The official name of the U.S. capital is the District of Columbia, and “Washington, D.C.” pairs the name of the city with the name of the federal district that contains it. If the district is ever admitted as the 51st state, the name proposed in current statehood legislation is Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, which keeps the familiar “D.C.” initials while honoring abolitionist Frederick Douglass. That is the short answer to what Washington DC’s official name is today and what it might become.
Why the Capital Is Called the District of Columbia
The Constitution authorizes Congress to create a federal district, separate from any state, to serve as the seat of government. Article I gives Congress the power “to exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever” over a district no larger than ten miles square.1Library of Congress. Article I Section 8 Clause 17 – Enclave Clause That clause is why the capital is a district rather than a state, and why more than 700,000 residents live in a jurisdiction that looks and feels like a state but legally is not one.
Congress passed the Residence Act of 1790 to establish a permanent capital on the Potomac River, and President George Washington personally selected the exact site.2Library of Congress. Residence Act – Primary Documents in American History The city that grew up inside the district was named after him. “Columbia” was a poetic name for the country itself, derived from Christopher Columbus and widely used in the late 18th century as a symbol of the new nation. Pairing the two gave the capital a name that honored both a founding figure and the national identity.
The Organic Act of 1801 formally placed the entire district under congressional control, making it a governed territory rather than part of Maryland or Virginia.3Congress.gov. Governing the District of Columbia – Overview and Timeline The name “District of Columbia” is embedded in federal statute; it exists because Congress created it, and only Congress can change it.
How “Washington” and “the District of Columbia” Became the Same Place
For most of the 19th century, “Washington” and “the District of Columbia” referred to two related but distinct things. The City of Washington was the urban core. The County of Washington governed the surrounding rural land. Both sat inside the federal district.
The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 merged them into a single municipal government under the name “District of Columbia.”4GovInfo. 16 Stat 419 – An Act to Provide a Government for the District of Columbia After that consolidation, “Washington” and “the District of Columbia” became interchangeable in everyday use, and the entire area operated under one set of local laws. That is why “Washington, D.C.” works as a single address: the city and the district are legally the same place.
The district’s shape also shifted along the way. The original ten-mile square straddled the Potomac and included land donated by both Maryland and Virginia. In 1846, Congress authorized the return of the Virginia portion, and Virginia accepted it back the following year. Arlington and Alexandria have been part of Virginia ever since, and today’s District of Columbia sits entirely on the Maryland side of the river.
Is D.C. a State?
No. The District of Columbia is a federal district, not a state, and Congress holds ultimate authority over its laws, budget, and governance. Residents elect a mayor and a 13-member D.C. Council under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973, but Congress reserved the right to legislate on any subject affecting the district and to override local laws. The district has three electoral votes under the 23rd Amendment, ratified in 1961,5Library of Congress. U.S. Constitution – Twenty-Third Amendment and a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives, but no senators and no voting House member. That gap is the core grievance behind the statehood movement.
The Proposed State Name: Washington, Douglass Commonwealth
In 2016, district voters approved a statehood referendum by an 86 percent margin. The ballot measure ratified a proposed state constitution, drew boundaries for the new state, and set the name: Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. The change swaps “District of Columbia” for a title honoring Frederick Douglass, who spent the last 17 years of his life at Cedar Hill in the district and is among the most prominent Americans associated with the capital.6National Park Service. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
The wording is deliberate. Keeping “Washington” and the “D.C.” initials avoids the practical headaches of changing every address, license plate, and government form. Replacing “Columbia” with “Douglass Commonwealth” also sheds a word some statehood advocates view as carrying colonial connotations, while “Commonwealth” places the new state alongside Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, which use the same term in their official names.
What the Statehood Bill Would Actually Do
The Washington, D.C. Admission Act was introduced as H.R. 51 in the 119th Congress in January 2025.7Congress.gov. 119th Congress (2025-2026) – Washington, D.C. Admission Act Under the proposal, a small federal enclave containing the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, and the National Mall would remain under direct congressional control, satisfying the Constitution’s requirement for a federal seat of government. The rest of the district, where people actually live, would become the new state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, with two senators, a voting House member, and full control over local laws and budgets.
The bill has been introduced in multiple sessions of Congress but has never received a full floor vote in the Senate. Until Congress passes an admission act, the capital’s official name remains the District of Columbia.