List of Virginia state symbols

This is a list of symbols of the United States Commonwealth of Virginia. Most of the items in the list are officially recognized symbols created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by the governor. The state nickname, The Old Dominion, is the oldest symbol. However, it is the only symbol that is not official. The other nickname, "Mother of Presidents", is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as President 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, and Woodrow Wilson. Additionally, Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas, Fulwar Skipwith, the president of the Republic of West Florida, and Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first president of Liberia were from Virginia.

The state motto and seal have been official since Virginia declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Virginia is one of only two states (the other being Mississippi with the Magnolia) to have the same plant for state flower and state tree, the Flowering Dogwood.^[1] Most of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.

Insignia

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Flag	State seal on a blue background. Defined as: The flag of the Commonwealth shall hereafter be made of bunting or merino. It 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 § 7.1-26 for the obverse of the great seal of the Commonwealth; and there shall be a white silk fringe on the outer edge, furthest from the flagstaff. This shall be known and respected as the flag of Virginia. (Code 1950, § 7-32; 1966, c. 102.)^[2]	1950^[2]^[3]
Motto	Sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants)	1776^[3]
Nickname	Old Dominion, Mother of States, Mother of Presidents	n/a^[B]
Seal	The Seal of Virginia. Defined as: The great seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia shall consist of two metallic discs, two and one-fourth inches in diameter, with an ornamental border one fourth of an inch wide, with such words and figures engraved thereon as will, when used, produce impressions to be described as follows: On the obverse, Virtus, the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed as an Amazon, resting on a spear in her right hand, point downward, touching the earth; and holding in her left hand, a sheathed sword, or parazonium, pointing upward; her head erect and face upturned; her left foot on the form of Tyranny represented by the prostrate body of a man, with his head to her left, his fallen crown nearby, a broken chain in his left hand, and a scourge in his right. Above the group and within the border conforming therewith, shall be the word "Virginia", and, in the space below, on a curved line, shall be the motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis." On the reverse, shall be placed a group consisting of Libertas, holding a wand and pileus in her right hand; on her right, Aeternitas, with a globe and phoenix in her right hand; on the left of Libertas, Ceres, with a cornucopia in her left hand, and an ear of wheat in her right; over this device, in a curved line, the word "Perseverando." (Code 1950, § 7-26; 1966, c. 102.)	1950 (original adopted in 1776)^[3]
Slogan	Virginia is for Lovers	1969^[4]
License plate	The plate has a completely white background. Virginia is written in red at the top. "400th Anniversary" is written at the bottom with a picture of a ship separating the words. 1607 is written on the left and 2007 is written on the right.	2013^[5]^[6]	^[C]

Plants

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Flower	American Dogwood (Cornus florida)	1918^[7]
Tree	American Dogwood (Cornus florida)	1956^[8]

Animals

Type	Symbol	Year
Bat	Virginia Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus)	2005
Bird	Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)	1950
Dog	American Foxhound (Canis lupus familiaris)	1966
Fresh Water Fish	Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)	1993
Insect	Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus)	1991
Pony	Chincoteague Pony (Equus caballus)	2023^[9]
Salamander	Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber)	2018^[10]
Salt Water Fish	Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)	2011
Shell	Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)	1974
Snake	Eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)	2016

Geology

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Fossil	Chesapecten jeffersonius	1993
Rock	Nelsonite	2016

Culture

Type	Symbol	Year
Boat	Chesapeake Bay deadrise	1988
Drink	Milk George Washington's Rye Whiskey (state spirit)	1982 2017
Folk dance	Square dance	1991
Maple Festival	Highland County Maple Festival	2014
Steam locomotive	Norfolk and Western 611	2017^[11]
Song	"Our Great Virginia" (traditional) "Sweet Virginia Breeze" (popular) "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" (emeritus)	2015
Tartan	"Virginia Quadricentennial"	2007

Notes

^A The flag was adopted in 1861 after secession from the United States.^[3]

^B The Virginia Colony was nicknamed "The Old Dominion" by King Charles II for its perceived loyalty to the English monarchy during the English Civil War.^[12]^{[dubious – discuss]}^{[better source needed]}

^C Pictures of Virginia license plates throughout the years can be found here.

^D 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.^[13]

References

^ "State Trees & State Flowers". United States National Arboreteum. March 5, 2006. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
^ ^a ^b Commonwealth of Virginia (February 1, 1950). "§ 1-506. Flag of the Commonwealth". Code of Virginia. Virginia: Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved January 28, 2015. 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.)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Virginia (U.S.)". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
^ "Virginia Is For Lovers". Virginia.org. Archived from the original on 2007-08-03. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
^ Sinclair Broadcast Group (5 December 2013). "New Virginia license plates with "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan". WJLA. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
^ "License plates of Virginia". World License Plates. Retrieved 2002-08-22.
^ "Virginia State Floral Emblem". NETSTATE. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
^ "Virginia State Tree". eReferenceDesk. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
^ General Assembly of Virginia. "Bill Tracking - 2023 session > Legislation - An Act to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; state pony". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
^ "Bill Tracking - 2018 session > Legislation".
^ "The Queen of Steam is named as the Official Steam Locomotive of Virginia". WFXR. May 23, 2017. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^ "How did Virginia get its nickname the old dominion?". Blurt It. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
^ "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny". Virginia Historical Society. January 11, 2007. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-12.