States by Number of Letters
Can you name all 50 states? The states of the United States are typically named after the native tribes that lived in the area, a feature of the land, or after the kings and queens of the empires who sent explorers to colonize the land. Of the 50 U.S. states, only three have four letters:
- Iowa
- Ohio
- Utah
If you were to count the unincorporated U.S. territory of Guam, it would be the fourth four-letter state in the U.S.
Iowa received its name from the Ioway people, one of the many Native American tribes that occupied the state’s area at the time the Europeans colonized the area. Ohio, which got its named from the Iroquois word “oyo,” meaning “great river,” “good river,” or “large creek.” The Iroquois are believed to have started settling around the Ohio River around 1650, hence the state’s name. Ohio became the 17th state on March 1, 1803, under the Northwest Ordinance. Utah, which was created with the Compromise of 1850, is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. Its capital, Fillmore, was named after President Millard Fillmore.
