| State name | Origin | Derived from | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Choctaw lang. | albalmo | Cleared-up thicket |
| Alaska | Aleut | alaxsxaq | Great country |
| Arizona | Akimel O'odham (Pima) | arizuma | |
| Tohono O'odham (Papago) | aleh-zon, ari-sonac or ali-shonak | Small spring | |
| Arkansas | Sioux | akakaze | Those going downstream |
| California | Spanish | Hot oven, after the name of an artificial island from a 17th century novel, The Exploits of Esplandián by García Ordóñez de Montalvo | |
| Colorado | Spanish | Rio Colorado | Colored river, presumably referring to the Colorado River |
| Connecticut | Pequot | Quonehtacut | Long tidal river |
| Delaware | French via English | de la Warre | After Lord de la Warre, who in 1610 travelled on the Delaware River |
| Florida | Spanish | Pascua florida | Easter blossom, in honor of its Spanish discovery on Easter |
| Georgia | Latin or English | After King George II of England | |
| Hawaii | Polynesian | Hawai'i | meaning unknown |
| Idaho | Shoshone | ee-dah-how | The sun comes from the mountains |
| Illinois | Algonquian | iliniwek | They are men |
| Indiana | Latin or English | Indian land | |
| Iowa | Sioux | aiyuwe | Marrow |
| Kansas | Sioux | kansa | The wind-people, perhaps referring to the winds of the open prairie |
| Kentucky | Huron? | kentake | Prairie? |
| Louisiana | French | After King Louis XIV of France | |
| Maine | French | After French province of Maine, to honor the Duke of Maine, son of Louis XIV | |
| Maryland | English | After Queen Henrietta Maria of England | |
| Massachusetts | Algonquian | Near the great mountains | |
| Michigan | Algonquian | michigamaw | The great sea |
| Minnesota | Sioux | Turbid water, referring presumably to the Mississippi or the Minnesota River | |
| Mississippi | Sioux | The father of the water | |
| Missouri | Sioux | The great mud-river | |
| Montana | Spanish | montaña | Mountain |
| Nebraska | Oto | nebrathka | Flattened water |
| Nevada | Spanish | Blanket of snow | |
| New Hampshire | English | After Hampshire in England | |
| New Jersey | English | After the island of Jersey in the English Channel | |
| New Mexico | Spanish | Nuevo Mejico | After Mexico, and thus after the Aztec god Mexitli |
| New York | English | After York, England, to honor the then Duke of York (later King James II of England) | |
| North Carolina | Latin | After King Charles II of England | |
| North Dakota | Sioux | dakota | Allies |
| Ohio | Sioux | Beautiful river | |
| Oklahoma | Choctaw | okla-homma | Red people |
| Oregon | Cree | ooligan (pronounced oorigan) | A fish similar to smelt |
| French | ouragan, or Ouaricon-sint | Storm, or Wisconsin River, respectively | |
| Spanish | orejon, or orégano | Big-ear, or wild sage, respectively | |
| Pennsylvania | Latin | Penn's woods, after William Penn | |
| Rhode Island | Dutch | roodt eylandt | Red island (perhaps referring to the clay deposits of Block Island) | Greek (ultimately) | Rhodhos; (rhodon?) | The island of Rhodes (perhaps referring to a visual resemblance with Block Island); (rose) |
| South Carolina | Latin | After King Charles II of England | |
| South Dakota | Sioux | dakota | Allies |
| Tennessee | Cherokee? | Possibly named after the Cherokee town Tanassee | |
| Texas | Caddo | texas or tejas | Allies |
| Utah | Ute | ||
| Vermont | French | Vert mont | Green mountain |
| Virginia | Latin or English | The virgin country (or country of the virgin), after Elizabeth I of England | |
| Washington | English | After George Washington | |
| West Virginia | Latin or English | The western, transmontane, counties of Virginia; see Virginia, above | |
| Wisconsin | Chippewa | wees-konsan | Water-gathering |
| Wyoming | Delaware | machewe-ami-ing | On the great prairies |