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.
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | State seal on a blue background. Defined as: | 1950[2] | ||
| Motto | Sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants) | 1776 | ||
| Nickname | Old Dominion, Mother of States, Mother of Presidents | n/a | ||
| Seal | The Seal of Virginia. Defined as: | 1950 | ||
| Slogan | Virginia Is for Lovers | 1969[3] | ||
| 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[4] [5] |
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flower | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) | 1918[6] | ||
| Tree | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) | 1956[7] |
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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[8] | ||
| Pollinator | European honey bee (Apis mellifera) | 2024[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 |
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil | Chesapecten jeffersonius | 1993 | ||
| Rock | Nelsonite | 2016 |
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat | Chesapeake Bay deadrise | 1988 | ||
| Drink | MilkGeorge Washington's Rye Whiskey (state spirit) | 19822017 | ||
| 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 |
The flag was adopted in 1861 after secession from the United States.
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]
Pictures of Virginia license plates throughout the years can be found here.
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]