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".
PS: Welcome to Free Republic.
Hey, nice of you to drop in! Welcome to FR.
Maybe you could answer aposiopetic's question about the meaning of "Kanawha" a river name in West Virginia(?).
Thanks and welcome aboard.
IOW, short legs?