Facts and FiguresTotal Area (Rank) 10,555 sq mi (44th). Population
(Rank) 6,349,097 (13th). Capital
Boston. Ratified Constitution (Rank)
February 6, 1788 (6th).
Official
Symbols of Massachusetts Massachusetts takes its name from the
Massachusett tribe, which lived in the Great Blue
Hill region, south of present-day Boston. The
name "Massachusett" supposedly means
"at or about the Great Hill."