There are eight states with two-word capital cities. Can you name the three which begin with the letters B, C, & D?

While most U.S. state capitals are single-word cities like Boston or Austin, eight stand out with two-word names. The three that fit the B, C, and D criteria are Louisiana's Baton Rouge, Nevada's Carson City, and Iowa's Des Moines. Each name tells a story about its region's history. Baton Rouge, meaning "red stick" in French, was named by explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in 1699 after he saw a cypress pole stained with animal blood that marked the boundary between two Native American tribal hunting grounds.

Carson City honors the legendary frontiersman and explorer Kit Carson. The city was founded during the Comstock Lode silver rush and was specifically chosen as the capital of the Nevada Territory. The origin of Des Moines is a bit more debated. The name comes from the Des Moines River, which French colonists called "La Rivière des Moines," translating to "The River of the Monks." However, some historians believe this was a French misinterpretation of "Moingona," the name of a local Native American group.

These three distinctive capitals are joined by five others to complete the list of eight two-word state capitals in the United States. The remaining five are Jefferson City, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Saint Paul, Minnesota.