State Names

I forgot what got me interested, but I decided to find out the origin of the names of all the states. I have two maps, one showing the what language the name came from, the other showing the meaning.





What was most surprising to me is how many names are disputed or have unclear origins. You might notice that some names are disputed on one map, but not on the other. In the case of Maine and Rhode Island, the names are obviously European in origin, but what the names refer to is unknown. Similarly, Oregon's name is disputed, but all theories point to it coming from an Algonquian language. On the opposite side, the linguistic origin of Arizona is unknown, but all theories say the name is descriptive, regardless of origin.

This just leaves Idaho and California. California is very likely Spanish as one of the first mentioning of the name come from a Spanish novel. However, where the author got the name is disputed. As for Idaho, there is good evidence that the name is a hoax, and was just made up by some congressman as a proposed name for a new territory. The funny part is, the name he proposed was originally rejected, but picked up popularity and eventually became the name of a state.

One state the presents a problem is West Virginia. Even though it uses a name that refers to Queen Elizabeth, the state wasn't specifically named after her, but rather was named after the state it used to be part of.

Delaware also confused me as I had heard it used as the name of a Native American tribe. Turns out it's a bastardization of a French name. The Native American tribe was actually the Lenape, but were also called the Delaware because that's where they lived.