Ever found yourself staring at a shipping label or a government form, pen hovering, wondering if you should write "MD," "Md.," or maybe even "Mar."? It’s MD. That’s the short answer. But the abbreviation for the state of Maryland actually has a bit of a messy history that stretches back long before the Post Office decided everything needed to be two capital letters.
Maryland is a quirky place. We have the Chesapeake Bay, the best crabs on the planet, and a flag that looks like a medieval knight’s pajamas. So it makes sense that our shorthand has some layers to it. While most of us just type those two letters without thinking, there’s a whole world of style guides, postal history, and legal jargon that dictates how we shorten the name of the Old Line State.
Honesty is key here: if you use the wrong one in the wrong context, you might look a little out of touch. Whether you're a local, a researcher, or just someone trying to mail a crab cake kit to a friend, knowing the nuance is pretty helpful.
The Standard Two-Letter Postal Code
The USPS is the big boss when it comes to abbreviations. They settled on MD back in 1963. Before that, things were chaotic. The Post Office actually preferred people to write out the full state name to avoid mail ending up in the wrong bucket. Imagine a letter meant for Baltimore ending up in Mississippi because someone’s handwriting was shaky.
But as the world got faster and zip codes were introduced, we needed speed. MD became the universal standard for mail, digital forms, and basically anything involving a database. It’s always capitalized. No periods. If you put "M.D." on an envelope, the mailman might think you're sending it to a doctor.
You’ll see this version everywhere. It’s on your driver's license. It’s on your tax forms. It’s the default for every drop-down menu on a checkout screen. Basically, if you aren't writing a formal essay or a newspaper article, stick with MD.
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The Old School Way: Traditional and AP Style
Not everyone follows the Post Office. If you open a copy of the Baltimore Sun or read a high-end academic journal, you might see "Md." instead of "MD." This is the traditional abbreviation.
The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook—which is basically the Bible for journalists—used to insist on "Md." for years. They only recently changed their rules to favor the two-letter postal codes in datelines, but many editors still cling to the old way for body text. Why? Because it looks more like "writing" and less like "data."
There’s also the legal side. In some older law books or formal citations, you might even stumble across "Mar." or "Maryl." though those are pretty much extinct now. If you’re writing a formal wedding invitation or a very fancy letter to the Governor in Annapolis, "Md." still carries a bit of that classic, dignified weight. But for 99% of us, it’s just a relic.
When to use which?
It’s all about context. If you’re coding a website or shipping a package, use MD. If you are writing a formal bibliography for a history paper on the War of 1812, you might use Md. according to certain style guides like the Chicago Manual of Style.
Actually, the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) used to prefer the traditional abbreviations but has moved toward the USPS two-letter codes in recent editions to keep things simple. It’s a sign of the times. Speed wins.
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Why Maryland’s Abbreviation is Occasionally Confusing
Believe it or not, Maryland gets mixed up with other states more than you’d expect. Newbies often get it tangled with Massachusetts (MA), Maine (ME), or even Missouri (MO) and Mississippi (MS).
Maryland is the only one that starts with "M" and ends with "D" in its full name—M-a-r-y-l-a-n-d. That’s why MD is actually one of the most logical abbreviations in the bunch. Unlike "PA" for Pennsylvania (which uses the first and last letters) or "AK" for Alaska (which... well, who knows), Maryland’s abbreviation follows a very clear "first letter, last letter" logic.
Still, I’ve seen people use "MA" for Maryland. Don't do that. That’s for the folks up in Boston. Use the wrong one and your package is going to the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon line.
Beyond the Letters: The Nicknames
Sometimes an abbreviation isn't enough to capture the vibe of a place. People in the DMV (the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area) use "MD" as a badge of honor. But we also have "The Old Line State" and "The Free State."
The "Old Line" nickname supposedly comes from George Washington himself, praising the Maryland Line troops during the Revolutionary War. "The Free State" came about during Prohibition when Maryland basically told the federal government it didn't want to enforce the ban on alcohol. We’ve always been a little rebellious.
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When you see "MD" on a bumper sticker next to a silhouette of a blue crab, you aren't just looking at a postal code. You're looking at a whole culture.
Digital and Modern Usage
In the world of social media and SEO, abbreviations are king. On X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, people often use #MD or #Maryland interchangeably. But from a technical standpoint, if you're setting up a business listing or an address in a Google My Business profile, you have to use the official USPS MD.
Search engines are smart, but they like consistency. If you’re a business owner in Silver Spring or Bethesda, ensuring your address consistently uses the MD abbreviation helps Google’s "crawlers" understand exactly where you are located. It’s a tiny detail that actually affects how you show up in local search results.
Common Mistakes People Make
- Adding a period to the postal code: Never write "M.D." for the state. That’s a medical degree.
- Mixing up MA and MD: Again, Massachusetts is MA. Maryland is MD.
- Lowercase: While "md" might work in a casual text to your mom, it should always be uppercase in any official capacity.
- Using MS: That’s Mississippi. They have more mosquitoes and less Old Bay.
Actionable Steps for Using the Maryland Abbreviation
To make sure you're always using the right version of the abbreviation for the state of Maryland, follow these quick rules of thumb:
- Shipping and Mailing: Always use MD. No exceptions. The machines at the sorting facility prefer it.
- Formal Writing/Journalism: Check your specific style guide. If it’s AP or Chicago, you might still use Md. in specific contexts, but MD is becoming the default even there.
- Data Entry: If a form asks for a state code, it's always the two-letter MD.
- Legal Documents: Usually, the full name "Maryland" is preferred, but "Md." is the standard for traditional legal citations (like the Bluebook).
If you are ever in doubt, just write the whole name out. Maryland is only eight letters long. It’s not like you’re trying to spell Massachusetts or Mississippi. But if you need to be brief, MD is your best friend. It’s clean, it’s official, and it’s the only way to make sure your mail actually finds its way to the land of pleasant living.
For anyone managing digital records or physical mail, auditing your address lists to ensure you haven't accidentally used "MA" or "MS" for your Maryland contacts is a smart move to prevent delivery failures. Double-check your auto-fill settings in your browser too; sometimes they save the wrong state code after a long night of online shopping.