State Nicknames 2024

Each of the fifty US states has its own nickname. There is a story behind the nicknames, too. Below are each of the fifty states in America, followed by their various nicknames, as well as a brief synopsis of how their full nicknames came to be.

Alabama

• Abbreviation: AL
• Full nickname: The Yellowhammer State

There is a bird known as the yellowhammer after which Alabama is named because the bird was representative of the uniforms of confederate soldiers in Alabama during the 1860s.

Additional nicknames for include…

• Camellia State

• The Heart of Dixie

Alaska

• Abbreviation: AK
• Full nickname: The Last Frontier

Alaska is called the Last Frontier State because it was the second to last state to join the nation.

Additional nicknames for Alaska include…

• Land of the Midnight Sun

• The North Star State

Arizona

• Abbreviation: AZ
• Full nickname: The Grand Canyon State

Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon, and since it's an incredibly renowned national park, so the popularity of the park is where Arizona gets its nickname.

Additional nicknames for Arizona include…

• The Apache State

• The Copper State

Arkansas

• Abbreviation: AR
• Full nickname: The Natural State

Arkansas has so much natural beauty and scenery, hence the nickname of The Natural State.

Additional nicknames for Arkansas include…

• The Land of Opportunity

• The Wonder State

California

• Abbreviation: CA
• Full nickname: The Golden State

In 1848, Californians struck gold during the Gold Rush, and coupled with the Golden Gate Bridge, the historical event is where California gets its nickname.

Additional nicknames for California include…

• The Grape State

• The Land of Milk and Honey

Colorado

• Abbreviation: CO
• Full nickname: The Centennial State

The centennial part of Colorado's name refers to the fact that Colorado officially became part of the US one hundred years after Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.

Additional nicknames for include…

• The Columbine State

• The Rocky Mountain State

Connecticut

• Abbreviation: CT
• Full nickname: The Constitution State

Some of the very first laws put into place in the US were written in Connecticut, so the state was nicknamed after the Constitution itself.

Additional nicknames for Connecticut include…

• The Arsenal of the Nation

• The Nutmeg State

Delaware

• Abbreviation: DE
• Full nickname: The First State

Out of all the original thirteen colonies, Delware signed the Consitution first, so it was dubbed the First State.

Additional nicknames for Delaware include…

• The Diamond State

• The Spud State

Florida

• Abbreviation: FL
• Full nickname: The Sunshine State

The Sunshine State is Florida's nickname because of the state's geography and abundance of sunny weather.

Additional nicknames for Florida include…

• The Everglade State

• The Orange State

Georgia

• Abbreviation: GA
• Full nickname: The Peach State

Georgia peaches are the best of the best, earning Georgia the nickname of The Peach State.

An additional nickname for Georgia is...

• The Empire State of the South

Hawaii

• Abbreviation: HI
• Full nickname: The Aloha State

Aloha is Hawaiian for hello, so the state was nicknamed as the Aloha State.

Additional nicknames for Hawaii include…

• The Pineapple State
• The Rainbow State

Idaho

• Abbreviation: ID
• Full nickname: The Gem State

Idaho is known as the Gem State because its official state name is actually a Shoshone Native American word for gem of the mountains.

Illinois

• Abbreviation: IL
• Full nickname: The Prairie State

Illinois is nicknamed after Abraham Lincoln who lived in Illinois when he was chosen as the president of the US in 1861.

Additional nicknames for Illinois include…

• The Land of Lincoln
• The Rainy State

Indiana

• Abbreviation: IN
• Full nickname: The Hoosier State

The official nickname of Indiana is pulled from a poem called "The Hoosier's Nest," by poet John Finley.

Additional nicknames for Indiana include…

• The Hoosier State
• The Hospitality State

Iowa

• Abbreviation: IA
• Full nickname: The Hawkeye State

Native American tribe leader Chief Black Hawk was forced to move to land that is now Iowa, so the state is nicknamed after him out of respect and appreciation.

Kansas

• Abbreviation: KS
• Full nickname: The Sunflower State

Kansas is home to sunflowers galore, earning it the title of the Sunflower State.

Additional nicknames for Kansas include…

• The Jayhawk State
• The Wheat State

Kentucky

• Abbreviation: KY
• Full nickname: The Bluegrass State

Grasslands in Kentucky sprout grass with blue budding flowers at the tips, hence the term bluegrass.

Louisiana

• Abbreviation: LA
• Full nickname: The Pelican State

There are more pelicans in Louisiana than in most other places, so Louisiana i known as the Pelican State.

Additional nicknames for Louisiana include…

• The Bayou State
• The Child of the Mississippi

Maine

• Abbreviation: ME
• Full nickname: The Pine Tree State

White pine trees are some of Maine's most unique and treasured natural beauties.

An additional nickname for Maine is...

• Vacationland

Maryland

• Abbreviation: MD

• Full nickname: The Old Line State

During the Revolutionary War in the United States, the troops from Maryland that fought in the war were known as the Maryland Line military.

Additional nicknames for Maryland include…

• The Cockade State
• The Free State

Massachusetts

• Abbreviation: MA

• Full nickname: The Bay State

Cape Cod Bay is part of Massachusetts, and the state was also home to the Massachusetts Bay Company which acted as the government, if you will, until the year 1684.

