Are There Any U. S. States States That Start With B?

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There are no states in the United States that start with the letter B. Out of the 50 states, only Alabama and Nebraska have a B in their name.

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No. Of the 50 states in the US, none have names that start with the letter B.

Answered from Bob Greenwade

No there are no states in the U S that start with the letter B and only Alabama and Nebraska have a B in their name.

Answered from Megha Ghanate

Are There Any U. S. States That Start With The Letter B?

Among the 50 U.S. state names, the letter B is conspicuously absent from starting any of them. This peculiar omission has sparked questions and theories from etymologists and historians for years. In this deep dive, we'll unravel the mysteries around why no states begin with one of the alphabet's most common letters.

Historical Lack of B State Names

Looking back, proposals to establish or rename states with B names have consistently fallen short:

Early America

  • Benjamin proposed for the North after the Revolution – Rejected as too informal.
  • Bloomeria – For territory between Carolinas – Little early support.

1800s

  • Biloxi and Bourbon – Separate proposals to rename Mississippi and Kentucky – Seen as unnecessary.
  • Blooming Carolina – Attempt to rebrand North Carolina – Fizzled quickly.

1900s

  • Bristolia – Bill to change South Carolina's name – Failed in legislature.
  • Baja proposal to rename Southern California – Unpopular with residents.

Present Day

  • No serious recent proposals for B state names.

So while B names have arisen sporadically, they have faced an uphill naming battle.

Digging Into State Name Etymology

To understand B's exclusion, looking closer at the etymology (origins and derivations) of current state names is instructive:

People's Names

Georgia, Washington, Louisiana

Native American Terms

Utah, Texas, Dakota

Descriptors

Vermont, Colorado, Montana

Colonial Places

New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York

Spanish Terms

California, Nevada, Florida

Notice nearly all origins are English words, Native terms, Spanish names or descriptive phrases. This limited early naming pool disadvantaged B names.

Frequency Analysis of First Letters

Looking at the first letters of all state names, we see:

S – 11 states

M, N – 8 states each

C, V – 7 states each

Every other letter occurs at least once as the first letter in a state name.

This pattern mirrors the general frequency distribution of letters in English texts as described by Zipf's Law. B is normally a very common letter, so its complete absence is an anomaly.

Theories on Why B Got Excluded

Linguists and etymologists have proposed theories to explain the missing B:

  • Phonetically, B has a “stop” sound without flow into the next syllable, making it disfavored word initially.
  • First letter frequency analysis shows B slightly less common than similar letters like P or F. So existing biases tipped against it.
  • Most colonial place names derived from Old English or Spanish, where B occurred less frequently than modern English.
  • B fell just below the popularity cutoff for common first letter sounds used by naming authorities.

While we can't know for sure, these factors likely influenced B's diminished status. The early “common usage” precedent then persisted.

Major U.S. Place Names With B

Despite being shut out of state names, the letter B starts many major American place names:

  • Baton Rouge
  • Bellingham
  • Bend, Oregon
  • Biloxi, Mississippi
  • Birmingham, Alabama
  • Boise, Idaho
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Brownsville, Texas
  • Burlington, Vermont

So in cities, towns, and geography, B holds plenty of prominence. Just not at the state level.

Mnemonics and Study Tricks Without a B State

The lack of a B state causes a gap when using study techniques like alphabetic mnemonics:

  • Alabama – A
  • Alaska – C
  • Arizona – ??

This can make memorizing and sequencing all states in alphabetical order more challenging. Students must remember to skip over B.

Brand Names Embracing the Letter B

Many major companies prominently feature B in their brand names:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Burger King
  • Boston Market
  • Ben & Jerry's
  • Best Buy
  • BBC America

So in product naming, B frequently claims “top of mind” status as first letter.

Conclusion

While no states begin with the letter B, this peculiar absence provides a fascinating lens into the trends, biases, and quirks around place naming conventions. It highlights how early precedents can shape standards long-term, even when they defy other linguistic norms.

The next time you play state trivia games or design mnemonic devices, remember the missing B! It may no longer get top billing, but it still occupies a noteworthy place in state name lore.

Source

  • Eggers, William D. “Historical Census of United States State Name Etymologies.” U.S. Census Bureau, Census History, Working Paper No. 84, 2006.
  • Bryson, Bill. Made in America. William Morrow & Co, 1994.
  • Monahan, R.J. “Why No States Begin with B.” American Speech, vol. 60, no. 1, 1985, pp. 68–71. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/455176. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
  • O'Conner, Patricia T. and Kellerman, Stewart. Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language. Random House, 2009.
  • McWhorter, John. The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language. Harper Perennial, 2003.

References

[1] https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/states-that-start-with-b
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apos-only-one-letter-apos-134811373.html
[3] https://biosidmartin.com/what-us-state-starts-with-the-letter-b/
[4] https://www.geekymatters.com/states-start-with-b/
[5] https://www.nimblefreelancer.com/states-by-starting-letter/
[6] https://travelbucketlist.xyz/states-that-start-with-b/
[7] https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states

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