How did New Hampshire get its name? Here’s how the state came to be

Have you ever wondered how the state of New Hampshire got its name?

The state is one of many from the original 13 colonies to be named by European explorers, as Europeans settled in New Hampshire all the way back in the 1620s. In fact, the first European settlement in New Hampshire was founded in 1623 by Englishmen, meaning the name of the state comes from England.

Here’s the history and significance of the name New Hampshire.

How did New Hampshire get its name?

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, New Hampshire was named in 1629 by Captain John Mason, an English explorer who sent two divisions of men to establish a fishing colony at the mouth of the Piscataqua River in 1623. When Capt. Mason received a land grant for the area in 1629, he named it after Hampshire, the county in England where he grew up, says Realtor.com.

When did New Hampshire become a state?

Early settlements of Dover, Rye, Portsmouth, Exeter and Hampton joined together to become a royal province in 1679, existing under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts from 1698-1741. In 1788, New Hampshire officially became the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Catherine Messier,.