From the Library of Congress

When the charter was first presented to the king, there was a blank where the name of the new colony should be. King Charles thought for a moment and then suggested that he would like to have the colony named "Mariana" in honor of the queen, Henrietta Maria.

Lord Baltimore reminded the king that "Mariana" was also the name of a Jesuit with anti-royal views.

Thinking for a moment, the king picked up a pen and wrote in the blank "Terra Mariae," the land of Mary, or Maryland for short.

Lord Baltimore had obtained two ships for the voyage. The larger ship, the Ark of London, had a cargo capacity of four hundred tons. Robert Wintour was the captain, and Richard Low was the master. The Dove of Maryland was a pinnace, only able to accommodate forty tons.