How did Delaware get its name? In 1610 explorer Samuel Argall named the Delaware River and Bay for the governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr. The state of Delaware takes its name from the river and bay.

When did state abbreviations change to 2 letters?

To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations.

What does AK stand for in states?

STATE/PROVINCE abbreviation key:

United States: AL (Alabama) AK (Alaska) AZ (Arizona)

Is De An abbreviation for Germany?

DE is the two-letter country abbreviation for Germany.

What is the state abbreviation for U.S. Virgin Islands?

VI – Virgin Islands (U.S.)

How did states get their abbreviations?

History. In 1831 and 1874, the United States Postal Service published a preferred list of state abbreviations. However, before 1963, the Post Office Department favored people writing out the state and territorial names in full to avoid confusion.

What is Maine’s abbreviation?

Because alphabetically Maine (The Pine Tree State) is ahead of both other states beginning with the same first two letters, some may assume Maine would have the postal abbreviation of “MA”. However, this isn’t the case, in fact, Maine’s state abbreviation is actually “ME” – the first and last letter.

What is the abbreviation for West Virginia?

Throughout West Virginia Explorer you’ll find West Virginia abbreviated as both WV and W.Va. Which is the correct abbreviation for West Virginia? According to official guides to American English, “W.Va.” is still the preferred punctuation.