WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17: NATIVE HERITAGE REFLECTED IN STATE NAMES

Profile America — Saturday, November 17th.  As National American Indian Heritage Month continues, many people across the country may not be aware that the states they live in have names derived from Indian words.  In fact, the names of 22 states are derived from American Indian-Alaska Native words, including Alaska, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio, as well as Connecticut, Michigan, and Illinois.  The number of American Indian tribal groups numbering more than 100,000 has grown. The largest is Cherokee at over 819,000, followed by Navajo, Choctaw, Mexican-American Indian, Chippewa, Sioux, Apache, and Blackfeet.  You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 531
               U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB11-FF.22

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau