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The fifty U.S. states have taken their names from a wide variety of languages. The names of 24 states derive from indigenous languages of the Americas and one from Hawaiian: eight come from Algonquian languages, seven from Siouan languages (one of those by way of Illinois, an Algonquian language), three from Iroquoian languages, one from a Uto-Aztecan language, and five from other Native American languages. Twenty-two other state names derive from European languages: seven come from Latin (mostly from Latinate forms of English personal names), five come from English, five come from Spanish (and one more from an Indigenous language by way of Spanish), and four come from French (one of these by way of English). The etymologies of six states are disputed or unclear: Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Oregon, and Rhode Island (in the table below, those states have one row for each potential source language or meaning). Of the fifty states, eleven are named in honor of an individual. Of those eleven, seven are named in honor of kings and queens: the two Carolinas, the two Virginias, Maryland, Louisiana and Georgia. Only one is named after a president of the United States. ==State names== |- | Colorado 100px || || 1743 || Spanish || ''colorado'' || "Ruddy", or "red",〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Colorado )〕 originally referring to the Colorado River. |- | Connecticut 100px || April 15 || 1675 || Eastern Algonquian || ''quinnitukqut'' || From some Eastern Algonquian language of southern New England (perhaps Mahican), meaning "at the long tidal river", after the Connecticut River.〔Campbell, Lyle. 1997. ''American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pg. 11〕 The name reflects Proto-Eastern-Algonquian '' *kwən-'', "long"; '' *-əhtəkw'', "tidal river"; and '' *-ənk'', the locative suffix).〔Afable, Patricia O. and Madison S. Beeler (1996). "Place Names", in "Languages", ed. Ives Goddard. Vol. 17 of ''Handbook of North American Indians'', ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 193〕 |- | Delaware 100px || January 31 || 1680 || French via English || ''de la Warr'' || After the Delaware River, which was named for Lord de la Warr (originally probably Norman French ''de la guerre'' or ''de la werre'', "of the war"). Lord de la Warr was the first Governor-General of Jamestown.〔Guyton, Kathy (2009) U.S. State Names: The Stories of How Our States Were Named (Nederland, Colorado: Mountain Storm Press) p. 90.〕 |- | Florida 100px || December 28 || 1819 || Spanish || ''(pascua) florida'' || "Flowery (Easter)"〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Florida )〕 (to distinguish it from Christmastide which was also called ''Pascua''), in honor of its discovery by the Spanish during the Easter season. Compare the state name with the English word "florid". |- | Georgia 100px || October 3 || 1674 || Latin via English (ultimately from Greek)|| ''Georgius'' ||The feminine Latin form of "George", named after King George II of Great Britain.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Georgia )〕 It was also a reference to Saint George, whose name was derived from the Greek word ''georgos'' meaning "husbandman" or "farmer" from ''ge'' "earth" + ''ergon'' "work". |- | rowspan=2|Hawaii 100px ||rowspan=2| December 29 ||rowspan=2| 1879 || rowspan=2|Hawaiian || rowspan=2|''(unicode:Hawaiʻi)'' || From Hawaiki, legendary homeland of the Polynesians.〔Crowley, Terry. 1992. ''An Introduction to Historical Linguistics''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pg. 289〕 Hawaiki is believed to mean "place of the gods". |- || Named for , legendary discoverer of the Hawaiian Islands.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Origins of Hawaii's Names )〕 |- | rowspan=2|Idaho 100px || June 6 || 1864 || English || ''I-dah-hoe'' || Probably made up by George M. "Doc" Willing as a practical joke; originally claimed to have been derived from a word in a Native American language that meant "Gem of the Mountains". The name was initially proposed for the state of Colorado until its origins were discovered. Years later it fell into common usage, and was proposed for the state it now names.