Kansas State Names

Kansas Nicknames and Resident's Name

Great Plains

• Sunflower State

• Cyclone State

• Midway, U.S.A.

• Wheat State

• Jayhawk State

• The Central State

• The Grasshopper State

• Garden of the West

• The Squatter State

• Bleeding Kansas

• The Battleground of Freedom

Sunflower State

A reminder of the wild sunflowers that grow in profusion across the state, the Sunflower is also the official State Flower and Floral Emblem of Kansas.

Cyclone State

Weather conditions conducive to the generation of tornadoes, or cyclones, earned Kansas this nickname.

Midway, U.S.A.

Located close to the middle of the contiguous 48 states.

Wheat State

One of the nation's leading agricultural states.

Jayhawk State

This historical nickname, sometimes phrased as "The Jayhawker State," traces it's history back to 1856 and the conflicts between Kansas and Missouri during the time when Kansas earned the name "Bleeding Kansas" Missourians became known as "bushwhackers."

The Central State

Located close to the middle of the contiguous 48 states.

The Grasshopper State

Nicknamed for the 1874 Grasshopper (Rocky Mountain Locusts) Plague, when the lush landscape of Kansas was denuded by swarms of Rocky Mountain Locusts that swept into the state in July.

Garden of the West

Also referred to as "The Garden State," for the beauty of the landscape and the fertility of the soil.

The Squatter State

New settlers that flocked into the new territory establishing claims to the land. Early squatters were from the slave state of Missouri.

Bleeding Kansas

Originated in the tense years leading up to the Civil War and as the territory was being considered for statehood.

The Battleground of Freedom

During the violent period of conflict before the Civil War, Kansas was sometimes referred to as "The Battleground of Freedom."

Origin of Kansas State Name

From a Sioux word meaning "people of the south wind”

The state of Kansas was named after the river. The Kansas River was named by the French after the Kansas, Omaha, Kaw, Osage and Dakota Sioux Indian word "KaNze" meaning, in the Kansas language "south wind." The state name for Arkansas shares its origins with Kansas.

Kansas Postal Code

KS

Kansas Resident's Name

Kansan