Teaching Tip: Origins of State Names
Here is a neat social studies activity. Have your students identify how these states got their names.
- Washington. (Named in honor of President George Washington)
- Georgia. (Named in honor of King George II of England)
- Minnesota. (Derived from the Dakota word mnishota, which means "cloudy water.")
- Ohio. (Derived from an Iroquois word meaning "great river.")
- Montana. (Derived from the Latin word montaanus, which means "mountainous.")
- Colorado. (Derived from the Spanish word for "colored.")
