History of North America

How did Illinois get its name?

The name "Illinois" comes from the Illiniwek Confederation, a group of Native American tribes who lived in the region. The word "Illiniwek" means "people of the Illinois River" and is derived from the Algonquian words "ilini" (meaning "man") and "wek" (meaning "at or of"). The name was first recorded by the French explorer Jacques Marquette in 1673, who used the spelling "Illinous." The spelling was later changed to "Illinois" by the French.