One coup d’oeil at a mathematical function discover plenteousness of hints about the history of North America . British Columbia , for instance , was understandably settle by the British ; and Louisiana ’s name presumably pays tribute to one of France ’s former kings ( it does — King Louis XIV ) . Other names were consider from the spoken communication of Native Americans draw off their state by European explorers .
The meaning of sure sobriquet is well - documented and simple . England ’s Cecilius Calvert , 2nd Baron Baltimore , namedMaryland after Queen Henrietta Maria , whose husband , King Charles I , had deed over Calvert the territory charter . Calvert ’s own crime syndicate got their fair share of name realisation , too — Maryland is household to both Calvert County and , of course , Baltimore .
But for many places in the U.S. and Canada ( andbeyond ) , the storey behind their names are n’t so square . Idahowas said to have come from a Shoshone Logos translated as “ gem of the mountains , ” though some think it could ’ve been infer from an Apache parole for “ opposition . ” Another leading possibility is that the man who suggested the name — industrialist George M. Willing — but made it up . He originally proposedIdahofor the Colorado region , but it was shot down once hoi polloi agnise it might not actually intend anything . When Idaho became a formal territory a year afterward , settlers did n’t seem to have an upshot telephone it a possibly simulated name .
In short , not every name can be translate into one concise , correct phrase . The mathematical function below , createdby Expedia , is a optical breakdown of some of the most popular — but not necessarily the only — meanings of place names in the U.S. and Canada . Certain ones really are lineal translations , like Nova Scotia ( Latin for “ New Scotland ” ) . Others reference the reason the name was select ; Colorado , Spanish for “ cherry-red - coloured , ” was so named for the carmine sandstone soil from the river .
After you ’ve located your home state on the function , you could happen out more about its name originhere .
