How Every State in US Got its Name 美国各州州名的来历

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Alabama 阿拉巴马

The state of Alabama is named after a river's name which European explorers christened from a local Native American tribe, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Historians believe the tribe name is a portmanteau combining Alba (vegetation) and Amo (gatherer).

根据阿拉巴马州档案和历史资料显示，阿拉巴马州的名字来源于早期，欧洲探险家以当地一个土著部的名字落命名了一条河流名，又以这条河流命名了该地区。历史学家认为，这个部落的名字是Alba（植物）和 Amo（采集者）的混合词。

Alaska 阿拉斯加

The Russians sold Alaska to the United States in 1867.  The name is loosely translated from the Aleut word Alyeska meaning "great land."

俄国在1867年把阿拉斯加卖给了美国。这个名字是从阿留申语 Alyeska，意思是“伟大的土地”。

Arizona 亚利桑那

Historians disagree over how Arizona got its name: One theory is that the name is derived from Papago tribal words meaning the place of the young spring. Another theory is that the name derives from a Spanish word meaning good oak tree. The office of the governor notes that the written history of Arizona began in Spanish.

历史学家对亚利桑那州是如何得名的看法不一：一种理论认为这个名字来源于帕帕戈部落词语，意思是“早春之地”。另一种理论认为这个名字来源于西班牙语，意思是“好橡树”。州长办公室指出，亚利桑那州的书面历史是从西班牙语开始的。

Arkansas 阿肯色

The state of Arkansas was named after a Native American tribe the Akana. Arkansas means south wind，i.e. downstream.

阿肯色州是以美国土著部落阿卡纳命名的。阿肯色意思是南风或下游。

California 加利福尼亚

The name comes from the Spanish legend of Queen Califa, ruler of an island called California. When Cortéz landed on Baja California, he believed he had found the island of Queen Califa, populated only by women who used gold to make tools and weapons. He wasn’t far wrong when, three centuries later, gold was discovered in California.

这个名字来源于西班牙传说中的加利花女王，一个叫做加利福尼亚的岛屿的统治者。当科特斯登陆加利福尼亚半岛时，他以为他到达了加里花女王的岛屿，传说中这个岛上只有女人，她们用黄金制造工具和武器。不过他不算太错，因为三个世纪后加利福尼亚的确发现了黄金。

Colorado 科罗拉多

Colorado means the color red, and Spanish explorers named the muddy red river they found Rio Colorado.

Colorado在西班牙语中是“红色”的意思，西班牙探险家将他们发现的浑浊的红色河命名为Colorado河。

Connecticut 康涅特克

By the 1600s, what is now the Connecticut River was already known by a derivation of the Native American word, quinnehtukqut, which means long tidal river. Did you know that one of Connecticut's nicknames is the Nutmeg State?

17世纪前，美洲土著把康涅特克河叫做 quinnehtukquot，意思是“长潮汐河”。你知道吗？康涅特克州的另一个昵称叫“肉豆蔻州”。

Delaware 特拉华

Delaware got its name way back in 1610 when explorer Samuel Argall, sailing from Virginia, saw what is now Cape Henlopen and called it Cape De La Warr in tribute to the first governor of Virginia, Thomas West, who was also the 3rd Baron De La Warr.

特拉华州的名字可以追溯到1610年，当时从弗吉尼亚州启航的探险家塞缪尔·阿尔格尔航行到了现在的亨洛彭角，并称之为“拉瓦尔角”，以悼念弗吉尼亚州第一任州长、第三任拉瓦尔男爵托马斯·韦斯特。

Florida 佛罗里达

Juan Ponce de Leon was the first to call the state Florida when he landed in the northeastern part in April 1513. The name comes from the celebration, Pascua Florida (Feast of the Flowers). He never found that "fountain of youth" he was looking for, but some still believe it could be somewhere in Florida.

1513年4月，胡安·庞斯·德莱昂在东北部登陆时，给佛罗里达州取了这个名字。这个名字来源于庆祝活动佛罗里达帕斯卡，意思是鲜花盛宴。尽管他没找到梦中追寻的“青春之泉”，仍然还有人认为它就在佛罗里达州的某个地方。

Georgia 乔治亚

Georgia was named by the Royal Charter in 1732 after England's King George II. King George II demanded that the thirteenth colony, which later became the state of Georgia, be named after him.

乔治亚在1732年以英国国王乔治二世的名字被皇家特许命名。乔治二世要求以他的名字命名第十三个殖民地，即后来的乔治亚州。

Hawaii 夏威夷

When Captain James Cook discovered the islands that are now Hawaii in 1778, he wanted the islands to be called the Sandwich Islands. But Hawaiian King Kamehameha I wasn't buying into the anglicized naming; he united the islands under his rule by 1819 as the Kingdom of Hawaii.

