Rhode Island is neither an island nor a state. How did it get its name?

Question

Who named the state of Rhode Island and why did they decide on that name? Please cite sources.

Oops, yes, a typo in the question. I MEANT to write, "Rhode Island is neither an island nor a ROAD. How did it get its name?"

Sorry for the confusion,

Mike

Answer 1

One, Rhode Island IS a state. I hope that was a typo in your question.
Now on to the questions asked.
"Who is responsible for the name Rhode Island?"
"The Italian navigator Giovanni Verrazano is credited with giving Rhode Island it's name."
"How did they decide on this name?"
"In 1524, Verrazano “discovered an island in the form of a triangle, distant from the mainland ten leagues, about the bigness of the (Greek) Island of Rhodes,” which he named Luisa after the Queen Mother of France. This was Block Island. Roger Williams and other early settlers thought that Verrazano was referring to Aquidneck Island and changed that island’s native name to Rhode Island. In this way, Verrazano inadvertently gave the state part of its official name."
The full (and still official) name of the smallest state in the USA is "The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." It is the longest state name in the entire country. It is more commonly know by simply "Rhode Island".
Most people are aware that Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country. "It covers an area of 1,214 square miles. Its distances North to South are 48 miles and East to West 37 miles." Now that is small.
Despite being so small, Rhode Island is jam packed with everything you could be looking for. One great perk is everything is quick and easy to get too. Most Rhode Islanders consider anything over 30 minutes a "long drive".
I myself am a born and raised Rhode Islander. I love it here! Yes, it is true we drop our "Rs" and add "Rs" to words that end in "As". We have so much to offer as a state, that the city of Newport is a popular vacation spot from people all around the country.
Great state, great people and a perfect example of "great things come in small packages".
Interesting question. Again, really hope you didn't mean to say Rhode Island isn't a state. Trust me, it is!
-Brit

Answer 2

Actually, Rhode Island IS both a state AND an Island, The world book encyclopedia says "Narragansett Bay almost cuts Rhode Island in two. The bay extends 28 miles (45 kilometers) inland from southern Rhode Island. The state has 36 islands, most of which are in the bay. Aquidneck, the largest island, was officially named Rhode Island in 1644. Towns on the mainland were called Providence Plantations. As a result, Rhode Island's official name is 'State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations/. Thus, the smallest state has the longest official name."

Answer 3

Yes, Rhode Island is a state...I presume that was a typo in the questions.

Pardon the copy & paste job, but the information below comes directly from the Office of the Secretary of State for Rhode Island:

Indigenous people, mistakenly named “Indians” by Columbus, were the first inhabitants of present-day Rhode Island. European contacts with Rhode Island and its coastline have been claimed for several explorers, including medieval Irish adventurers, Norsemen, Portuguese navigator Miguel Corte-Real, and Italian navigator Giovanni Verrazano.

Sailing to Rhode Island in 1524, Verrazano “discovered an island in the form of a triangle, distant from the mainland ten leagues, about the bigness of the (Greek) Island of Rhodes,” which he named Luisa after the Queen Mother of France. This was Block Island. Roger Williams and other early settlers thought that Verrazano was referring to Aquidneck Island and changed that island’s native name to Rhode Island. In this way, Verrazano inadvertently gave the state part of its official name. No other significant recorded visits were made to Rhode Island until 1614, when English explorer John Smith charted the New England coast and Dutch mariner Adriaen Block visited Block Island, naming it for himself.

Answer 4

^Rhode Island is the 13th state in the USA; it became a state on May 29, 1790.

State Nickname - The Ocean State, Little Rhody
State Motto - "Hope"
State Song - Rhode Island, It's for Me

The name "Rhode Island" is credited to Italian navigator Giovanni Verrazano who compared the nearby island Block Island to Rhodes in Greece. Later Williams thought that Verrazano had been referring to island where they had settled and began calling the island Rhode Island.

Answer 5

In 1524, the famous Italian navigator, Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to visit any part of what is now Rhode Island. He came to what is now Block Island and named it "Luisa" after Louise of Savoy, Queen Mother of France. Verrazzano described Luisa as "about the size of the Island of Rhodes". When the founders of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations surveyed the land, they thought that Aquidneck Island was the place. A mistake occurred in 1614, when Luisa was charted by the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, after whom it was renamed by the Dutch West India Company; however, their motives in doing so are unknown.[5] Another possibility of the name's origin that has been suggested is that Adriaen Block named it "Roodt Eylandt" meaning "red island" in reference to the red clay that lined the shore, and that the name was later anglicized when the region came under British rule.

Answer 6

Rhode Island is what was once called "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" (Rhode Island itself being now Aquidneck Island where Newport is).

It was more commonly referred to in the shortened form we know today and when it became a state, this continued.

Answer 7

Rhode Island was not named after a road. Just because they sound alike doesn't mean they are the same thing at all.

Answer 8

Rhode Islanders can't drive. At least not well. So... maybe it's referring to the fact that they should be placed on an island with no cars.

More likely it has something to do with a Greek island that Roger William's wanted to model his un-Puritan state after... but to be honest, I'm not sure.

Answer 9

Adrian Block, a dutch explorer named it "Roodt Eylandt" meaning "red island" in reference to the red clay that lined the shore. The name was later anglicized when the region came under British rule.

Answer 10

Cuba flag and the Texas Flag really are not alike at all. In fact the Texas flag has a dark blue color like the U.S Flag and Cuba has a lighter blue. The Texas Flag has a greater resemblance to Chile's flag. google - To see how the Texas flag use to look like before. First it was part of Mexico then after. The Mexican Flag had 2 stars for Coahuila y Tejas. The Texas-Coahuila Militia Flag 1836