Guide Rankings Geography Updated May 14, 2026

Most Common State Name Letters

A-to-Z chart of all 26 letters showing how many U.S. states start with each, with M and N highlighted at 8 states each

Most Common State Name Letters

Ranking - Geography

Quick Answer

Most Common State Name Letters

  1. 1

    M and N are the most common starting letters for U.S. state names. Eight states start with M and eight start with N, making them tied for first among all 26 letters.

  2. 2

    The next most common starting letters are A, I, and W, each beginning 4 state names. Seven letters are not the first letter of any U.S. state name: B, E, J, Q, X, Y, and Z.

  3. 3

    Six of the eight N-states have two-word names beginning with 'New' or 'North': New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and North Dakota. Nebraska and Nevada are the only single-word N-states.

Most Common State Name Letters Table

States

Download as PDF

Print-ready table — Most Common State Name Letters

Most Common Starting Letter of U.S. State Names

Highest

8
flag
#1

Top 10 — States

#1 flag
8
#1 flag
8
#3 flag
4
#3 flag
4
#3 flag
4
#6 flag
3
#6 flag
3
#8 flag
2
#8 flag
2
#8 flag
2

What Letter Do Most U.S. States Start With?

Bar chart showing all 26 letters of the alphabet with the count of U.S. states that begin with each letter, M and N at 8 each
M and N lead all letters at 8 states each. Seven letters have no states: B, E, J, Q, X, Y, and Z.

M and N each start 8 state names, placing them ahead of every other letter. The next group, A, I, and W, each starts 4 state names, less than half the M and N totals.

Twelve of the 26 letters are the first letter of at least 2 state names. Eight letters start exactly one state name. Seven letters do not start any U.S. state name.

States That Start With M

Two side-by-side lists of eight U.S. states each, one group starting with M and one starting with N
The 8 M-states and 8 N-states together account for 16 of the 50 U.S. state names, nearly one-third of the total.

The 8 M-states span four regions: Maine and Maryland on the Atlantic coast, Massachusetts in New England, Michigan at the Great Lakes, Minnesota and Missouri in the Midwest, Mississippi in the South, and Montana in the Mountain West.

Name lengths in this group range from 5 letters (Maine) to 13 letters (Massachusetts). Mississippi, at 11 letters, is the second-longest. Missouri and Michigan each have 8 letters. Montana has 7.

States That Start With N

Six of the 8 N-states have two-word names: New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and North Dakota. Nebraska and Nevada are the only single-word N-states.

The 'New' prefix appears in four N-state names, the highest frequency of any single prefix in U.S. state naming. 'North' appears twice among N-states, in North Carolina and North Dakota. 'South' also appears twice in state names but under S, not N.

Which Letters Start Exactly One State Name?

Eight letters each begin exactly one U.S. state name: D (Delaware), F (Florida), G (Georgia), H (Hawaii), L (Louisiana), P (Pennsylvania), R (Rhode Island), and U (Utah).

Delaware is among the six smallest states by land area. Pennsylvania covers nearly 45,000 square miles. Hawaii is the only island state in the group.

Letters Not Used to Start Any State Name

Seven letters are not the first letter of any U.S. state name: B, E, J, Q, X, Y, and Z. This applies to the official common names of all 50 states.

The absence of J is the most unexpected. J is a common initial in English place names and surnames, yet no state name starts with it. E is absent despite 'East' being a familiar geographic direction. Q, X, Y, and Z are uncommon in English words generally.

Quick Answers

What letter starts the most U.S. state names
M and N are tied for the most common starting letter of U.S. state names. Eight states start with M: Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana. Eight states start with N.
How many states start with M
Eight U.S. states start with M: Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana. No other letter ties M except N, which also starts 8 state names.
How many states start with N
Eight U.S. states start with N: Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and North Dakota. Six of these eight are two-word names beginning with 'New' or 'North'.
What letters have no U.S. states
Seven letters are not the first letter of any U.S. state name: B, E, J, Q, X, Y, and Z. This is based on the official common names of all 50 states.
Which letters start only one U.S. state
Eight letters each begin exactly one state name: D (Delaware), F (Florida), G (Georgia), H (Hawaii), L (Louisiana), P (Pennsylvania), R (Rhode Island), and U (Utah).
Are there more states starting with M or N
Neither. M and N are exactly tied: eight states start with M and eight states start with N. No other letter comes close; A, I, and W each start only 4 state names.

Methodology

First letters are taken from the common names of all 50 U.S. states as recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau. For two-word names such as New York, the first letter is taken from the first word.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
Found an error? Report it here.

You Might Also Like