	Idaho	93%
Originates from the native Sioux language's word "Kansa" (kką:ze), meaning "people of the south wind". The Kansa/Kaw tribe lived in this area and gave this state its name.	Kansas	93%
Derived from the Iroquoian language; either "ken-tah-ten" meaning "land of tomorrow" or "kentake" meaning "meadow land".	Kentucky	93%
Named in honor of France's King Louis XIV.	Louisiana	93%
Origin is disputed/unclear, but possibly named after the French province Maine; or referring to the mainland, as opposed to the coastal islands; or after Broadmayne, the family estate of the colony's founder.	Maine	93%
Named for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I of England.	Maryland	93%
From the native Algonquin word "muswachusut" meaning "at the great hill" or "near the great little mountain". Refers to the area around the Blue Hills (near the state's capital).	Massachusetts	93%
From the native Ojibwe "ᒥᔑᑲᒥ" ("mishigamaw") meaning "big lake" or "great water".	Michigan	93%
From the native Dakota Sioux "mní sóta" meaning "cloudy water" or "sky-tinted water", referring to the appearance of this state's river.	Minnesota	93%
From the native Ojibwe ᒥᓯᓰᐱ ("misi-ziibi") meaning "great river". This river defines much of the region's geography.	Mississippi	93%
From the Spanish word for mountain, "montaña". Reflects the rugged Rocky Mountains that dominate the landscape.	Montana	93%
Spanish for "snow-capped", referring to the nearby mountain range.	Nevada	93%
Named after the largest of the British Channel Islands, Jersey.	New Jersey	93%
Named after King Charles I of England. Charles in Latin is Carolus. This and one other state were one colony before splitting in 1729.	North Carolina	93%
From the native Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) "ohi:yo’", meaning "good river". Refers to the river that forms the southern border of the state.	Ohio	93%
From the native Choctaw words "okla" and "homa" meaning "red people".	Oklahoma	93%
"Penn's Woods", named after William Penn. -sylvania is Latin for "lands of forests".	Pennsylvania	93%
From Dutch; "Roodt Eylandt" meaning "red island", referring to the redness of the clay in the area along the shore.	Rhode Island	93%
Named after King Charles I of England. Charles in Latin is Carolus. This and one other state were originally one colony before splitting in 1729.	South Carolina	93%
Named after the native Dakota Sioux tribes (dakhóta), meaning "ally" or "friend".	South Dakota	93%
Named after a Cherokee village, ᏔᎾᏏ (pronounced Tanasi). The meaning of ᏔᎾᏏ is unknown, but is thought to mean "where the river bends".	Tennessee	93%
From the native Caddo, táyshaʔ (taysha), meaning "friends". The Spanish adopted this word from the Caddo, into "teja" or "texa".	Texas	93%
Named after the native Ute tribe. The Spanish designated these people as "yuta", perhaps borrowing from the Apache word "yúdah", meaning "high, though etymology is not known.	Utah	93%
Meaning "green mount" or "green mountain" in French, "Mont Vert".	Vermont	93%
Named for England's "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I. "Country of the Virgin" in Latin.	Virginia	93%
Named after the first U.S. president.	Washington	93%
Named because this state is constituted by the western counties of another state that broke away to remain loyal to the Union during the Civil War. Original state is named for the Virgin Queen of England, Elizabeth I.	West Virginia	93%
From the native Miami Indian word "Meskonsing", meaning "it lies red" or "river running through a red place". Was spelled "Mescousing" by the French and later corrupted to become "Ouisconsin".	Wisconsin	93%
Derived from the native Mohegan-Pequot word "quinnitukqut" or "quonoktacut", meaning "beside the long tidal river" / "river whose water is driven in waves by tides".	Connecticut	87%
Named after Thomas West (Lord De La Warr), the first Governor of Virginia. The nearby river and bay were named in his honor, whereafter the state took its name from these waterways.	Delaware	87%
Named for, and by, King George II of Great Britain.	Georgia	87%
The French adaptation of an Algonquian language word "Illiniwek", used by the Illini people when referring to themselves.	Illinois	87%
Means "land of the Native Indians" (derived from Latin).	Indiana	87%
Origin is both unknown and disputed; though likely came from a combination of indigenous words and early European interpretations. First recorded use in 1765 by Robert Rogers, who referred to a river called "Ouragon" by the native Indians. Could also be dervied from "origanum", a species of wild sage that grows abundantly on the coast.	Oregon	87%
From the native Delaware word "xwé:wamənk" ("mecheweami-ing") meaning "at the big flats". Was first used in the _______ Valley in Pennsylvania before being transplanted westward.	Wyoming	87%
Named after the local native tribe, called "wimihsoorita" by the Illini people. "Winihsoorita", meaning "one who has a wood boat".	Missouri	80%

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U.S. State Name Origins/Etymologies - Statistics