You can tell a lot about a state by its nickname. In fact, as many as 15 states have more than one moniker to extol their state’s virtues, calling attention to their natural wonders, the animals that inhabit their state, their unique geography, or their history.
To compile a list of the official state nicknames, 24/7 Tempo reviewed information from various online sources, including encyclopedias and state guides. Data on population is from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey and are one-year estimates.
Many U.S. states exalt nature’s gifts in their state, such as Arizona (Grand Canyon State), Maine (Pine Tree State), Kentucky (Bluegrass State), Vermont (Green Mountain State), and South Carolina (Palmetto State).
Animals are pretty popular also. Michigan is the Wolverine State, Wisconsin is the Badger State, and Oregon is the Beaver State. State universities in those states use those animals as their mascots. Among the feathered folk, there is Louisiana (Pelican State). Iowa is called the Hawkeye State, allegedly taken from the name of a Native American character in the novel “The Last of the Mohicans,” however, the University of Iowa has used a hawk as its mascot, and people associate the bird more with the state nickname.
Geography has played an important role in a state’s alias. Alaska, the nation’s 49th state, is The Last Frontier. New England states Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the Bay State and the Ocean State, respectively. Rhode Island’s nickname is rather curious since, as the Providence Journal once pointed out, the state has less coastline than some other states on the Eastern Seaboard. (Also See This is How Every State Got Its Shape.)
Some states’ nicknames can be a reference to their unique place in American history. Virginia’s official nickname is the Old Dominion State, but it also goes by the Mother of Presidents, since eight of them hailed from Virginia. Tennessee is called the Volunteer State because when President James Polk’s secretary of war asked for 2,600 volunteers to help fight in the Mexican-American War, 30,000 joined. Colorado is the Centennial State because it joined the Union in 1876, the centennial of the United States. (Also See the States With the Most Civil War Deaths.)
Alabama
- Nickname(s): The Heart of Dixie, Yellowhammer State, The Cotton State
- Population: 5,074,296
Alaska
- Nickname(s): The Last Frontier, Land of the Midnight Sun
- Population: 733,583
Arizona
- Nickname(s): Grand Canyon State
- Population: 7,359,197
Arkansas
- Nickname(s): The Natural State
- Population: 3,045,637
California
- Nickname(s): Golden State
- Population: 39,029,342
Colorado
- Nickname(s): Centennial State
- Population: 5,839,926
Connecticut
- Nickname(s): Constitution Stat, Nutmeg State
- Population: 3,626,205
Delaware
- Nickname(s): Diamond State, First State, Small Wonder
- Population: 1,018,396
District of Columbia
- Nickname(s): The District
- Population: 671,803
Florida
Orlando, Florida, USA Downtown Drone Skyline Aerial.
- Nickname(s): Sunshine State
- Population: 22,244,823
Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia, USA downtown city skyline.
- Nickname(s): Peach State, Empire State of the South
- Population: 10,912,876
Hawaii
- Nickname(s): Aloha State
- Population: 1,440,196
Idaho
- Nickname(s): Gem State
- Population: 1,939,033
Illinois
chicago skyline from the park
- Nickname(s): Prairie State
- Population: 12,582,032
Indiana
- Nickname(s): Hoosier State
- Population: 6,833,037
Iowa
- Nickname(s): Hawkeye State
- Population: 3,200,517
Kansas
Wichita, Kansas, USA downtown skyline at dusk.
- Nickname(s): Sunflower Stat, Jayhawk State
- Population: 2,937,150
Kentucky
- Nickname(s): Bluegrass State
- Population: 4,512,310
Louisiana
- Nickname(s): Pelican State
- Population: 4,590,241
Maine
- Nickname(s): Pine Tree State
- Population: 1,385,340
Maryland
- Nickname(s): Free State, Old Line State
- Population: 6,164,660
Massachusetts
- Nickname(s): Bay State, Old Colony State
- Population: 6,981,974
Michigan
- Nickname(s): Wolverine State, Great Lakes State
- Population: 10,034,118
Minnesota
Aerial view of Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Lowry Ave bridge over the Mississippi river
- Nickname(s): North Star State, Gopher State, Land of 10,000 Lakes
- Population: 5,717,184
Mississippi
- Nickname(s): Magnolia State
- Population: 2,940,057
Missouri
- Nickname(s): Show-me State
- Population: 6,177,957
Montana
- Nickname(s): Treasure State
- Population: 1,122,867
Nebraska
- Nickname(s): Cornhusker State, Beef State
- Population: 1,967,923
Nevada
- Nickname(s): Sagebrush State, Silver State, Battle Born State
- Population: 3,177,772
New Hampshire
- Nickname(s): Granite State
- Population: 1,395,231
New Jersey
- Nickname(s): Garden State
- Population: 9,261,699
New Mexico
- Nickname(s): Land of Enchantment
- Population: 2,113,344
New York
- Nickname(s): Empire State
- Population: 19,677,151
North Carolina
- Nickname(s): Tar Heel State
- Population: 10,698,973
North Dakota
- Nickname(s): Sioux State, Flickertail State, Peace Garden State, Rough Rider State
- Population: 779,261
Ohio
- Nickname(s): Buckeye State
- Population: 11,756,058
Oklahoma
- Nickname(s): Sooner State
- Population: 4,019,800
Oregon
- Nickname(s): Beaver State
- Population: 4,240,137
Pennsylvania
- Nickname(s): Keystone State
- Population: 12,972,008
Rhode Island
- Nickname(s): The Ocean State
- Population: 1,093,734
South Carolina
- Nickname(s): Palmetto State
- Population: 5,282,634
South Dakota
- Nickname(s): Mount Rushmore State, Coyote State
- Population: 909,824
Tennessee
- Nickname(s): Volunteer State
- Population: 7,051,339
Texas
Houston, Texas, USA Drone Skyline Aerial Panorama.
- Nickname(s): Lone Star State
- Population: 30,029,572
Utah
- Nickname(s): Beehive State
- Population: 3,380,800
Vermont
- Nickname(s): Green Mountain State
- Population: 647,064
Virginia
- Nickname(s): The Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents
- Population: 8,683,619
Washington
- Nickname(s): Evergreen State
- Population: 7,785,786
West Virginia
- Nickname(s): Mountain State
- Population: 1,775,156
Wisconsin
- Nickname(s): Badger State
- Population: 5,892,539
Wyoming
- Nickname(s): Equality State
- Population: 581,381