My apologies for the confusion in my previous response. There are 8 states in the United States that start with the letter N:

1. Nebraska
2. Nevada
3. New Hampshire
4. New Jersey
5. New Mexico
6. New York
7. North Carolina
8. North Dakota

These states are located in various regions of the country, including the Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Southeast.

Featured Answers

There are 8 states in the US that start with the letter N: Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, & North Dakota.

Answered from Velyrhorde

8 states start with the letter N – New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Hampshire

Answered from Jessica Oliver

How Many States In The U. S. Start With The Letter N?

If you've ever pondered which letters are most common at the start of US state names, rest assured you're not alone. Let's take a quick tour of states starting with the letter “N” specifically.

The Answer: 8 States

So how many of the 50 states have names starting with the letter N?

The answer is 8 states:

• New York
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Nevada
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• New Hampshire

Now let's explore some fascinating facts and figures about this N-themed octet of states!

Fun Facts About the 8 N States

Here are some quick tidbits about the 8 states with N names:

• New York has the 3rd highest population at 20 million residents.
• North Carolina was the first state to vote to leave the Union at the start of the Civil War.
• At 762,060 square miles, North Dakota is the 19th largest state geographically.
• The Las Vegas strip brings Nevada over 42 million visitors per year.
• New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanic/Latino residents at 49% of the population.
• Omaha is the largest city and capital of Nebraska.
• The first United States census in 1790 showed New Jersey with 184,139 citizens, making it the 5th most populous state at the time.
• New Hampshire's motto “Live Free or Die” is the longest of all state mottos at 9 words.

How Common are “N” State Names Overall?

Looking bigger picture, state names starting with N are tied for 4th place out of all 26 letters of the alphabet.

The most common first letters are:

1. S (11 states)
2. M (8 states)
3. C (8 states)
4. N (8 states)
5. V (8 states)

After N and V, the next most common are W and N with 7 states each.

So while N may not take the top spot, 8 N states puts it in the upper tier of frequently occurring first letters.

Origins and Meanings of State Names

State names arise from various inspirations, including:

• People – Named after founders, politicians, monarchs. Ex: Pennsylvania after William Penn.
• Native American terms – Based on indigenous languages like Dakota and Nebraska.
• Places – Named after locations like New Jersey and New Hampshire.
• Descriptors – Describe features like mountains, greenery. Ex: Vermont, Montana.

Specifically for N states:

• New York – After the Duke of York when New York was a British colony.
• New Jersey – Also named by the English crown for the Isle of Jersey.
• North/South Carolina – Named after British King Charles.
• North Dakota – Named for the Dakota Native American tribes.
• Nevada – From the Spanish word meaning “snow-capped.”
• Nebraska – From an Otoe Native American word meaning “flat water.”
• New Mexico – After Mexico as part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain.
• New Hampshire – Named after the English county of Hampshire.

Notable State Name Trivia

Some fun facts regarding state names:

• Longest name is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at 28 letters.
• Shortest name is Ohio at just 4 letters.
• California is the most misspelled state name.
• Mississippi is the most mispronounced name.
• Several states briefly changed spellings or pronunciations during periods of anti-British sentiment after the Revolutionary War.
• There have been attempts to rename states over the years that failed, like proposals in the 1800s to rename South Carolina simply “Carolina.”

The N States' Mottos

US state mottos are also an interesting lens into origins and meanings. The 8 N states' mottos are:

• New York – Excelsior (Latin for “Ever Upward”)
• New Jersey – Liberty and Prosperity
• North Carolina – Esse quam videri (Latin for “To be rather than to seem”)
• North Dakota – Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable
• Nevada – All For Our Country
• Nebraska – Equality Before the Law
• New Mexico – Crescit eundo (Latin for “It grows as it goes”)
• New Hampshire – Live Free or Die

You'll notice two N states use Latin mottos, while freedom and liberty are common themes among the English language mottos.

##Abbreviations – NH, NV, NY, NJ, etc.

State two-letter postal abbreviations also contain quirks and patterns.

While most states simply abbreviate the first and last letter, you'll notice NJ for New Jersey and NH for New Hampshire. This avoids duplicate use of codes like NY for New York and NC for North Carolina.

Some abbreviations aren't intuitive from the full state name, like NM for New Mexico. These were chosen deliberately to avoid abbreviation clashes.

The origins and rules governing state abbreviations make for some great trivia as well!

Conclusion

So in summary – 8 US states begin with the letter N. But this quick fact opens up a treasure trove of fascinating layers about the origins, history, and trivia tied to state names. Whether you're looking to win trivia night or just want to impress friends, state names make a surprising and fun topic to explore.

References

[1] https://www.dir.ca.gov/chswc/trainingprogramsresources/nstates.html
[2] https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/states-that-start-with-n
[3] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-us-states-start-with-n.html
[4] https://travelbucketlist.xyz/states-that-start-with-n/
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:States_of_the_United_States
[6] https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/states-in-usa-with-n/