Totally Awesome: the name "Arizona" is from the Aztec Language!

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Arizona/name_origin.html

The name Arizona is the Spanish interpretation of "arizuma," an Aztec Indian word that means "silver-bearing." It's also based on the Pima Indian word arizonac, meaning "little spring place." Many state names trace their origin to native American Indian languages.

[leftofcool]

1. Oklahoma also I think and Dakota maybe?

[Chulanowa]

3. Oklahoma is Choctaw, Dakota is... Dakotan.

[JaneQPublic]

7. Illinois: French attempt at spelling the Illini people's name

When you think about it, many of the U.S. states are named after either native Americans or English royalty. My current state, Maryland, was named after Queen Henrietta Maria , wife of King Charles I.

[geardaddy]

8. and Minnesota and...

Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Massachussetts, Connecticut, Kentucky, Tennessee, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama, Kansas, Arkansas

On edit: I meant native, not Aztec.

Minnesota means "Land of Sky-blue Waters" in Dakota.

[damntexdem]

28. Kansas, and likely Arkansas.

And I think Kentucky.

[gratuitous]

2. Why don't they have a good, home-grown American name?

Okay, new contest! Re-name Arizona.

I dibs "Dryheat."

[Chulanowa]

5. Peckerwoodland

[Ignis]

32. +1

[leftofcool]

10. Racist Valley?

[Chulanowa]

22. Sounds like a salad dressing line

"Here at Racist Valley, we produce only hte creamiest, whitest dressings to adorn your salads."

[pinboy3niner]

23. Mmmmm, creamy--and 100% SPICE-FREE!

:rofl:

[Chulanowa]

24. Mmmm, buttermilk mayonnaise!

Of course it only tastes right if you put it on shredded iceberg...

[uponit7771]

21. LOL!!

[eShirl]

4. Does this mean they'll have to change the name of the state to something in English language?

[Swede]

6. Whitezona?

[pinboy3niner]

15. More appropriately, something in TEABONICS

Think of the hilarious possibilities! :evilgrin:

[JaneQPublic]

16. Hopey-Changey-Land? Drill-Here-Drill-Now-iana? (nt)

[pinboy3niner]

18. DiscrimiNation?

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

20. Oooh, good one!

+1

[SargeUNN]

9. Mississippi is a Native American word

it is something in meaning like father of waters

[proteus_lives]

11. Ironic: Indiana means Land of Indians and we have the lowest NA population in the states.

[KittyWampus]

12. They can rename it to FreeZona

[KonaKane]

13. Weird, because I didn't know that Nahuatl (Aztec language) had "R"s.

I studied the language for awhile, back in 2004 and I don't recall Nahuatl possessing the "R" consonant. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that it was inconsistent with my study.

[Chulanowa]

26. It's not Nahuatl

I think the source is conflating Uto-Aztecan with "Aztec"

In fact most etymologists guess it's actually from the Basque "aritz ona" - "good oaks"

[KonaKane]

40. Ah, thanks.

Sounds about right.

[Guilded Lilly]

14. Ohio, too ...

From an Iroquoian word meaning great river.

[fascisthunter]

17. the idiot right wingers will try to change the name of their state

because they really are a bunch of moronic bigots.

[Froward69]

19. Colorado is um,,, welll,,, "Red" in Spanish

That because of the Red Rocks. We have our share of "Red coooks" they prefer to be called Conservatives and/or republicans.

[Bryn]

25. Florida is "Flower" in Spanish

How many states were named by Spaniards?

[Froward69]

37. lets see...

California,
Arizona
Texas
Colorado
Florida
new Mexico


I am unsure about "Nevada"
Utah is native American (I think?)

[Pyrzqxgl]

27. Like Alabama which is a Creek Indian word

Maybe everyone ought to speak Creek Indian as well as English.

[TK421]

29. Well, now it's "shit-bearing" and "little shit place" huh?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

30. Holy shit.

I just looked up the origins of "California" expecting something totally cool and found out it was named after a character in a 16th century romance novel. :wow:

Q: Where did California get its name?

Following the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century, the Spanish turned their attention toward exploring the edges of their new empire. There was much fanciful speculation about a golden island beyond Mexico's western coast, and California was actually named before it was explored, after a mythical island in a Spanish novel. The precise etymology and meaning of the name `California' have never been convincingly established, though there is now wide con­sensus that it is a derivation of 'Calafia,' the novel's heroine queen, who ruled a race of gold-rich black Amazons.

[bigmonkey]

31. Massachusetts

Lots of Native-American-derived names in the Northeast. Heck, Chicago is Amerindian derived.

[Bluebear]

33. We must immediately rename it Arid Zone. Thank you. nt

[Scuba]

34. Bet they change it to something like Casperland

[pinboy3niner]

35. Naw--Casper's a FRIENDLY ghost nt

[alfredo]

36. Kentucky means missing teeth. ;) They aren't sure of the origins of

of the name. It could be Iroquois for Meadow.

[Codeine]

38. Almost certainly complete nonsense.

Much more likely is the name stems from the Spanish term "zona arida", desert region, or from a Basque term "aritz ona", meaning good oak.

[LeftinOH]

39. I especially like the name 'California'. It doesn't mean **anything**!