List of Brazil state name etymologies
State name Language of origin Source word Meaning and Notes
Acre a'quiri or a'kiru , from a misspelling of Aquiri , a local river , which meaning is green river ; not from acre ( a measurement of area )
Alagoas Portuguese plural of alagoa , a flooded field or swamp
Amapá Arawak amapá the land in the end ( documented in Sir Walter Raleigh 's account of Guyana as Land of Amapaia )
Amazonas Spanish after the Amazon river , which was named by Spanish explorers who heard rumors that Amazons ( female mounted warriors , possibly from the Iranian ethnonym *ha-mazan- , warriors ; former supposed etymology - Greek α-μαστός a- mastos , with no breasts - is considered false etymology ) guarded the legendary city of El Dorado in the middle of the forest
Bahia Old Portuguese bahia bay or harbor ; the colonial province was called Bahia de Todos os Santos ( All Saints Bay ) , because it was discovered on November 1 , All Saints Day
Ceará Tupi sy ara mother of the day or source of light , because it is a sunny land with sparse vegetation ( therefore , few shadows )
Espírito Santo Portuguese Holy Ghost/Spirit
Goiás Tupi goyaz Apparently , the name originated from the name of Tupi goiaiase nation that occupied the region in the late 16th century the term gwa ya mean equal individual , and therefore able to be friends
Maranhão Spanish Portuguese spelling of Marañón , another name for the Amazon River ; from 1621 to 1709 , the north of Brazil was styled the State of Maranhão , with its capital at São Luís
Mato Grosso Portuguese Matto Grosso thick grass or dense woods
Mato Grosso do Sul Portuguese a new state created in 1975 from the southern part of Mato Grosso state
Minas Gerais early modern Portuguese Minas Geraes General Mines ; separated from São Paulo in 1709 and placed under the direct control of the Portuguese Crown as the Captaincy of São Paulo and the Mines , after the discovery of gold , diamonds , and gems in the territory
Pará Tupi-Guarani pará river ; probably because of the estuary of the Amazon River . The Pará River , near the state capital Belém , would be River River
Paraíba Old Tupi parahiba pará ( river ) + aíba ( rough , bad ) , probably meaning rough river
Paraná Guarani paraná wide river ; the words for river , large river , lagoon , sea and lake have different meanings in Tupi , leading to confusion that Paraná meant sea
Pernambuco Tupi paranambuka paranã ( sea ) + mbuka ( hollow ) , referring to the coastal reefs ; the state capital , Recife , is derived from the Portuguese for reef
Piauí Tupi piauhi piau ( a type of river fish ) and y ( river ) , so Piau Fish River
Rio de Janeiro Portuguese River of January ; the city harbor was discovered on January 1 , 1502 , and was believed to be the mouth of a river ( such as the Tagus estuary which forms a bay by Lisbon ) . The state was named after the city , now its capital and formerly capital of Brazil
Rio Grande do Norte Portuguese Great River of the North
Rio Grande do Sul Portuguese Great River of the South ; the long and narrow Patos Lagoon ( lagoon of the ducks ) was probably mistaken for a river ; thus the name of the first important settlement , the town of Rio Grande
The names of most Brazilian states are based on Portuguese placenames , while others are based on indigenous ( often Tupi–Guarani ) and a few European languages .
The names of most Brazilian states are based on Portuguese placenames, while others are based on indigenous (often Tupi-Guarani) and a few European languages.