Which US states are named after European monarchs?

Out of the fifty U.S. states, eleven are named after individual people, with six explicitly honoring European monarchs. These royal eponyms include the two Carolinas, the two Virginias, Georgia, and Louisiana. Additionally, Maryland and New York derive their names from members of the British royal family.

What we know

• Six U.S. states are named in honor of European monarchs: North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, Georgia, and Louisiana. [3]
• Maryland is named in honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, the queen consort of King Charles I of England. [3]
• New York is named after the then-Duke of York, who later became King James II of England. [3]
• There have been thirteen British monarchs since the political union of England and Scotland in 1707. [2]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureHow did U.S. state names originate from Native American languages?
• whoWho was Queen Henrietta Maria of England?
• a case in pointWhat other U.S. locations are named after royalty?
• whenWhen did the political union of England and Scotland take place?
• compared withHow does the naming of New York compare to states named after monarchs?
• an unexpected connectionHow does royal nomenclature link state names to migrating insects?Both topics share the use of the term monarch, bridging historical European royalty embedded in U.S. state geographies with iconic North American wildlife.

Sources

• [1]list of British monarchs (Wikidata Q4869954) · CC0 1.0
• [2]List of British monarchs · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]List of state and territory name etymologies of the United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Monarch butterfly · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of places in the United States named after royalty · CC BY-SA 4.0