Delaware State Symbols

Name: Complete Delaware State Symbols List
Creator: USA Symbol
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Delaware state symbols: official state symbols include the Blue Hen, peach blossom, American holly, colonial flag, and First State nickname.

Abbreviation

Dover

Capital

1787

Statehood

Symbols

Overview

The Blue Hen, peach blossom, and American holly are the best-known official state symbols of Delaware. The colonial blue-and-buff flag and First State nickname reflect Delaware's place as the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution — a founding-era identity that runs through the state's emblems.

Best-known symbol Delaware State Flag

Oldest in this guide Peach Blossom, 1895

Student-led symbol Gray fox

Delaware State Symbols — Complete List

Category	Official Symbol	Adopted
State Flag	Delaware State Flag	1913
State Bird	Delaware Blue Hen Gallus gallus domesticus	1939
State Flower	Peach Blossom Prunus persica	1895
State Tree	American Holly Ilex opaca	1939
State Motto	Liberty and Independence English	1847
State Nickname	The First State	2002
State Dog	Rescue dog	2023
State Wildlife Animal	Gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus	2010
State Cocktail	Orange Crush	2024
State Drink	Milk	1983
State Colors	Colonial Blue and Buff	1913
License Plate Slogan	The First State	1974
State Seal	Great Seal of Delaware	1777

What Does Delaware Mean?

Delaware is the second-smallest U.S. state and the first to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 7, 1787. Its name comes from the Delaware River and Delaware Bay, which were named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr.

De La Warr was an English nobleman and colonial governor associated with the early Virginia colony. The state name therefore comes from a title and family name, not from an Indigenous word or a physical description of the land.

Delaware's central nickname is the First State, with Diamond State and Blue Hen State adding size, strategy, and Revolutionary War memory. Its postal abbreviation is DE, and residents are Delawareans.

Key Meaning and Background

Origin: Named through the Delaware River and Bay, which honored Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr.
Name type: A colonial title and family name rather than a geographic description.
First state claim: Delaware ratified the U.S. Constitution before any other state, on December 7, 1787.

Usage Examples and Context

State: Refers to Delaware, the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
River and bay: The Delaware River and Delaware Bay preserve the older geographic use of the name.
People: People from Delaware are called Delawareans.
Tribe name: The Lenape are sometimes called Delaware because English colonists applied the river name to the people living near it.

Nicknames and Short Forms

The First State: Official nickname tied to Delaware's first ratification of the Constitution.
The Diamond State: A nickname often linked to Delaware's small size and strategic value.
Blue Hen State: Refers to Delaware's Revolutionary War Blue Hen nickname tradition.
Abbreviation: DE; older short form Del.

Newest and Oldest Symbols

Oldest listed Great Seal of Delaware, 1777

Older symbols tend to anchor the state's public identity: flag, bird, flower, motto, or nickname.

Newest listed Orange Crush (2024), Rescue dog (2023)

Recent designations often show how states keep adding wildlife, foods, breeds, and cultural traditions.

What Delaware's Symbols Say About the State

Delaware's state flag is unusually explicit. It puts December 7, 1787 on the design, making the state's first-ratification claim part of the symbol rather than just a classroom fact.

The Blue Hen and Liberty and Independence keep Delaware close to Revolutionary-era memory. The bird is not really about ornithology; it is a state nickname and military legend turned into law.

The peach blossom, American holly, gray fox, and rescue dog show a different Delaware: orchards that declined, a holly industry that mattered, classrooms that shaped state symbols, and modern animal-welfare politics.

Quick Answers

What is Delaware's most famous state symbol?

The Delaware state flag is one of the state's most recognizable symbols because it includes December 7, 1787, the date Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

What is Delaware's state bird?

Delaware's state bird is the Blue Hen, a domestic chicken symbol tied to Revolutionary War nickname history.

What is Delaware's state flower?

Delaware's state flower is the peach blossom, adopted in 1895 during the memory of Delaware's important peach industry.

Why is Delaware called the First State?

Delaware is called the First State because it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787. The nickname is covered on the Delaware nickname page.

How many official state symbols does Delaware have?

The Delaware hub collects the symbol pages already present on USA Symbol, including the flag, Blue Hen, peach blossom, holly, gray fox, rescue dog, milk, and Orange Crush.