1778年，詹姆斯库克船长发现夏威夷群岛时，曾想将这些岛屿叫做“三明治群岛”。但夏威夷国王卡迈哈梅哈一世不喜欢这个英国化的名字；后来他在1819年将夏威夷群岛统一为夏威夷王国。

Illinois 伊利诺斯

When French explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieurde La Salle discovered the land, he called it by the name of the Native American tribe in the area, the Illiniwok.

法国探险家罗伯特・卡维利耶发现这片土地时，以当地的部落伊利尼沃克命名了这个地区。

Indiana 印第安纳

By the early 19th century, Indiana was named after the Indians from whom the land was acquired, and had its own geographical boundaries and a name.

19世纪初，印第安纳州被以当地印第安人的名字命名，从而有了自己的地理边界和名字。

Iowa 爱荷华

Iowa takes its name from the tribe of Native Americans, the Ayuxwa or the English spelling Ioways, who lived in the area.

爱荷华州的名字来源于居住在该地区的美洲土著部落Ayuxwa，英语Ioways。

Kansas 堪萨斯

Kansas takes its name from the Kansa tribe that lived in the area; the name loosely translates to "people of the South Wind." The first recorded use of the name was by French explorers, who first explored the land in 1812. One explorer wrote the name Kansas on a map and after that, it just stuck.

堪萨斯州的名字来源于居住在该地区的堪萨斯部落；字面意思是“南风之人”。这个名字最早是在1812年法国探险家首次探索这片土地时，其中一个探险家在地图上写下了 Kansas，此后这个名字就固定下来了。

Kentucky 肯塔基

Some experts believe the name comes from the Wyandot tribal name for plain, in reference to the central plains of the state. Other historians say it comes from the Iroquoian word meaning prairie. Some say the name means "dark and bloody ground."

一些专家认为这个名字来源于怀亚特部落的名词平原，指的是该州的中部平原地区。其他历史学家认为这个名字来自易洛魁语，意思是“大草原”。也有人说这个名字的意思是“黑暗和血腥的土地”。

Louisiana 路易斯安那

Louisiana is named for King Louis XIV. Rene-Robert Cavelier gave the territory its name in the mid-17th century. In French, the name was La Louisianne. The territory named by Rene-Robert Cavelier, however, is now divided among 15 different states formed from the Louisiana Purchase made by Thomas Jefferson in 1803.

路易斯安那州是雷内·罗伯特·卡弗里尔在17世纪中叶以路易十四国王的名字命名的。 在法语中，名字叫La Louisianne。 然而，由雷内·罗伯特·卡维利尔命名的地区较为广大，包括了现在的15个不同的州，这些州由托马斯·杰斐逊于1803年购入的路易斯安那州组成。

Maryland 马里兰

Maryland is named for a French-born queen of England, King Charles’ wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. When King Charles gave Lord Baltimore a charter in 1632 to establish the new colony, he included the stipulation that it be named in his wife's honor.

马里兰是以一位出生于法国的英国王后命名的，即是查尔斯国王的妻子，亨利埃塔•玛丽亚王后。1632年，当查尔斯国王授予巴尔的摩勋爵建立新殖民地的特许时，他命令以他妻子的名义命名该殖民地。

Massachusetts 马萨诸塞

This New England state was named after the Massachusetts Indians who lived in the region, the name loosely translates to "at the great hill."

这个新英格兰州是以居住在该地区的马萨诸塞印第安人命名的，意思是“在大山上”。

Michigan 密歇根

The name comes from the Chippewa word michigama which means great or large lake. European explorers named Lake Michigan after the tribe's word in 1670. Later, the entire state took that nameas well.

这个名字来源于Chippewa 部落语的 michigama，意思是“大湖”。欧洲探险家在1670年用这个的词命名了密歇根湖。后来，这个州也用了这个名字。

Minnesota 明尼苏达

Minnesota's name comes from the Dakota tribe’s words for water - mni - and clouds - sota.

明尼苏达州的名字来源于达科塔部落的词“水”- mni 和“云”- sota。

Mississippi 密西西比

The name comes from the river, which got its name from the Native American communities that used it for transportation and food. They called it misi sipi, which translates to big water.

这个名字来源于土著人命名的一条河流，他们靠这条河来运输东西和获取食物。土著称之 misi sipi，意思是“大水”。

Missouri 密苏里

The name comes from the Sioux tribe, according to Missouri’s Secretary of State. The word has often been interpreted to mean muddy water, but according to the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the name means town of the large canoes.

密苏里州国务卿称，这个名字来自苏族部落。这个词经常被解释为“浑水”，但根据史密森学会美国民族学局，这个名字的意思是“大独木舟之城”。

Montana 蒙大拿

Montana is derived from the Spanish word montana meaning mountain.

