Oklahoma joined the Union as the 46th state on this date in 1907. Its name comes from the Choctaw words “okla,” meaning “people,” and “humma,” meaning “red.” And the state’s rich history is intertwined with that of the American Indian. As the nation grew westward, Oklahoma hosted a cattle boom, cowboys and Wild West shows, and then an oil boom. Famous Oklahomans include Will Rogers, Jim Thorpe, cowboys Gene Autry and Tom Mix, author Ralph Ellison, jazz pioneer Charlie Christian, and country music stars Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks. The 2010 Census counted 3,751,000 people in Oklahoma, ranking it 28th among the 50 states. Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.