The "ia" merely latinizes George into the feminine gender, which was considered for appropriate than the masculine for a place name. Louisiana and the Carolinas are also derived from the names of kings via the same process. Louis XIV and Charles II ("Carolus" in Latin), respectively. Georgia was founded as a colony. It did not become a state until 1776. Georgia is a good female name, as in Georgia O'Keefe.
As for the country. Wikipedia says the name night have come from Latin or Greek root words for "tillers of the soil", as might be put into latin letters as "georgos" or from the national devotion to St. George. The nation's flag usess the Cross of St. George. (so does England's) Wikipedia also says the origin of the name is in dispute. The people were indeed called the Gurz, which also might be a source of the name.
I hate being a know-it-all, but I love history and am a former reference librarian, who is very anal about history being correct.
The confusion of names is also fun. I can imagine a couple of rednecks from some small town near Columbus loading up their battered pickup truck with beer and rifles and shotguns with plenty of ammo, and heading out to defend Atlanta. "We ain't 'lowin' some f--kin' commie homo pinko Russian Sherman march through Georgia agin! We bin thar onst!"
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The Explainer has some 'splanin' to do.
The "ia" merely latinizes George into the feminine gender, which was considered for appropriate than the masculine for a place name. Louisiana and the Carolinas are also derived from the names of kings via the same process. Louis XIV and Charles II ("Carolus" in Latin), respectively. Georgia was founded as a colony. It did not become a state until 1776. Georgia is a good female name, as in Georgia O'Keefe.
As for the country. Wikipedia says the name night have come from Latin or Greek root words for "tillers of the soil", as might be put into latin letters as "georgos" or from the national devotion to St. George. The nation's flag usess the Cross of St. George. (so does England's) Wikipedia also says the origin of the name is in dispute. The people were indeed called the Gurz, which also might be a source of the name.
I hate being a know-it-all, but I love history and am a former reference librarian, who is very anal about history being correct.
The confusion of names is also fun. I can imagine a couple of rednecks from some small town near Columbus loading up their battered pickup truck with beer and rifles and shotguns with plenty of ammo, and heading out to defend Atlanta. "We ain't 'lowin' some f--kin' commie homo pinko Russian Sherman march through Georgia agin! We bin thar onst!"
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