Which two U.S. states were named after Queen Elizabeth I?

The naming of these two states traces back to one of England's most powerful monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I. Famously known as the "Virgin Queen" for her unmarried status, her reign sponsored England's earliest efforts at North American colonization. In 1584, explorer Sir Walter Raleigh claimed a vast territory along the Atlantic coast for England. Seeking the queen's favor, he named the land "Virginia" in her honor. This original colonial territory was far larger than the modern state, encompassing a significant portion of the eastern seaboard.

For more than two centuries, the region we now know as West Virginia was an integral part of Virginia. However, deep-seated cultural and economic differences between the mountainous western counties and the eastern plantation society festered, finally reaching a breaking point with the outbreak of the Civil War. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, the western counties chose to remain loyal.

This political split led to the formation of a new state. In 1863, West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union, carving its territory out of the original commonwealth. By choosing to keep the foundational part of its name, the new state of West Virginia also indirectly retained the original 16th-century tribute to Queen Elizabeth I, forever linking both states to the legacy of the Virgin Queen.