Georgia State Symbols

Georgia state symbols and facts: official state symbols include the brown thrasher, Cherokee rose, live oak, state motto, and the 2003 flag.

Abbreviation

Atlanta

Capital

1788

Statehood

Symbols

Overview

Among the major Georgia state emblems are the brown thrasher, Cherokee rose, and live oak — three symbols that speak to woodland and garden culture across the state. The Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation motto, 2003 flag, white-tailed deer, and coastal right whale round out a guide that reaches from familiar Southern woodlands to the Atlantic shoreline.

Best-known symbol Brown thrasher

Oldest in this guide Cherokee Rose, 1916

Coastal symbol North Atlantic right whale

Georgia State Symbols — Complete List

Category	Official Symbol	Adopted
State Flag	Georgia State Flag	2003
State Bird	Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum	1970
State Flower	Cherokee Rose Rosa laevigata	1916
State Tree	Southern Live Oak Quercus virginiana	1937
State Motto	Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation English	1799
State Nickname	The Peach State	—
State Dog	Adoptable dog	2016
State Mammal	White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus	2015
State Marine Mammal	Right whale Eubalaena glacialis	1985
State Colors	Red, White, and Blue	—
License Plate Slogan	Peach State	1957
State Seal	Great Seal of Georgia	1799

What Does Georgia Mean?

Georgia is one of the original thirteen states and became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1788. The colony was named for King George II of Great Britain, who granted the colonial charter in 1732.

The name Georgia therefore means, in practical historical use, land associated with George. It is a royal colonial name rather than a description of the landscape or a name derived from an Indigenous language.

Georgia is most widely known as the Peach State, while Empire State of the South and Goober State point to older economic and agricultural identities. Its postal abbreviation is GA, and residents are Georgians.

Key Meaning and Background

Origin: Named for King George II of Great Britain, who granted the Georgia colonial charter in 1732.
Name type: A royal colonial name rather than a geographic or Indigenous-language name.
Statehood: Georgia ratified the U.S. Constitution on January 2, 1788.

Usage Examples and Context

State: Refers to Georgia, one of the original thirteen states.
Colony: The Province of Georgia was founded in 1732 as the last of the thirteen English colonies.
Country: Georgia is also the English name of an independent country in the Caucasus; the two names have different histories.
People: People from the U.S. state are called Georgians.

Nicknames and Short Forms

Peach State: Official popular identity tied to Georgia peaches and agricultural branding.
Empire State of the South: Older nickname emphasizing Georgia's economic and political weight in the South.
Goober State: Informal nickname tied to peanuts, a major Georgia crop.
Abbreviation: GA; older short form Ga.

Newest and Oldest Symbols

Oldest listed Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation, 1799

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

Newest listed Adoptable dog (2016), White-tailed deer (2015)

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

What Georgia's Symbols Say About the State

Georgia's state flag carries more political history than most state symbols. The current design removed the 1956 Confederate battle flag from the state flag, but it still uses a pattern based on the Confederacy's first national flag.

The brown thrasher, Cherokee rose, and live oak give Georgia a more local register: a bird no other state uses, a flower wrapped in Cherokee-removal folklore, and a tree associated with coastal strength and old Southern landscapes.

Georgia's animal symbols split between land, coast, and modern adoption culture. The white-tailed deer tells a conservation recovery story, the North Atlantic right whale makes Georgia responsible for calving waters, and the adoptable dog turns shelter adoption into an official civic value.

Quick Answers

What is Georgia's most famous state symbol?

The brown thrasher is one of Georgia's distinctive symbols because no other state uses it as an official state bird.

What is Georgia's state bird?

Georgia's state bird is the brown thrasher, codified in 1970.

What is Georgia's state flower?

Georgia's state flower is the Cherokee rose, adopted in 1916.

Why is Georgia called the Peach State?

Georgia is called the Peach State because peaches became one of the state's best-known agricultural brands. The nickname is covered on the Georgia nickname page.

How many official state symbols does Georgia have?

Georgia's state symbols list here includes the flag, brown thrasher, Cherokee rose, live oak, motto, whale, deer, and adoptable animal symbols.