Origin of "North Carolina"

North Carolina State Name Origin

KingCharlesIportrait2.jpg

King Charles I

1636 portrait of King Charles I in robes of state (public domain image on Wikipedia).

What does "North Carolina" mean?

Carolina is taken from the Latin word for Charles (Carolus), honoring King Charles I of England (who made the original land grant in 1629).

North Carolina was formed in 1729 when the Carolina colony was divided in two. North Carolina became the 12th state in November of 1789.

North Carolina

Images

Painting of Charles I (1600-49) with M. de St Antoine by artist Anthony van Dyck (public domain photo on Wikimedia Commons).

Painting of King Charles I by artist Anthony van Dyck

North Carolina geology and topography map courtesy of USGS: A Tapestry of Time and Terrain.

North Carolina geology and topography map

The state of North Carolina USA (public domain image).

The state of North Carolina USA