List of state and territory name etymologies of the United States

The fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the five inhabited U.S. territories, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands have taken their names from a wide variety of languages.

The source language/language family of the remaining five states is disputed or unclear: Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Oregon, and Rhode Island.

Six of those are named in honor of European monarchs: the two Carolinas, the two Virginias, Georgia, and Louisiana.

In addition, Maryland is named after Queen Henrietta Maria, queen consort of King Charles I of England, and New York after the then-Duke of York, who later became King James II of England.

One common naming pattern has been as follows: Native tribal group → River → Territory → State