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U.S. States with Spanish Names
Can you name the five U.S states whose names come from Spanish?
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Last updated: October 23, 2019
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| First submitted | October 8, 2019 |
| Times taken | 13,525 |
| Rating | 4.31 |
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divantilya
+2
Level 37
Oct 9, 2019
Excellent idea! Thank you.
sillie
+7
Level 83
Oct 12, 2019
Nice one. Also a good amount of time, you still have a moment to think and if you are quick you can guess a couple, but you certainly can't rattle off all 50 in that time!
mungomatic
+16
Level 76
Oct 12, 2019
The name "California" derives from a fictional place in a Spanish chivalry novel from the 16th century, a kind of terrestrial paradise, ruled by the warrior queen Calafia.
TravelingMama
+3
Level 67
Oct 13, 2019
This is true. I don't know if that counts as a "meaning" though.
Sifhraven
+7
Level 66
Oct 13, 2019
It definitely does not mean "unknown" in spanish though, which is rather misleading.
TheLastFish
+3
Level 66
Oct 13, 2019
In particular, its etymology is either unknown or from Spanish origin. Both simultaneously is impossible.
CrazyBug
+3
Level 70
Oct 13, 2019
It's well known in California's first capital, Loreto, BCS, MX that the novel mungomatic mentions ("Las sergas (adventures) de Esplandián" by Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo, around 1500) is the source of the name, California.
There's a spectacular mural here in city hall of her. Also used to be a mural in a museum in Sacramento that's now in Mark Hopkins hotel in SF. And for Disneyland Whoopi Goldberg narrated a short Disney movie about it that I cannot find anywhere.
I keep reading that the author came up with the name Calafia by feminizing the arabic word, caliph. So "female religious leader" could be the word origin.
angrobper14
+2
Level 77
Dec 7, 2019
Sifhraven, check how the hint is written. It said that the meaning is unknown (as in, we don't know), not that the meaning is "Unknown"
loganite
+2
Level 81
Dec 8, 2019
What, you all haven't heard of our 51st state, Desconocida? ;)
shazs317
+1
Level 48
Dec 7, 2019
From what I've heard the name of Queen Calafia comes from the Arabic work Khalifa meaning successor, ruler, or leader, basically meaning California's origin comes from the Khalifa.
jmellor13
+1
Level 63
Dec 9, 2019
No it's named after a Chili Peppers album.
Stewart
+1
Level 65
Oct 12, 2019
Fun little quiz :)
tbolt
+1
Level 69
Oct 12, 2019
5 stars
SeekerSpock1
+2
Level 73
Oct 12, 2019
Not Arizona?
kalbahamut
+2
Level 78
Oct 13, 2019
Commonly thought to come from the Spanish for "dry land," but it's not really known for sure and some contest this etymology.
bezz
+1
Level 64
Dec 9, 2019
The state's name appears to originate from an earlier Spanish name, Arizonac, derived from the O'odham name alĭ ṣonak, meaning "small spring", which initially applied only to an area near the silver mining camp of Planchas de Plata, Sonora. I always thought that it was Spanish.
grantdon
+1
Level 71
Oct 13, 2019
Shouldn't New Mexico count or is that an indigenous name?
Fuffle33
+6
Level 72
Oct 14, 2019
Neither "New" nor "Mexico" have spanish roots. New is obviously English and Mexico is Nahuatl
angrobper14
+3
Level 77
Oct 15, 2019
Shouldn't "Flowers" be "Flowered" (as in "the Flowered One")?
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Oct 15, 2019
Changed it to "Flowery".
rocamorar
+2
Level 69
Oct 23, 2019
Yep. Also, it should be "mountain" instead of "mountains".
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Oct 23, 2019
Okay
Sly67
+1
Level 67
Oct 16, 2019
LOL, found all but forgot the most obvisous one : Colorado... Facepalm...
RKS
+5
Level 66
Oct 17, 2019
"snow covered" did not really make me think of Nevada tbh
Insdo
+1
Level 34
Dec 7, 2019
I'm from Spain and when I was a kid and heard about Nevada I always thought it was a cold place like Alaska
ander217
+1
Level 77
Dec 8, 2019
No, but it does snow in the mountains there. Maybe whoever named it was skiing at Lake Tahoe.
Hollywood
+1
Level 65
Oct 27, 2019
No New Jersey?
MTH04
+1
Level 45
Nov 18, 2019
Doesn't California mean 'the land of the caliphs'? I could be mistaken though.
LukakuMichael
+1
Level 48
Dec 7, 2019
Colorado means "colored" has nothing to do with the color red...
swilkes
+1
Level 56
Dec 7, 2019
I did a quick google search and every result says the origin comes from the color red. Are they all wrong?
PotatoBoy
+1
Level 64
Dec 7, 2019
Colorido is "colored", colorado is "red"
angrobper14
+1
Level 77
Dec 7, 2019
The Colorado River was named after the reddish silt it carries. The state was named after the river, so... yes, "Red" is correct.
marlene57
+1
Level 30
Mar 24, 2020
colorado/a is often used to refer to someone that is blushing
calvord
+1
Level 66
Dec 7, 2019
Texas is not included? It was originally Tejas, meaning friends.
ander217
+1
Level 77
Dec 8, 2019
I thought so too, but I looked it up and according to my source the Spanish explorers heard the name used by the Native American Caddo people which was "Teyshas" meaning friends or allies. They recorded it as Tejas or Teyas. (statesymbolsusa.org)
Kyle72211
+1
Level 59
Dec 9, 2019
*Trump "WRONG" gif*
jmellor13
+1
Level 63
Dec 9, 2019
I think everyone knows the Spanish word for "friends" is "amigos." If "Tejas" means "friends," it's not from Spanish.
tdl
+1
Level 38
Dec 7, 2019
aight whose idea was it to name a giant desert "snow-covered"
alexaf2019
+1
Level 23
Dec 9, 2019
Doesn't Arizona mean "arid zone" in Spanish
alexaf2019
+1
Level 23
Dec 9, 2019
also I love the quiz
marlene57
+1
Level 30
Mar 24, 2020
maybe better to just put a dash for california instead of the word unknown, it's kinda misleading
SpanishKing
+1
Level 35
Mar 29, 2020
colorado means colorfull or colored, not red...
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