Montana State Names

Montana Name Etymology and State Nicknames

Rocky Mountains

• Treasure State

• Big Sky Country

• Bonanza State

• Land of Shining Mountains

• The Last Best Place

• Stub-Toe State

• Headwaters State

• Mountain State

Origin of Montana State Name

Chosen from Latin dictionary by J. M. Ashley. It is a Latinized Spanish word meaning "mountainous."

Created out of the Idaho Territory in 1864, the name Montana is a derivation of the Latin word "montaanus" which means mountainous.

Nicknames

Called the "Land of Shining Mountains" by early fur traders, Montana has since adopted the nicknames "Big Sky Country" and "The Treasure State," one of the more popular nicknames for Montana

The nickname of Helena, Montana is "Queen City" or "Queen City of the Rockies."

Treasure State

Mineral wealth in the state. But the rich gold and silver deposits have led it now to be known as the Treasure State

Land of Shining Mountains

Called the "Land of Shining Mountains" by early fur traders

Big Sky Country

The wide open spaces have also produced Big Sky Country (which is what appears on the state's license plates) A relatively recent nickname, "Big Sky Country" originated with a 1962 promotion of the Montana State Highway Department.

Bonanza State

Mineral wealth. In its early days, Montana was the Bonanza State (around 1893, and from the rich mineral deposits)

Headwaters State

Montana is known as the headwaters state because much of the water which flows to the rest of the nation comes from the mountains of Montana. Two of the nation's major river systems, the Missouri and Columbia, are born high in the Rocky Mountains of Montana

Stub-Toe State

Stub-Toe State (from 1890, and an allusion to its steep mountain slopes).

Mountain State

This nickname, of course, refers to the mountains of Montana.

Slogans

Big Sky Country: Big Sky Country (which is what appears on the state's license plates.)

Montana Postal Code

MT

Montana Resident's Name

Montanan