Do you know where your state or hometown got its name? Or the original meaning behind it? Some have pretty wild stories. Manchester is a name that means "breast-like hill," but you might not find such a landmark in New Hampshire because that city was named for the city in the UK, where there was such a hill when it was founded as a Roman fort in 79 CE. Kansas City was named for the Kansas River, which was named for the Kanza people, which means "people of the South wind." And Kansas City, Kansas, was named after Kansas City, Missouri, even though it's in Kansas state. And speaking of Kansas, Topeka means "a good place to dig potatoes."
WordTips looked up and researched the history and the meaning of all 50 US states, plus each state capital, and for good measure, 179 of the country's biggest cities. You can enlarge the above map of the state and state capital names at WordTips. You'll also find maps of the major cities by region with their name meanings, and read some of the better stories, too. While many place names came from Native American languages, some place names were appropriated then re-translated. Honolulu was originally called Ke ʻAwa O Kou (the harbor of Kou), but British Captain William Brown named it Fair Haven when he arrived. It reverted to the Hawaiian language, but kept Brown's impression by becoming hono (port) and lulu (calm). My hometown was named after the guy who founded it, but hey, it's still a story. -Thanks, Taylor Tomita!