State Symbols of Maryland

By | Updated on January 21, 2023

Reviewed by Rittika

Maryland is a constituent state of the United States. It is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. 

Cecilius (Cecil) Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, who was given a charter for the land in 1632, was thankful and gave the state the name Maryland in honor of Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I.

Maryland is nicknamed the Old Line State. According to some historians, General George Washington gave this name to Maryland. He awarded the title to honor its regular line troops (the Maryland Line), who fought bravely in numerous Revolutionary War battles and made it easier for General George Washington’s army to escape. Throughout the war, Washington depended heavily on the Maryland Line. Maryland is also known as the Free State. The nickname was granted in 1919 when Congress established legislation prohibiting the sale and use of alcohol. It also refers to Maryland’s long history of political freedom and religious tolerance.

Maryland is bordered by Pennsylvania in the north, Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Atlantic Ocean and Virginia in the south, and West Virginia in the west.

On October 10, 1845, the United States Naval Academy was established in Annapolis. The city also serves as the state capital. The largest city in Maryland is Baltimore. In 1774, William Goddard established the first Post Office system in Baltimore. Baltimore’s 1,200-foot Francis Scott Key Bridge is the country’s second-longest continuous truss bridge.

An interesting fact about Maryland is its historical connection to the oldest newspaper in the United States. “The Maryland Gazette”, which was first published in 1727, is the nation’s oldest-running newspaper.

Maryland has a total area of 12,407 sq mi (32,133 sq km). It is the forty-second largest state in the United States. According to the 2020 census, the state has a population of 6,177,224 people, ranking 18th in the U.S. 

In 2001, Maryland declared Calico the official state cat.

The area was first inhabited by late Ice Age hunters around 10,000 BCE and was later inhabited by the Nanticoke and Piscataway tribes. In 1608 Captain John Smith mapped the Chesapeake Bay region. Maryland was a part of a charter granted to Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, by the British king. His brother, Leonard Calvert, established the first settlement at St. Mary’s City in 1634. The Mason-Dixon Line was drawn in the 1760s to resolve a boundary dispute with Pennsylvania. In 1788, Maryland became the 7th state to approve the new U.S. Constitution’s stronger government structure.

The Baltimore checkerspot butterfly was recognized as Maryland’s official arthropodic symbol in 1973.

Maryland is famous for its blue crabs and holds the record of producing the highest number of crab cakes in the United States.

The official bird of Maryland is the Baltimore oriole. In 1918, Maryland adopted the black-eyed Susan as its official state floral emblem.

Maryland’s official state motto is “Fatti Maschii Parole Femine,” which translates as “Manly deeds, Womanly words.”

State Information

State seal

Motto of Maryland

"Strong Deeds, Gentle Words"

State symbols of Maryland 👇

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  State capital
  Annapolis
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  State bird
  Baltimore oriole
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  State flower
  Black-eyed susan
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  State tree
  White oak
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  State dance
  Square Dance
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  State reptile
  Diamondback terrapin
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  State insect
  Baltimore checkerspot butterfly
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  State gemstone
  Patuxent River Stone
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  State animal
  Blue crab
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  State dish
  Crab
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  State fish
  Striped Bass

State location

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