Minnesota State Names

Minnesota Nicknames and Resident's Name

Midwest

• North Star State

• Land of 10,000 Lakes

• Gopher

• Bread and Butter State

North Star State

State motto. "L'Etoile du Nord" or "The Star of North" is the state motto of Minnesota. The "North Star State" has given people a sense of direction over the course of time.

Land of 10,000 Lakes

Minnesota is known on its license plates as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes,"but Minnesota actually has 12,000 lakes.

Gopher

Species of ground squirrel.

Bread and Butter State

Production of wheat and dairy products.

Origin of Minnesota State Name

From a Dakota Indian word meaning "sky-tinted water”

The name of this state came from the Minnesota River so named by the Dakota Sioux for the river's "cloudy" or "milky water." The Dakota word "mnishota" means "cloudy" or "milky water."

Minnesota Postal Code

MN

Minnesota Resident's Name

Minnesotan