by Borgna Brunner
Many American places have been named after Indian words. In fact, about half of the states got their names from Indian words. The name of Kentucky comes from an Iroquoian word (Kentahten), which means "land of tomorrow." Connecticut's name comes from the Mohican word (Quinnehtukqut), which means "beside the long tidal river." And the word "Podunk," meant to describe a insignificant town out in the middle of nowhere, comes from a Natick Indian word meaning "swampy place."
Here are some others:
Alabama: may come from Choctaw meaning "thicket-clearers" or "vegetation-gatherers."
Alaska: corruption of Aleut word meaning "great land" or "that which the sea breaks against."
Arizona: from the Indian "Arizonac," meaning "little spring" or "young spring."
Chicago (Illinois): Algonquian for "garlic field."
Chesapeake (bay): Algonquian name of a village.
Connecticut: from an Indian word (Quinnehtukqut) meaning "beside the long tidal river."
Illinois: Algonquin for "tribe of superior men."
Indiana: meaning "land of Indians."
Iowa: probably from an Indian word meaning "this is the place" or "the Beautiful Land."
Kansas: from a Sioux word meaning "people of the south wind."
Kentucky: from an Iroquoian word "Ken-tah-ten" meaning "land of tomorrow."
Massachusetts: from Massachusett tribe of Native Americans, meaning "at or about the great hill."
Michigan: from Indian word "Michigana" meaning "great or large lake."
Minnesota: from a Dakota Indian word meaning "sky-tinted water."
The state name Utah is from the Ute tribe, meaning "people of the mountains."
Mississippi (state and river): from an Indian word meaning "Father of Waters."
Malibu (California): believed to come from the Chumash Indians.
Manhattan (New York): Algonquian, believed to mean "isolated thing in water."
Milwaukee (Wisconsin): Algonquian, believed to mean "a good spot or place."
Missouri: named after the Missouri Indian tribe. "Missouri" means "town of the large canoes."
Narragansett (Rhode Island): named after the Indian tribe.
Nebraska: from an Oto Indian word meaning "flat water."
Niagara (falls): named after an Iroquoian town, "Ongiaahra."
The name Tahoe (the lake in California/Nevada) is Washo for "big water."
North Dakota: from the Sioux tribe, meaning "allies."
Ohio: from an Iroquoian word meaning "great river."
Oklahoma: from two Choctaw Indian words meaning "red people."
Pensacola (Florida): Choctaw for "hair" and "people."
Roanoke (Virginia): Algonquian for "shell money" (Indian tribes often used shells that were made into beads called wampum, as money).
Saratoga (New York): believed to be Mohawk for "springs (of water) from the hillside."
South Dakota: from the Sioux tribe, meaning "allies."
Sunapee (lake in New Hampshire): Pennacook for "rocky pond."
Tahoe (lake in California/Nevada): Washo for "big water."
Tennessee: of Cherokee origin; the exact meaning is unknown.
Texas: from an Indian word meaning "friends."
Utah: from the Ute tribe, meaning "people of the mountains."
Wisconsin: French corruption of an Indian word whose meaning is disputed.
Wyoming: from the Delaware Indian word, meaning "mountains and valleys alternating"; the same as the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania.
Just a few corrections:
Alabama: Muskogean (Choctaw/Chickasaw dia.) "alua'balama', ceremonial rock which served as an alter where incense was burned. Also the name of a group of Choctaw-speaking people who lived in Mississippi in the early 18th century.
Kentucky: Muskogean (Choctaw/Chickasaw dia.) 'Kain'tatok' Place of hanging grapes (muscodines) 'ee' was added to the end of the word for the sake of euphony.
Ohio: Muskcogean (Choctaw/Chickasaw) Originally translated by the French in the 18th century as "Woman's River" or "Riveriera de Belles". This is an easy mistake. In Choctaw woman is 'ohoyo'. The true intent of the place-name is the Choctaw "oh'hiya" which means place of hunting. The name actually did not apply to the Ohio River itself but to present-day Kentucky which was an Indian free-for-all hunting ground that was recognized by all tribes as owned by none and shared by all. The Choctaw name for the Ohio River according to the only source I could locate was 'Managuahala' "ma'na kawa'whaythla". Ma is a locative, there or here. Na is a negative meaning no, non, none, never. Kawa means broken. Whaythla means to dance. "Here united (together)we dance". The northern portion of this river above Pittsburg is still called Monongahela which is the same word/different spelling.
Pensacola: Muscogean (Choc/Chick dia.) Pens is a corruption of puska, 'bread', and ocala is the same as okla in Oklahoma, meaning nation or people. Thus Pensacola means simply People Having Bread or "Bread People".
Tennessee: Choctaw/Chickasaw contraction for the longer tombi tenakbi hutcha chito. Meaning: River of the big white bend (sandbars). It is definitely NOT Iroquoian (Cherokee).
Arkansas: Choctaw/Chickasaw- a French corruption of "ark'a(n)sha, hickory nuts down low or on the ground.
Mississippi: Choctaw original was Mishi sipokni'sipi hatcha. Contracted to Mishi'sipi it means old, very old. The rivers were thought to widen as they aged and since the Mississippi River is subsantially wide south of Cairo Illinois it was thus named. Since it does not contain the sex indicative 'tek' it is assumed to be masculine. Thus the translation to English would be "male river extremely old".