Kansas
/ˈkænzəs/noun
A U.S. state in the central Great Plains.
Did you know?The name Kansas comes through French and English records of the Kansa or Kaw people, whose autonym is often explained as meaning something like “people of the south wind.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Colonial Era
Siouan
Káⁿze
“The Kansa/Kaw people’s name, likely referring to “south wind people” or a related tribal self-designation.”
17th-18th Century
French
Cansa / Kansas
“French explorers and mapmakers recorded the tribal name in varying spellings.”
19th Century
English
Kansas
“The name was applied to the Kansas River, Kansas Territory, and later the state.”
1861
English
Kansas
“Admitted as the name of the U.S. state.”
Modern English
English
Kansas
“The standard name of the Midwestern U.S. state.”