How did Kentucky get its name?

Answer 1

Kentucky got its name from the river Kentucky and the tiroquois. Kentucky was originally called Ken-tah-tan.

Kentucky got its name form Iroquoian word meaning ''meadow" or "prairie".
if you mean the state of Kentucky, the name was based on the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten," meaning "land of tomorrow"

Answer 2

Debunked: * Dark and bloody ground because no known Native American language has anything that comes close. * George Rogers Clark's contention that it was a Native American word for "Tiver of blood" for the same reason. * A corruption of "cane" and "turkey". Still possible (Maybe). * A Wyandot word for "Land of Tomorrow". * Algonquian for "river bottom".* Shawnee for "origin or source of a river". The truth is we simply don't know where that name comes from, what it means or how it changed from some of the earlier spellings like Cane-tuck-ee, Kain-tuck-ee or Cantucky to what we use today. Maybe it was a joke. Perhaps it was only a tongue tied, cleft lipped and lisp impaired Native-American with a stutter, answering the question asked by a hearing impaired trapper while high on Fire-Water.

Answer 3

It is just about certain that native Americans who hunted in that area referd to the area as Katawba. The Iroquois tribe referred to the area as Cane-tuck-ee or Cantucky. The modern name derives from these words