Cathlamet  From the Kathlamet tribe, the Chinook word calamet meaning "stone," was given to the tribe because its members lived along the rocky stretch of the Columbia River. A city also bears its name.

Chelan  From the Chelan language: Tsill-ane, meaning "deep water." The tribe lived along Lake Chelan, which is very deep. A city, county and river also bear the name.

Elwha  Native American/Chinook: "elk."

Evergreen State  Washington State nickname.

Hiyu  Native American/Chinook: "plenty."

Hyak  Chinook Jargon: "fast or speedy."

Issaquah  "Snake." Native Americans who traveled around the Issaquah region called it Sqwak because of the squawking sounds of the birds. The natives habitually said "ish" before words, forming the word "isquowh," which when spelled by settlers became Issaquah.

Kalama  From the Calama language: "pretty maiden."

Kaleetan  Native American/Chinook: "arrow."

Kitsap  Kitsap was a war chief and medicine man under Chief Seattle (see Sealth). The name means "brave." A county is also named after him.

Kittitas  Tribe of "shoal people" who lived along the shallow portion of the Yakima River near Ellensburg. A county and town are also named after the tribe.

Klahowya  Native American/Chinook: "greetings."

Puyallup  From the Puyallup language: "generous people." The Puyallup tribe had a reputation for generosity in dealing with traders and travelers. Early settler Ezra Meeker renamed his town from Franklin in 1877 looking for something unique. Besides the tribe and town, Puyallup is also used on a river and a Mt. Rainier glacier.

Rhododendron  The Washington State flower.

Sealth  The Native American/Chinook two syllable pronunciation (See-alth) of Seattle, the chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes who befriended early settlers in the 1850-60's.

Skagit  The meaning is now unfortunately lost, but a county and river are named after this Northwest Washington tribe.

Spokane  Eastern Washington Native American tribe: "children of the sun or sun people." A city, county and river are also named after the tribe.

Tacoma  Derived from the native word Tah-ho-mah for Mt. Rainier, or "snowy mountain." Tacoma was first attributed to the mountain in an 1860s book, "The Canoe and the Saddle" by Theodore Winthrop, a popular volume on the early Pacific Northwest. The city picked the name over Commencement City when the railroad made its terminius there in the 1870s.

Tillikum  Chinook Jargon: "friends; relatives."

Walla Walla  Nez Perce for "place of many waters." The Walla Walla are a Southeastern Washington tribe. A city, county, and river are also named after the tribe.

Wenatchee  From the Yakima word wenatchi for "river flowing from canyon." When Lewis and Clark traveled through the Columbia River valley in 1803-1805, they mentioned the word Wenatchee in their journal, hearing of the river and the tribe living along its banks. A city, lake, river, and national forest are also named after the tribe.

Yakima  From the Yakima language, it has many meanings: "to become peopled; black bears; runaway; and/or people of the narrow river." A city, county and river are also named after the English spelling of the tribe.