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Welcome to my tenth post about the origin of the great American state names discussing Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. We’re near the end; only three posts to go after this!
Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio — home of the Cleveland Indians!
Nickname
Ohio was known as Yankee State in the 1800s, as most of its settlers came from New England. Ohio (and Virginia) used to also be called Mother of Presidents, having been the birthplace of more than half a dozen presidents at the time. Today Ohio’s official nickname is Buckeye State after the state tree (a variety of horse chestnut) however license places display The Heart of it All or sometimes Birthplace of Aviation.
Etymology
A common and lovely translation of Ohio is ‘beautiful river’ first accounted by a French traveler in 1750 in reference to the Ohio River. People started believing that the local Indian name of ‘ohio’ translated that way, but that is inaccurate. It’s likely a Wyandot (Iroquoian) Indian name meaning ‘large’ or ‘great’; it could also derive from the Seneca word ohi:yo’ meaning ‘large creek.’
Oklahoma
The Ozark mountains of Oklahoma are fantastic for hiking.
Nickname
Oklahoma’s previous nicknames have everything to do with its history of settlement. Before Oklahoma was officially open to white settlement, early settlers or ‘sooners’ snuck across the border to claim land, hence the nickname Sooner State. The settlers who waited patiently for the canon ‘boom’ to go off signaling the passage across led to the nickname Boomer’s Paradise. On license plates: Oklahoma is OK!
Etymology
Oklahoma was inducted as the 46th state of the Union in 1907. The name was chosen from the chief of the Choctaw nation in 1866 when negotiating with the Federal government over use of Indian Territory. The chief suggested a combination of two Choctaw words: ukla meaning ‘person’ and humá meaning ‘red’. So the chief ironically chose a word that translates into a derogatory description of Native Americans.
Oregon
Mount Washington from Big Lake, Oregon.
Nickname
Though I can’t understand why, Oregon was another one called Sunshine State; later on the state was more appropriately called Webfoot State because of the excessive rainfall. Oregon’s official state animal being the beaver—also the mascot of the State University’s athletic team—has led to the its official name Beaver State. License plates display Pacific Wonderland.
Etymology
For Oregon, there is no consensus as the origin of the state name whatsoever (or at least on the internet). I’ll list just a few of the hypotheses here: One is that Oregon comes from the French ouragan meaning ‘hurricane’; French explorers who came to the land called the Columbia River ‘hurricane river’ because of the strong winds. Another interpretation is from the Spanish orejón meaning ‘big ears’—a reference to the Native Americans living there when Spanish explorers arrived. Then there are a number of Indian words Oregon could have derived from, for instance the Chinook word oolighan, or the Shoshane words Ogwa (river) and Pe-on (west) which American explorer Jonathan Carver may have translated into “River of the West” in reference to the Columbia River.
Pennsylvania
Ben Franklin facing the statue of Wiliam Penn atop City Hall in Philadelphia.
Nickname
One of the oldest state nicknames still used is Keystone State for Pennsylvania, currently printed on license plates. It dates back to 1802 when at a rally Pennsylvania was toasted as “the keystone state to the union.” Because of its earlier prominent industries, the state has been known as Coal State and Steel State although these names have become obsolete. The colloquial nickname today is Quaker State, from Philadelphia’s reputation as the Quaker City.
Etymology
Pennsylvania was named in honor of Admiral William Penn. King Charles II, who also signed land grants for New Jersey and New York, in 1681 granted a land charter to Penn’s son William Penn due to a debt he owed his father the admiral. At the time the land included present day Pennsylvania and Delaware—one of the largest land grants ever given to an individual. The name is a combination of Penn + sylva (woods) + nia (noun suffix) to get “Penn’s Woodland.”
Dr. Brad Hylan is a gentle and affordable comprehensive care dentist located in Cleveland, OH with a keen interest in history, travel, and wind-surfing. Hylan Dental Care specializes in emergency care and takes same day appointments. We are active on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and FourSquare. Connect with us and learn!
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