〔Guyton, Kathy (2009) U.S. State Names: The Stories of How Our States Were Named (Nederland, Colorado: Mountain Storm Press) pp. 127–136.〕 |- |||||| Plains Apache || ''ídaahę́'' || Possibly from the Plains Apache word for "enemy" (''ídaahę́''), which was used to refer to the Comanches.〔Bright (2004:177)〕 |- | Illinois 100px || March 24 || 1793 || Algonquian via French || ''ilenweewa'' || The state is named for the French adaptation of an Algonquian language (perhaps Miami) word apparently meaning "speaks normally" (cf. Miami ''ilenweewa'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Comments by Michael McCafferty on "Readers' Feedback (page 4)" )〕 Old Ottawa *elen-'', "ordinary" and ''-we·'', "to speak"),〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Illinois )〕 referring to the Illiniwek (Illinois).〔 |- | Indiana 100px || December 2 || 1794 || Latin (ultimately from Proto-Indo-Iranian)|| || "Land of the Indians". The names Indians and India come, via Greek and Persian, from Proto-Indo-Iranian '' *sindhu-'', which originally referred to the Indus River. |- | Iowa 100px || August 31 || 1818 || Dakota via French || ''ayúxba''/''ayuxwe'' via ''Aiouez'' || By way of French ''Aiouez'', and named after the Iowa tribe. The name seems to have no further known etymology,〔2001. "Plains", ed. Raymond J. DeMallie. Vol. 13 of "Handbook of North American Indians", ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 445〕 though some give it the meaning "sleepy ones".〔Bright (2004:185)〕 |- | Kansas 100px || May 12 || 1832 || Kansa via French || ''kką:ze'' via ''Cansez'' || Named after the Kansas River,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url =http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/ks_intro.htm )〕〔''The Encyclopedia of Kansas'' (1994) ISBN 0-403-09921-8〕 which in turn was named after the Kaw or Kansas tribe.〔 The name seems to be connected to the idea of "wind".〔Connelley, William E. 1918. ''(Indians )''. A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans, ch. 10, vol. 1〕 |- | Kentucky 100px || April 28 || 1728 || Iroquoian || || Originally referring to the Kentucky River. While some sources say the etymology is uncertain,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Kentucky )〕 most agree on a meaning of "(on) the meadow" or "(on) the prairie"〔Mithun, Marianne. 1999. ''Languages of Native North America''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pg. 312〕 (cf. Mohawk ''kenhtà:ke,'' Seneca ''gëdá’geh'' (phonemic ), "at the field").〔Bright (2004:213)〕 |- | Louisiana 100px || July 18 || 1787 || French (ultimately from Frankish) || ''Louisiane'' || After King Louis XIV of France. The name Louis came itself from Frankish ''hluda'' "heard of, famous" (cf. loud) + ''wiga'' "war". |- | rowspan=3|Maine 100px || October 13 || 1729 || English || ''main'' || A common historical etymology is that the state's name refers to the mainland, as opposed to the coastal islands.〔Or maybe it was created by similar abbervation ''MAssachusetts In North-East'', when Maine's land was part of Massachusetts (until 1820).〕 |- |||||| French || || After the French province of Maine. |- |||||| English || || A more recent proposal is that the state was named after the English village of Broadmayne which was the family estate of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the colony's founder.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Who Really Named Maine? )〕 |- | Maryland 100px || January 18 || 1691 || English (ultimately from Hebrew) || ''Myriam'' || After Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England. The name ''Mary'' originally meant in Hebrew "bitterness" or "rebelliousness", and could also have come from Egyptian "beloved" or "love".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Mary )〕 |- | Massachusetts 100px|| June 4 || 1665 || Algonquian || || Plural of "Massachusett" meaning "Near the great little-mountain", or "at the great hill", usually identified as Great Blue Hill on the border of Milton and Canton, Massachusetts〔Salwen, Bert, 1978. ''Indians of Southern New England and Long Island: Early Period''. In "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of "Handbook of North American Indians", ed. William C. Sturtevant, pp. 160–176. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution〕 (cf. the Narragansett name ''Massachusêuck'').