Additional nicknames for Massachusetts include…

• The Colony State
• The Spirit of America

Michigan

• Abbreviation: MI

• Full nickname: The Wolverine State

Wolverines are not hard to find in Michigan, so the state earned a nickname inspired by the wild animals.

Additional nicknames for Michigan include…

• The Mitten State
• The Winter Water Wonderland

Minnesota

• Abbreviation: MN

• Full nickname: The North Star State

The state motto of Minnesota is translated in English to mean the Star of the North, so it makes sense to nickname the state something similar.

Additional nicknames for Minnesota include…

• The Gopher State
• The State of Hockey

Mississippi

• Abbreviation: MS

• Full nickname: The Magnolia State

There are magnolias all over the state of Mississippi, and it happens to be the state's official flower as well as its nickname.

Additional nicknames for Mississippi include…

• The Hospitality State
• The Mudcat State

Missouri

• Abbreviation: MO

• Full nickname: The Show-Me State

Missouri's official nickname reflects a line from the speech given by the congressman of Missouri in 1899.

Additional nicknames for Missouri include…

• The Bullion State
• The Cave State

Montana

• Abbreviation: MT

• Full nickname: The Treasure State

Montana has a plethora of gold mines and various other reserves with an abundance of minerals.

Additional nicknames for Montana include…

• Big Sky Country
• The Last Best Place

Nebraska

• Abbreviation: NE

• Full nickname: The Cornhusker State

A cornhusker is someone who grows corn competitively, which is quite seriously a sport in the state of Nebraska.

An additional nickname for Nebraska is...

• The Beef State

Nevada

• Abbreviation: NV
• Full nickname: The Silver State

Nevada is the heart of the silver mining industry.

Additional nicknames for Nevada include…

• The Battle-Born State

• The Sagebrush State

New Hampshire

• Abbreviation: NH
• Full nickname: The Granite State

If you are ever in search of granite, New Hampshire is the state to visit.

Additional nicknames for New Hampshire include…

• The Mother of Rivers

• The White Mountain State

New Jersey

• Abbreviation: NJ
• Full nickname: The Garden State

In 1876, Abraham Browning presented a speech during which he mentioned New Jersey as being the Garden State, and the nickname stuck ever since becoming official in 1954.

New Mexico

• Abbreviation: NM
• Full nickname: The Land of Enchantment

New Mexico's nickname was inspired by the text in one of Lilian Whiting's books.

An additional nickname for New Mexico is...

• The Land of Enchantment

New York

• Abbreviation: NY
• Full nickname: The Empire State

New York was noted as being the Seat of the Empire by George Washington in 1785, eventually earning the state its current official nickname.

An additional nickname for New York is…

• The Big Apple

North Carolina

• Abbreviation: NC

• Full nickname: The Tar Heel State

The nickname of North Carolina stems from the way General Robert E. Lee, a Confederate leader, spoke about the Tar Heel Boys during war.

Additional nicknames for North Carolina include…

• The Old North State
• The Turpentine State

North Dakota

• Abbreviation: ND

• Full nickname: The Peace Garden State

Additional nicknames for North Dakota include…

• The Flickertail State

• The Sioux State

Ohio

• Abbreviation: OH
• Full nickname: The Buckeye State

An additional nickname for Ohio is...

• The Mother of Modern Presidents

Oklahoma

• Abbreviation: OK

• Full nickname: The Sooner State

Additional nicknames for Oklahoma include…

• Cowboy Country

• The Land of the Red Man

Oregon

• Abbreviation: OR
• Full nickname: The Beaver State

An additional nickname for Oregon is...

• The Union State

Pennsylvania

• Abbreviation: PA

• Full nickname: The Keystone State

Additional nicknames for Pennsylvania include…

• The Independence State

• The Quaker State

Rhode Island

• Abbreviation: RI
• Full nickname: The Ocean State

Additional nicknames for Rhode Island include…

• Little Rhody
• The Plantation State

South Carolina

• Abbreviation: SC
• Full nickname: The Palmetto State

South Dakota

• Abbreviation: SD

• Full nickname: The Mount Rushmore State

Additional nicknames for South Dakota include…

• The Coyote State

• The Sunshine State

Tennessee

• Abbreviation: TN
• Full nickname: The Volunteer State

An additional nickname for Tennessee is...

• The Butternut State

Texas

• Abbreviation: TX

• Full nickname: The Lone Star State

Utah

• Abbreviation: UT
• Full nickname: The Beehive State

An additional nickname for Utah is...

• The Deseret

Vermont

• Abbreviation: VT

• Full nickname: The Green Mountain State

Virginia

• Abbreviation: VA
• Full nickname: The Old Dominion

An additional nickname for Virginia is...

• The Mother of Presidents

Washington

• Abbreviation: WA

• Full nickname: The Evergreen State

An additional nickname for Washington is...

• The State of Love and Trust

West Virginia

• Abbreviation: WV
• Full nickname: The Mountain State

An additional nickname for West Virginia is

• The Panhandle State

Wisconsin

• Abbreviation: WI
• Full nickname: The Badger State

Additional nicknames for Wisconsin include…

• America’s Dairyland
• The Cheese State

Wyoming

• Abbreviation: WY
• Full nickname: The Equality State

Additional nicknames for Wyoming include…

• The Cowboy State
• The Park State