California

Place name, Spanish from Arabic

"land of Califia, land of the caliph"

California Origin and Meaning

The name California is a girl's name of Spanish origin meaning "land of Califia, land of the caliph".

Has not caught on as much as other Golden State place-names — Sierra, Marin, West, or even Francisco — probably because of its length.

The state of California got its name from the 16th-century romance novel
Las sergas de Esplandián
, or
The Adventures of Esplandián
. In the book, California was an island solely inhabited by Black Amazonian women, ruled by the fictional Queen Califia. It is believed that the name Queen Califia was inspired by the Spanish word califa, derived from the Arabic khalifa, meaning an Islamic ruler or leader. This origin gives California the alternate meaning of "land of the caliph".

20 Names Similar to California

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like California.

• Lovely
• Music
• Trinidad
• Windy
• Cherish
• Rosary
• Red
• England
• Delight
• Unity
• Cyder
• Gem
• Flair
• Samoa
• Kizzy
• Icy
• Whisper
• Charisma
• China
• Tea

Famous People Named California

• Victoria California Claflin Woodhull American suffragist and presidential candidate
• California Dream Taylor (b. 2011) daughter of rapper The Game

The name California in Pop Culture

• California Morning "Lucy" Whipple main character in "The Ballad of Lucy Whipple" by Karen Cushman
• "California Girls " song by The Beach Boys
• "Dani California " Red Hot Chili Peppers song
• "California Dreamin' " song by The Mamas and the Papas
• "California Love " song by Tupac Shakur
• "California Gurls " song by Katy Perry