This is a list of symbols of theUnited StatesCommonwealth of Virginia. Most of the items in the list are officially recognized symbols created by an act of theVirginia General Assembly and signed into law by thegovernor. The state nickname,The Old Dominion, is the oldest symbol. However, it, as well as Virginia's other nicknames, are not official. The nickname "Mother of Presidents" is also historic, as eight Virginians have served asPresident of the United States, including four of the first five:George Washington,Thomas Jefferson,James Madison,James Monroe,William Henry Harrison,John Tyler,Zachary Taylor, andWoodrow Wilson. Additionally, the nickname "Mother of States" comes from being the first state settled in the United States. As well,Sam Houston, president of theRepublic of Texas,Fulwar Skipwith, the president of theRepublic of West Florida, andJoseph Jenkins Roberts, the first president ofLiberia were from Virginia.
The state motto and seal have been official since Virginia declared its independence from theKingdom of Great Britain. Virginia is one of only two states (the other beingMississippi with theMagnolia) to have the same plant for state flower and state tree, theFlowering Dogwood.[1] Most of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.
| Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | Flag of Virginia | Defined as:First made in 1833, it was not adopted until 1861. The flag was last updated in 1950. | 1950 |  | [3][4] |
| Motto | Sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants) | Proposed by George Mason to be included in the State Seal in 1776. Translated from Latin as "Thus Always to Tyrants", meaning that tyrants will eventually be overthrown. A joke dating back to theCivil War states that the motto means "Get your foot off my neck", referencing the seal. The motto is included in the legislature for the state seal. | 1776 |  | [6][7][8] |
| Nicknames | Old Dominion | A popular legend states thatCharles II referred to Virginia as the Old Dominion for their loyalty to the English crown. TheColony of Virginia's motto,En dat Virginia quintam(Behold, Virginia gives the fifth) refers to the claim of Virginia asEngland's 5th Dominion, after England,France,Scotland, andIreland. Virginia has a public university calledOld Dominion University. | Traditional |  | [9][10] |
| Mother of Presidents | 8 United States presidents have been born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. | Traditional | [11][12] | ||
| Mother of States | Since it's settlement in 1606, Virginia has been carved into eight more states:Illinois,Indiana,Kentucky,Michigan,Minnesota,Ohio,West Virginia, andWisconsin. | Traditional | [13][14] | ||
| Seal | Seal of Virginia | Defined as:The seal was called for during the convention of 1776, and designed byGeorge Wythe. The seal is prominently featured on the state flag. | 1776 (Standardized in 1950) |  | [15][16] |
| Slogan | Virginia Is for Lovers | Stylized in all caps as "Virginia is for Lo❤ers". The slogan was designed by theMartin Agency in 1969, who had initially used the slogan separately as "Virginia is for History lovers", "Virginia is for Beach lovers", and "Virginia is for Mountain lovers". After the ads were found to be too limiting, they were merged into the current slogan. The slogan is popular within bothUnited States andVirginia culture, used inVirginia's license plates and welcome signs, and as a slogan for theVirginia Department of Elections andHillary Clinton's2016 presidential campaign. The slogan was added into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in 2009, and was named as one of the top ten advertising campaigns of all time byForbes. | 1969 |  | [17][18][19] |
| Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flower | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) | Thomas Jefferson grew American Dogwood on hisMonticello estate. Legislators chose the plant as the official flower in 1918 to "Stimulate an interest in the history and traditions of the Commonwealth". American Dogwood are common in theEast Coast. | 1918 |  | [20][21] |
| Tree | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) | The American Dogwood was chosen as the state tree 38 years after it was adopted as the state flower. | 1956 | | [22][23] |
| Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bat | Virginia Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus) | The Virginia Big-Eared Bat is only found in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, andNorth Carolina. They are labelled asendangered, with about 20,000 left in the wild. Legislators chose the bat for its name and endangered status.GovernorMark Warner stated that the state bat "is no more absurd" than thestate beverage. | 2005[24][25] |  |
| Bird | Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | The Northern Cardinal is common from the East Coast to theCentral United States. The bird was chosen "because of its bright plumage and cheerful song” said Virginia StateSenator Adam Ebbin. The Northern Cardinal is also the state bird of Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia. | 1950[26][27] | _male.jpg) |
| Dog | American Foxhound (Canis lupus familiaris) | 1966[28][29] |  | |
| Fresh Water Fish | Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1993[30][31] |  | |
| Insect | Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus) | 1991[32][33] |  | |
| Pollinator | European honey bee (Apis mellifera) | 2024[34][35] |  | |
| Pony | Chincoteague Pony (Equus caballus) | 2023[36][37] |  | |
| Salamander | Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) | 2018[38][39] |  | |
| Salt Water Fish | Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) | 2011[40][41] |  | |
| Shell | Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) | 1974[42][43] |  | |
| Snake | Eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) | 2016[44][45] | .jpg) |
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil | Chesapecten jeffersonius | 1993[46][47] |  |
| Rock | Nelsonite | 2016[48][49] | .jpg) |
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat | Chesapeake Bay deadrise | 1988[50][51] |  |
| Drink | Milk | 1982[52][53] |  |
| Folk dance | Square dance | 1991[54][55] |  |
| Gold Mining Interpretive Center | Monroe Park | 2001[56][57] | |
| Maple Festival | Highland County Maple Festival | 2014[58][59] | |
| Motor Sports Museum | Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame | 1995[60][61] | |
| Opry | Virginia Opry | 2020[62][63] | |
| Outdoor Drama | The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama | 1994[64][65] | |
| The Long Way Home (Historical) | 1994[64][66] | ||
| Shakespeare Festival | Virginia Shakespeare Festival | 2013[67][68] | |
| Songs | Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (Emeritus) | 1997[69][70] | |
| Sweet Virginia Breeze (Popular) | 2015[71][72] | ||
| Our Great Virginia (Traditional) | |||
| Spirit | George Washington's Rye Whiskey | 2017[73][74] |  |
| Sports hall of fame | Virginia Sports Hall of Fame | 1996[75][76] | |
| Steam locomotive | Norfolk and Western 611 | 2017[77][78] |  |
| Television Series | "Song of the Mountains" | 2017[79][80] | |
| War Memorial Museum | Virginia War Museum | 1997[81][82] |  |
C The Virginia Colony was nicknamed "The Old Dominion" by KingCharles II for its perceived loyalty to the English monarchy during theEnglish Civil War.[83][dubious –discuss][better source needed]
D Pictures ofVirginia license plates throughout the years can be foundhere.
E In 1940, Virginia made "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" the state song, but it was retired in 1997 and reclassified as the state song emeritus.[84]
The flag of the Commonwealth shall be a deep blue field, with a circular white centre of the same material. Upon this circle shall be painted or embroidered, to show on both sides alike, the coat of arms of the Commonwealth, as described in § 1-500 for the obverse of the great seal of the Commonwealth; and there may be a white fringe on the outer edge, furthest from the flagstaff. This shall be known and respected as the flag of the Commonwealth. (Code 1950, § 7-32; 1966, c. 102, § 7.1-32; 2005, c. 839.)
...the coat of arms of the state of Virginia, bearing the motto,Sic semper tyrannis, which the soldiers translated, "Take your foot off my neck", from the action of the principal figure ... representing Liberty, who, with a lance in her right hand, is standing over the conquered and prostrate tyrant, and apparently trampling on him with her heel.