蒙大拿州源自西班牙语 montana，意思是“山”。

Nevada 内华达

Nevada was named for the nearby mountain range - mostly in California - called the Sierra Nevadas. The name comes from the Spanish settlers who marveled at the snowy peaks. Nevada translates to snow-covered.

内华达州因附近的山脉而得名，这些山脉大部分位于加利福尼亚州，被称为内华达山脉。这个名字来自西班牙定居者，他们对雪山惊叹不已。内华达是“白雪覆盖”的意思。

New Hampshire 新罕布什尔

It is named by Captain John Mason after Hampshire county in England.

它是由约翰·梅森船长以英国汉普郡的名字命名的。

New Jersey 新泽西

The name comes from the English Channel island of Jersey in honor of Sir George Carteret, one of the two men to whom the land of New Jersey was originally given.

这个名字来自英吉利海峡的泽西岛，是为了纪念最初被授予新泽西州土地的两个人之一的乔治·卡特雷特爵士。

New Mexico 新墨西哥

New Mexico was the name the Spanish used for lands north of the Rio Grande. Mexico refers to an Aztec god, Mexitli. The name New Mexico was given to the land ceded to the United States by Mexico after the Mexican-American War.

新墨西哥是西班牙人在里奥格兰德北部土地上使用的名字。墨西哥指的是阿兹特克神，Mexitli。新墨西哥是美墨战争后割让给美国的土地。

New York 纽约

In 1624, the Dutch arrived in the land that’s now New York and called it New Amsterdam, after the  Netherland’s biggest city. By 1664, New Amsterdam fell into the hands of the British, who renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York. In 1673, the Dutch regained control of New York and rechristened it New Orange, its official name for about a year - at which point it was permanently ceded to the British under the Treaty of Westminster, and it went back to being New York.

1624年时，荷兰人来到现在的纽约，以荷兰最大城市阿姆斯特丹为之命名新阿姆斯特丹。1664年，新阿姆斯特丹落入英国人手中，英国人将其改名为纽约以纪念约克公爵。1673年，荷兰人重新获得了对纽约的控制权，并将其重新命名为 New Orange，大约一年后，根据《威斯敏斯特条约》，该地被永久割让给英国人，名字又改成了纽约。

Pennsylvania 宾夕法尼亚

In 1681, England's King Charles II gave William Penn the right to settle there. The King didn’t specify that the settlement should have any particular name, so Penn named it Pennsylvania.

1681年，英国国王查理二世授予威廉·宾在那里定居的权利。国王没有给该地区指定名字，于是宾把它命名为宾夕法尼亚州。

Texas 得克萨斯

Texas comes from the word teysha meaning "hello friend" in the language of the Caddo tribe. Spanish explorers and settlers used this word in the 16th century to refer to the friendly tribes throughout Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

得克萨斯州来自“teysha”这个词，在Caddo部落的语言中是“你好朋友”的意思。西班牙探险家和定居者在16世纪用这个词来指路易斯安那州、俄克拉何马州和德克萨斯州的友好部落。

Vermont 佛蒙特

Vermont is a portmanteau of sorts from the French words for green and mountain - verd and mont. The French explorer, Samuel de Champlain first recorded the name on a map in 1647.

佛蒙特州是法语“绿色”和“山”- verd 和 mont 的混合词。法国探险家塞缪尔·德·尚普兰于1647年首次在地图上记录了这个名字。

Virginia 弗吉尼亚

Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, also known as the Virgin Queen. It’s thought that Sir Walter Raleigh suggested the name to the Queen in 1584 when she gave Raleigh permission to colonize the land.

弗吉尼亚是以英国女王伊丽莎白一世命名的，也被称为处女女王。有人认为女王允许沃尔特·罗利爵士殖民这片土地后，罗利在1584年采用了这个名字。

Utah 犹他

Mountains, high plateaus, and deserts distinguish Utah’s topography. When Spanish settlers arrived in the area in the late 16th century, they noticed that some of the native tribes lived in the mountains, while some lived in the valleys. The Apache word, yuttahih refers to either high places or people who live in high places.

山脉、高原和沙漠是犹他州的地形特征。当西班牙人在16世纪末到达这个地区时，他们注意到一些土著部落住在山上，而一些住在山谷里。在阿帕奇语中，yuttahih指的是“高处”或者“住在高处的人”。

Washington 华盛顿

Both Washington State  and Washington D.C. are named for the first president of the United States.

华盛顿州和华盛顿特区都是以美国第一任总统华盛顿的名字命名的。

Wisconsin 威斯康星

Wisconsin was originally Meskonsing, which is the Native American name for the river now called Wisconsin as well that runs 430 miles through the state. The English eventually changed the spelling to Wisconsin, because that’s what the Indian word sounded like to them.

威斯康星州最初叫Meskonsing，这是美洲土著人以这条流经该州430英里的威斯康星河命名的。英国人后来改成了Wisconsin，他们认为这更接近该词的印度安语发音。

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