〔 |- | Michigan 100px || October 28 || 1811 || Ojibwe via French || ''mishigami'' || "Large water" or "large lake"〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary )〕 (in Old Algonquin, '' *meshi-gami''). |- | Minnesota 100px || April 21 || 1821 || Dakota || ''mnisota'' || "Cloudy water", referring to the Minnesota River.〔 |- | Mississippi 100px || March 9 || 1800 || Ojibwe via French || ''misi-ziibi'' || "Great river", after the Mississippi River.〔 |- | Missouri 100px || September 7 || 1805 || Illinois || ''mihsoori'' || "Dugout canoe". The Missouri tribe was noteworthy among the Illinois for their dugout canoes, and so was referred to as the ''wimihsoorita'', "one who has a wood boat (canoe )".〔McCafferty, Michael. 2004. ''(Correction: Etymology of Missouri )''. American Speech, 79.1:32〕 |- | Montana 100px || November 1 || 1860 || Spanish || ''montaña'' || "Mountain".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Montaña )〕 |- | Nebraska 100px || June 22 || 1847 || Chiwere || ''ñįbraske'' || "flattened water", after the Platte River, which used to be known as the ''Nebraska River'', due to the flatness of the plains, when the river would flood, it would blanket the region. |- | Nevada 100px || February 9 || 1845 || Spanish || || "Snow-covered",〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nevada )〕 after the Sierra Nevada ("snow-covered mountains"). |- | New Hampshire 100px || August 27 || 1692 || English || || After the county of Hampshire in England. |- | New Jersey 100px || April 2 || 1669 || French (ultimately from Old Norse) || || After Jersey (the largest of the British Channel Islands), birthplace of one of the colony's two co-founders, Sir George de Carteret.〔 The state was established under the name of New Caeserea or New Jersey because the Roman name of the island was thought to have been Caesarea.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Duke of York's Release to John Lord Berkeley, and Sir George Carteret, 24th of June, 1664 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=So what's all this stuff about Nova Caesarea?? )〕 The name "Jersey" most likely comes from the Norse name ''Geirrs ey'' meaning "Geirr's Island". |- | New Mexico 100px || November 1 || 1859 || Nahuatl via Spanish || ''Mēxihco'' via ''Nuevo México'' || A calque of Spanish ''Nuevo México''. The name Mexico comes from Nahuatl ''Mēxihca'', the Aztec people who founded the city of Tenochtitlan().〔Campbell, Lyle. 1997. ''American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pg. 378〕 Its literal meaning is unknown, though many possibilities have been proposed such as that the name comes from the God Metztli,〔Guyton, Kathy (2009) U.S. State Names: The Stories of How Our States Were Named (Nederland, Colorado: Mountain Storm Press) p. 312.〕 or that it means "navel of the moon".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Aztecs )〕 |- | New York 100px || October 15 || 1680 || English || || After the then Duke of York (later King James II of England). Named by then King Charles II of England, James II's brother. The name "York" is derived from its Latin name ''Eboracum'' (via Old English ''Eoforwic'' and then Old Norse Jórvík), apparently borrowed from Brythonic Celtic '' *eborakon'', which probably meant "Yew-Tree Estate". See also York#Toponymy for more information. |- | North Carolina 100px || June 30 || 1686 || Latin via English (ultimately from Frankish)|| ''Carolus'' via ''Carolana'' || After King Charles I of England. The name Charles came itself from Frankish ''karl'' "man, husband". |- | North Dakota 100px || November 2 || 1867 || Sioux || ''dakhóta'' || "Ally" or "friend",〔 after the Dakota tribe. |- | Ohio 100px || April 19 || 1785 || Seneca via French || ''ohi:yo’'' || "Large creek",〔 originally the name of both the Ohio River and Allegheny River. Often incorrectly translated as "beautiful river", due to a French mistranslation.〔 |- | Oklahoma 100px || September 5 || 1842 || Choctaw || ''okla'' + ''homa'' || Devised as a rough translation of "Indian Territory"; in Choctaw, ''okla'' means "people", "tribe", or "nation", and ''homa-'' means "red", thus: "Red people".〔 |- | Oregon 100px || July 20 || 1860 || Unknown Native American || Disputed || Disputed meaning. First named by Major Robert Rogers in a petition to King George III.