Wanderlust World Wanderlust World
Alaska: origin is unclear, may come from the Aleut word "Alakshak", meaning "great land".
Arizona: derived from the Oʼodham word "alĭ ṣonak", meaning "small spring" or "place of few springs".
Arkansas: from the French pronunciation of the Illiniwek word "akansa", meaning "downriver people".
California: originally named Alta California by Spanish explorers, meaning "Upper California". The exact origin of the name is uncertain, but it may be derived from the Latin word "calida fornax" (hot furnace) or the Greek word "kalos" (beautiful).
Colorado: from the Spanish word "colorado", meaning "red-colored" or "ruddy", referring to the red-colored rocks found in the region.
Connecticut: comes from the Algonquian word "quinnitukqut", meaning "long tidal river" or "on the long tidal river".
Delaware: named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and early colonizer of Virginia.
Florida: named after Juan Ponce de León's expedition in 1513. The name is believed to come from the Spanish word "Pascua Florida", meaning "flowering Easter", as he first sighted the land on Easter Sunday.
Georgia: named in honor of King George II of Great Britain.
Hawaii: from the Proto-Polynesian word "Hawaiki", which is believed to refer to a legendary homeland of the Polynesian people.
Idaho: origin is uncertain, but may come from the Shoshone word "ee-dah-how", meaning "gem of the mountains".
Illinois: from the Algonquian word "illini", meaning "warriors" or "men".
Indiana: from the Native American word "inehana", meaning "land of the Indians" or "Indian country".
Iowa: from the Iowa Native American tribe, meaning "sleepy ones" or "drowsy ones".
Kansas: from the Kansa Native American tribe, meaning "people of the south wind".
Kentucky: from the Iroquoian word "ken-tah-ten", meaning "land of tomorrow".
Louisiana: named in honor of King Louis XIV of France.
Maine: from the French province of Maine, named after the ancient Roman province of Maine in France.
Maryland: named after Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England.
Massachusetts: from the Algonquian word "massachusett", meaning "near the great hill" or "at the great hill".
Michigan: from the Ojibwe word "mishigamaa", meaning "great water".
Minnesota: from the Dakota Sioux word "mni sota", meaning "cloudy water" or "sky-tinted water".
Mississippi: from the Ojibwe word "missipi", meaning "great river".
Missouri: from the Missouri Native American tribe, meaning "people of the big canoes".
Montana: from the Spanish word "montaña", meaning "mountainous region" or "mountainous country".
Nebraska: from the Otoe language word "ñí brá ska", meaning "flat water" or "river that lies flat".
Nevada: from the Spanish word "nevado", meaning "snowy" or "snow-capped", referring to the Sierra Nevada mountains.
New Hampshire: named after the English county of Hampshire.
New Jersey: named after the English island of Jersey.
New Mexico: named after the Spanish province of New Mexico, which in turn was named for the Valley of Mexico.
New York: named after the Duke of York, later King James II of England.
North Carolina: named in honor of King Charles II of England.
North Dakota: named in honor of the Dakota Native American tribe.
Ohio: from the Iroquois word "ohi-yo", meaning "great river" or "large stream".
Oklahoma: from the Choctaw word "okla humma", meaning "red people".
Oregon: origin is uncertain, but may come from the Spanish word "orejón", meaning "big-eared", or the French word "ouragan", meaning "hurricane".
Pennsylvania: named after William Penn, the founder of the colony, and the Latin word "sylvania", meaning "forest".
Rhode Island: named after the Greek island of Rhodes, which was known for its beautiful roses.
South Carolina: named in honor of King Charles II of England.
South Dakota: named in honor of the Dakota Native American tribe.
Tennessee: from the Cherokee word "tanasi", meaning "river of the big bend" or "crooked river".
Texas: from the Caddo word "tejas", meaning "friends" or "allies".
Utah: from the Ute Native American tribe, meaning "people of the mountains".
Vermont: from the French word "vert mont", meaning "green mountain".
Virginia: named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Washington: named in honor of George Washington, the first president of the United States.
West Virginia: named after the English county of West Virginia.
Wisconsin: from the Ojibwe word "wisconsin", meaning "where we gather together".
Wyoming: from the Delaware word "xwéwamənk", meaning "large valley" or "upper valley".