Maryland State Symbols
Maryland state symbols: official state symbols include the Calvert-Crossland flag, Baltimore oriole, black-eyed Susan, white oak, and Chesapeake Bay emblems.
Maryland's Calvert-Crossland flag is one of the most distinctive official state symbols in the country — a colonial heraldry design in continuous use that sets Maryland apart visually from every other state. The Baltimore oriole, black-eyed Susan, white oak, and Chesapeake Bay species like the striped bass and blue crab round out a list built around bay identity and founding-era history.
Maryland State Symbols — Complete List
What Does Maryland Mean?
Maryland is one of the original thirteen states and became the 7th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on April 28, 1788. The colony was founded under the Calvert family in the 1600s, and the state name honors Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I.
Maryland's official symbolism keeps the Calvert connection unusually visible. The flag uses Calvert and Crossland heraldry, while the motto comes from the Calvert family rather than from a later legislative slogan.
Maryland's postal abbreviation is MD, and residents are Marylanders. Its best-known nickname, the Old Line State, points away from colonial naming and toward the Maryland Line soldiers of the Revolutionary War.
Key Meaning and Background
- Origin
- Named for Queen Henrietta Maria in the colonial period.
- Statehood
- Maryland ratified the U.S. Constitution on April 28, 1788.
- Calvert link
- Calvert family heraldry and motto language remain central to Maryland symbols.
Usage Examples and Context
- State
- Refers to Maryland, a Mid-Atlantic state spanning Chesapeake waters, Piedmont farms, Baltimore, and western mountains.
- Colony
- Maryland began as a proprietary colony under the Calvert family.
- People
- People from Maryland are called Marylanders.
Nicknames and Short Forms
- Old Line State
- Nickname honoring Maryland Line troops in the Revolutionary War.
- Free State
- Informal nickname with a later political history.
- Chesapeake State
- Nickname tied to the Chesapeake Bay.
- Abbreviation
- MD; older short form Md.
Newest and Oldest Symbols
Older symbols tend to anchor the state's public identity: flag, bird, flower, motto, or nickname.
Recent designations often show how states keep adding wildlife, foods, breeds, and cultural traditions.
What Maryland's Symbols Say About the State
Maryland's state flag is the rare state flag that people recognize instantly without needing the state name printed on it. Its Calvert black-and-gold and Crossland red-and-white quarters turn family heraldry and Civil War reconciliation into one bright public emblem.
The Baltimore oriole, black-eyed Susan, and Chesapeake Bay retriever all match Maryland visually or geographically: orange and black plumage, golden roadside flowers, and a water dog built for the bay.
Maryland's beverage symbols show a state arguing with its own image. Milk points inland to dairy farms, rye whiskey revives a lost distilling identity, and the Orange Crush makes Ocean City bar culture official after Delaware moved first.
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