History of North America

Origin of state name for Illinois?

The word "Illinois" is derived from the Native American word "Illini", which was the name of a group of Algonquian-speaking tribes that inhabited the region around the Illinois River. The name "Illinois" was first used by the French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673. The name is thought to come from the Miami-Illinois word "ilenwe", which means "man" or "people".