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The History of Naming Oregon )〕 :''See also: Oregon (toponym)'' |} |- | Pennsylvania 100px || March 8 || 1650 || Welsh and Latin || ''Penn'' + ''silvania'' || "Penn's woods", after Admiral William Penn. The name "Penn" comes from ''Pennaeth'' which is the Welsh word for "head". |- | rowspan=2 | Rhode Island 100px || February 3 || 1680 || Dutch || ''roodt eylandt'' || "Red island", referring to Aquidneck Island. The Modern Dutch form of the phrase is "rood eiland". |- |||||| Greek || ῾Ρόδος || For a resemblance to the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea.〔 |- | South Carolina 100px || November 12 || 1687 || Latin via English (ultimately from Frankish) || ''Carolus'' via ''Carolana'' || After King Charles I of England. The name Charles came itself from Frankish ''karl'' "man, husband".〔 |- | South Dakota 100px || November 2 || 1867 || Sioux || ''dakhóta'' || "Ally" or "friend". See North Dakota, above. |- | Tennessee 100px || May 24 || 1747 || Cherokee || ᏔᎾᏏ ''tanasi'' || Tanasi (in Cherokee: ᏔᎾᏏ) was the name of a Cherokee village; the meaning is unknown.〔Mooney, James. 1900(1995). ''Myths of the Cherokee'', pg. 534〕 |- | Texas 100px || June 30 || 1827 || Caddo via Spanish || ''(unicode:táyshaʔ)'' via ''Tejas'' || "Friend", used by the Caddo to refer the larger Caddo nation (in opposition to enemy tribes). The name was borrowed into Spanish as ''texa'', plural ''texas'', and used to refer to the Caddo Nation.〔Bright (2004:491)〕 |- | Utah 100px || December 20 || 1877 || Western Apache via Spanish || ''yúdah'' via ''yuta'' || From the Spanish designation for the Ute people, ''yuta'', in turn perhaps a borrowing from Western Apache ''yúdah'' meaning "high"〔1986. "Great Basin", ed. Warren L. d'Azevedo. Vol. 11 of ''Handbook of North American Indians''. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Cited in: Bright (2004:534)〕 (not, as is commonly stated,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Quick Facts about Utah's History and Land )〕 "people of the mountains"〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Original Tribal Names of Native North American People )〕 and not〔1986. Warren L. d'Azevedo, ed., "Great Basin". Vol. 11 of William C. Sturtevant, ed., ''Handbook of North American Indians''. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 364–5〕 from the Ute's own self-designation (plural ), as suggested by J. P. Harrington).〔Harrington, John P. 1911. ''The Origin of the Names Ute and Paiute''. American Anthropologist, n.s., 13: pp. 173–174〕〔Opler, Marvin K. 1943. ''The Origins of Comanche and Ute''. American Anthropologist, n.s., 45: pp. 155–158〕 |- | Vermont 100px || September 27 || 1721 || French || ''vert'' + ''mont'' || "Green mount" or "Green mountain"; ''vert'' in French means "green", and ''mont'' means "mount" or "mountain". |- | Virginia 100px || March 21 || 1652 || Latin || || "Country of the Virgin", after Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married. |- | Washington 100px || February 22 || 1872 || English || || After George Washington. |- | West Virginia 100px || September 1 || 1831 || Latin || || The western, transmontane, counties of Virginia; separated from Virginia during Civil War; see Virginia, above. |- | Wisconsin 100px || February 5 || 1822 || Miami via French || ''Wishkonsing'' || Originally spelled ''Mescousing'' by the French, and later corrupted to ''Ouisconsin''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Wisconsin's Name: Where it Came from and What it Means )〕 Likely it derives from a Miami word ''Meskonsing'' meaning "it lies red".〔〔McCafferty, Michael. 2003. ''(On Wisconsin: The Derivation and Referent of an Old Puzzle in American Placenames )''. Onoma 38: 39–56〕 It may also come from the Ojibwe term ''miskwasiniing'', "red-stone place".〔 |- | Wyoming 100px || August 14 || 1877 || Munsee Delaware || ''xwé:wamənk'' || "At the big river flat"; the name was transplanted westward from the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania.〔Bright (2004:576)〕 |} 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of state name etymologies of the United States」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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