| There are many places including towns and states | | | | water" |
| that were named after Native American words or | | | | Manhattan: from Algonquian word meaning "isolated |
| names. In fact, about 50% of the states were named | | | | thing in water" |
| using Native American words. Many of these places | | | | Milwaukee: from Algonquian word meaning "good spot |
| have names that we almost take for granted these | | | | or place" |
| days and most people are unaware of their Native | | | | Missouri: from Missouri word meaning "town of large |
| American aboriginal origins. | | | | canoes" |
| A partial list of some well known places in the United | | | | Nebraska: from Oto word meaning "flat water" |
| States and their Native American meanings are below. | | | | North/South Dakota: from Sioux word meaning "allies" |
| Alabama : from Choctaw word meaning "thicket | | | | Ohio: from Algonquian word meaning "great river" |
| clearers" or "vegetation gatherers" | | | | Oklahoma: from two Choctaw words meaning "red |
| Alaska: from Aleut word meaning "great land" or "that | | | | people" |
| which the sea breaks against" | | | | Saratoga: from Mohawk word meaning "springs of |
| Chicago: from Algonquian word meaning "garlic field" | | | | water from the hillside" |
| Illinois: from Algonquian word meaning "tribe of superior | | | | Tahoe: from Washo word meaning "big water" |
| men" | | | | Utah: from Ute word meaning "people of the |
| Kansas: from Sioux word meaning "people of the | | | | mountains" |
| south wind" | | | | Wyoming: from Delaware word meaning "mountains |
| Kentucky: from an Iroquois word meaning "land of | | | | and valleys alternating" |
| tomorrow" | | | | Of course, there are many other examples. So next |
| Massachusetts: from Massachusett word meaning "at | | | | time you look at a name of a city, town, village, state, |
| or about the great hill" | | | | lake, mountain or region, it just might have come from |
| Minnesota: from Dakota word meaning "sky tinted | | | | a Native American word. |