State |
Abbrev.
|
Etymological
Origin |
Capital
City |
Alabama |
Ala. |
Choctaw
'I open the thicket' (i.e. 'clears the land) |
Montgomery
|
Alaska |
Alas. |
Inuit
'great land' |
Juneau
|
Arizona |
Ariz. |
Papagoz
'place of the small spring' |
Phoenix
|
Arkansas |
Ark. |
Sioux
'land of the south wind people' |
Little
Rock |
California |
Calif. |
Spanish
'earthly paradise' |
Sacramento
|
Colorado |
Colo. |
Spanish
'red' (colour of the earth) |
Denver
|
Connecticut |
Conn. |
Mohican
'at the long tidal river' |
Hartford
|
Delaware |
Del. |
After
the English governor Lord de la Warr |
Dover
|
Florida |
Fla. |
Spanish
'land of flowers' |
Tallahassee
|
Georgia |
Ga. |
After
King George II |
Atlanta
|
Hawaii
|
Ha. |
Hawaiian
'homeland' |
Honolulu
|
Idaho
|
Id. |
Shoshone
'light on the mountain' |
Boise
|
Illinois
|
Ill. |
Algonquian
via French 'warriors' |
Springfield
|
Indiana
|
Ind. |
English
'land of the Indians' |
Indianapolis
|
Iowa
|
Ia. |
Dakota
'the sleepy one' |
Des
Moines |
Kansas
|
Kans. |
Sioux
'land of the south wind people' |
Topeka
|
Kentucky
|
Ky. |
Iroquois
'meadow land' |
Frankfort
|
Louisiana
|
La. |
After
King Louis XIV |
Baton
Rouge |
Maine
|
Me. |
After
the French province |
Augusta
|
Maryland
|
Md. |
After
Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I |
Annapolis
|
Massachusetts |
Mass. |
Algonquian
'place of the big hill' |
Boston
|
Michigan
|
Mich. |
Chippewa
'big water' |
Lansing
|
Minnesota
|
Minn. |
Dakota
Sioux 'sky-coloured water' |
St
Paul |
Mississippi
|
Miss. |
Chippewa
'big river' |
Jackson
|
Missouri
|
Mo. |
Algonquian
via French 'muddy waters' (?) |
Jefferson
City |
Montana
|
Mont. |
Spanish
'mountain' |
Helena
|
Nebraska
|
Nebr. |
Omaha
'river in the flatness' |
Lincoln
|
Nevada
|
Nev. |
Spanish
'snowfall' |
Carson
City |
New
Hampshire |
N.H. |
after
the English county |
Concord
|
New
Jersey |
N.J. |
After
Jersey, Channel Islands |
Trenton
|
New
Mexico |
N.M. |
After
Mexico (Aztec 'war god, Mextli') |
Santa
Fe |
New
York |
N.Y. |
After
the Duke of York |
Albany
|
North
Carolina |
N.C. |
After
Charles II |
Raleigh
|
North
Dakota |
N.D. |
Sioux
'friend' |
Bismarck
|
Ohio
|
Oh. |
Iroquois
'beautiful water' |
Columbus
|
Oklahoma
|
Okla. |
Choctaw
'red people' |
Oklahoma
City |
Oregon
|
Ore. |
Algonquian
'beautiful water' or 'beaver place' (?) |
Salem
|
Pennsylvania
|
Pa. |
After
William Penn and Latin 'woodland' |
Harrisburg
|
Rhode
Island |
R.I. |
Dutch
'red clay' |
Providence
|
South
Carolina |
S.C. |
After
Charles II |
Columbia
|
South
Dakota |
S.D. |
Sioux
'friend' |
Pierre
|
Tennessee
|
Tenn. |
Cherokee
settlement name, origin unknown |
Nashville
|
Texas
|
Tex. |
Spanish
'allies' |
Austin
|
Utah
|
Ut. |
Navaho
'upper land' or 'land of the Ute' (?) |
Salt
Lake City |
Vermont
|
Vt. |
French
'green mountain' |
Montpelier
|
Virginia
|
Va. |
After
Elizabeth I, the 'virgin queen' |
Richmond
|
Washington
|
Wash. |
After
George Washington |
Olympia
|
West
Virginia |
W.Va. |
After
Elizabeth I, the 'virgin queen' |
Charleston
|
Wisconsin
|
Wis. |
Algonquian
'grassy place' or 'beaver place' (?) |
Madison
|
Wyoming |
Wyo. |
Algonquian
'place of the big flats' |
Cheyenne |
 |
Sources
Crystal, D., ed. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of
the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1995.
Stahl, D., ed. Abbreviations Dictionary, 9th ed. Boca
Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1995.
|