U.S. State Names that Come from Spanish
Spain’s influence can be seen across the United States, where it has been present over the course of history. As a result, there are countless states, cities, and counties with names of Spanish origin, mainly in the Southwest. Can you think of which states these might be?
Arizona
There are two explanations for the origin of the name Arizona: either from árida zona, meaning arid zone in Spanish, or from a Spanish word of Basque origin that means The Good Oak.
California
To find the origin of California, we should recall the name of a fictional island country mentioned in Las Sergas de Esplandián, a popular Spanish chivalric romance written by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, which was published in 1510.
Colorado
The name Colorado means red colored or “ruddy.” It was named after the Colorado River, whose waters were of that color.
Florida
In the beginning, Florida was named Pascua Florida by explorer Ponce de Leon on Easter in 1513. This expression means “Flowery Easter” or “Flowering Easter” due to Spain’s Easter celebration.
Montana
The name of this U.S. state is latinized from Spanish, meaning “mountainous.”
Nevada
This name comes from the Spanish mountain range called Sierra Nevada, meaning “snow-covered mountain range.”
New Mexico
New Mexico is a comes from Spanish the words Nuevo México.
