Alabama
/ˌæl.əˈbæm.ə/noun
A state in the southeastern United States, and the name of a Native American people and river.
Did you know?The name likely comes from the Alabama people and is often connected to a Muskogean phrase meaning something like “vegetation gatherers” or “thicket clearers,” though the exact original form is debated.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Muskogean
*albaamo* / *albaama* (reconstructed)
“Likely a tribal or place-name associated with clearing vegetation or gathering plants”
1540s
Spanish
Alibamo / Alibamu
“Early European spellings recorded by Spanish explorers for the people or region”
17th-18th Century
French/English
Alabama
“Name used for the river, people, and surrounding territory”
1819
English
Alabama
“Adopted as the name of the U.S. state”
Explore more surprising origins