How many U.S. states' spellings end with the letters IA?

That common "ia" ending on certain U.S. state names is often a clue to their history, frequently stemming from Latin. The suffix "-ia" was historically used to mean "land of," which made it a popular choice for naming new territories. In total, five states in the United States carry this ending in their spelling: California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Many of these names directly honor European figures or concepts. Georgia, for instance, was named for King George II of Great Britain, literally meaning "George's Land." Similarly, Virginia was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen." Pennsylvania has a slightly different construction, combining the founder William Penn's surname with "sylvania," the Latin word for "forest land," to create the meaning "Penn's Woods." California's origin is more literary, derived from the name of a mythical island in a 16th-century Spanish novel.

The fifth state, West Virginia, has a more straightforward origin. Its name is not an independent creation but a direct result of its history. The state was formed in 1863 after breaking away from the rest of Virginia during the American Civil War, and it simply carried the established name forward with a geographical distinction.