Where Does Arizona Get Its Name?

There are various theories to the name of this desert state. Some historians believe that the term Arizona came from the name of another town; 'Arizonac'. This little town is located about thirteen kilometers to the south of the Mexico-United States border. They believe that this town actually gets its name from the word "alĭ ṣon" or "alĭ sona", which when translated into the native language (O'odham) means 'small spring'. Now, the pronunciation of the 'l' in the O'odham language actually sounds like an 'r' to a listener who speaks or is well versed in English. Therefore "alĭ ṣon/a" got translated to Arizona/a'. When the Spanish missionaries came here during the 18th century, they re- christened the place and named it Arizona.

Others have a more simple explanation insisting that the name comes from the Spanish words for 'arid zone' which is "árida zona". Another theory suggests that the place got its name from "arizuma"; which is the Aztec word for "silver-bearing".

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