Eight U.S. states are named after British royalty - Georgia, the Carolinas, Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland, and New York all trace their names to kings, queens, or royal dukes.
The Royal Roots of American State Names
For a nation born from revolution against the British Crown, America carries a surprising amount of royal baggage in its geography. Eight U.S. states owe their names to kings, queens, and royal dukes—a permanent reminder of colonial heritage that no Declaration of Independence could erase.
The Kings' Club
Georgia honors King George II, who granted the colony's charter in 1732. It was the last of the original thirteen colonies, established as a buffer between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida.
Louisiana breaks the British pattern—it's named for France's King Louis XIV, the "Sun King." French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claimed the Mississippi River basin for France in 1682 and named the entire territory after his monarch.
The Carolinas (both North and South) honor King Charles I of England. The Latin form of Charles is Carolus, giving us "Carolina." Charles I would later lose his head in the English Civil War, but his namesake colonies endured.
The Queens' Legacy
Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen" who never married. Sir Walter Raleigh proposed the name in 1584, and Elizabeth reportedly approved it herself. West Virginia, which split off during the Civil War, inherited the royal connection.
Maryland honors Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I. The colony was established in 1632 as a haven for English Catholics, and naming it for the Catholic queen was a deliberate choice by founder Cecil Calvert.
The Duke Who Became King
New York presents an interesting case. It was named in 1664 for the Duke of York—who later became King James II. When the English seized the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, they renamed it for James, the brother of King Charles II. So while he was "only" a duke at the time, New York technically carries the name of a future king.
What About the Others?
The remaining 42 states? Their names come from:
- Native American words (27 states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Ohio)
- Spanish origins (like Colorado, Montana, and Florida)
- Other European influences (Vermont from French, Indiana for "Land of Indians")
- U.S. presidents and politicians (Washington, Jefferson in Missouri's original proposal)
The irony runs deep. Americans fought a war to reject monarchy, yet nearly one in six states still bears a royal name. Every time someone says "I'm from Georgia" or "Virginia is for lovers," they're invoking long-dead European monarchs.
Perhaps the ultimate twist: King George III—the very monarch America rebelled against—never got a state named after him. His grandfather George II got Georgia. But the tyrant of the Declaration of Independence? He just got to watch his namesake colonies slip away, one by one.