Maryland

The name Maryland honors Queen Henrietta Maria of France (1609–1669), wife of England's King Charles I. The colony was established in 1632 when Charles I granted a charter to Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, a Catholic nobleman who envisioned the colony as a refuge for English Catholics facing religious persecution under Protestant England.

The original Latin charter referred to the colony as Terra Mariae, literally "Mary's Land" or "Land of Mary." This was Anglicized to Maryland in common usage. While officially named for the Queen, the name carried dual significance: it honored the Catholic Queen while also invoking the Virgin Mary, resonating deeply with the Catholic settlers who sought religious freedom in the New World. This double meaning was politically strategic, allowing Protestant supporters to celebrate the Queen while Catholic colonists could interpret it as honoring the Mother of Christ.

Queen Henrietta Maria was a controversial figure in England—her Catholic faith and French origins made her unpopular with Protestants, and she strongly influenced Charles I's policies, contributing to tensions that eventually sparked the English Civil War. Nevertheless, her name became permanently attached to the colony, even after the English monarchy's restoration and Maryland's eventual Protestant dominance.

Early documents and maps show various spellings, including Mariland, Marylande, and Maryland, before the modern form standardized. The colony of Maryland was established in 1634 when the first settlers arrived aboard the ships Ark and Dove, founding St. Mary's City. Maryland was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and ratified the U.S. Constitution on April 28, 1788, becoming the 7th state.

The demonym Marylander follows the pattern of adding -er to the place name, a suffix indicating "inhabitant of" or "person from." This formation is similar to "New Englander" or "islander," providing a straightforward designation for the state's residents. The suffix -land in the state name itself comes from Old English land, meaning "ground," "territory," or "country," making the full translation "Mary's territory" or "Queen Mary's land."