Ohio State Names

Ohio Name Etymology and State Nicknames

Midwest

• Buckeye State

• Mother of Modern Presidents

• Yankee State

Origin of Ohio State Name

From an Iroquoian word meaning "great river."

The state of Ohio is named after the Ohio River. Ohio is the name that the Iroquois Indians used when referring to the river and means "large" or "beautiful river."

Nicknames

Buckeye State:

Ohio, the Buckeye State, received its nickname because of the many buckeye trees that once covered its hills and plains. But that's may be another reason.

William Henry Harrison, a Virginia-born Ohioan and military hero, was a candidate for the White House, but his opponents commented that he was better suited to sit in a log cabin and drink hard cider.

Making a positive reference, they dubbed him "the log cabin candidate," and chose as his campaign emblem a log cabin made of buckeye timbers, with a long string of buckeyes decorating its walls.

The campaign were successful. "Old Tippecanoe," as Harrison was often called, beat President Martin Van Buren, and thereafter the buckeye was closely associated with the state of Ohio.

The name itself is of native origin. Because the markings on the nut resembled the eye of a buck, the Indians called it "hetuck" or "buckeye."

Mother of Modern Presidents:

Seven presidents were Ohioans (it's a name that Virginia once used).

Yankee State:

During the very early part of the 19th century, Ohio was sometimes known as the Yankee State since many settlers had come from New England, but that's a nickname that was given up a long time ago.

Slogans

Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers (on its 50 state quarter)

(The Heart of It All formerly)  So Much to Discover

Ohio Postal Code

OH

Ohio Resident's Name

Ohioan