Kentucky

Kentucky
Country	United States
Flag of Kentucky
Designer	Jesse Cox Burgess
Adopted	26 March 1918
Score in 2001 NAVA survey	3.16/10 (66th of 72)
Wikipedia article
Flags of the World article

The flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was adopted on March 26, 1918. The flag consists of the Commonwealth's seal on a navy blue field, surrounded by the words "Commonwealth of Kentucky" above and sprigs of goldenrod, the state flower, below.

The seal depicts a pioneer and a statesman embracing. Popular belief claims that the buckskin-clad man on the left is Daniel Boone, who was largely responsible for the exploration of Kentucky, and the man in the suit on the right is Henry Clay, Kentucky's most famous statesman. However, the official explanation is that the men represent all frontiersmen and statesmen, rather than any specific persons. The state motto: "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" circles them. The motto comes from the lyrics of "The Liberty Song", a patriotic song from the American Revolution.

In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state, and U.S. territorial flags. Kentucky's flag finished 66th out of the 72 other flags.

Proposals for a New Flag of Kentucky

Kentucky Flag Proposal by Zolntsa

KY Proposed Flag "Bezbojnicul 1"

KY Propposed Flag "Bezbojnicul 2"

KY Proposed Flag "Bezbojnicul 3"

KY Proposed Flag "xochihuehuetl"

KY Flag Proposal "Jack Expo"

KY Flag Proposal "Tibbetts"

KY Flag Proposal "Glen"

KY Flag Proposal "Jim Steele"

KY Flag Proposal "Hapsburg"

KY Flag Proposal "Lord Grattan"

KY Proposed Flag "VoronX 1"

KY Proposed Flag "VoronX 2"

KY Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"

KY Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"

KY Flag Proposal "Graphicology"

KY Flag Proposal "Bluegrass - by Usacelt"

KY Flag Proposal by Kermitdefrog

Kentucky State Flag Proposal No. 22 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 AuG 2014

KY Flag Proposal "BigRed618"

Kentucky State Flag Proposal No. 25 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 02 NOV 2014 at 1105hrs cst

Kentucky State Flag Proposal No. 29 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 03 NOV 2014 at 2337hrs cst

Kentucky State Flag Symplistic Proposal. The intertwined arrows represent the joining of the frontiersman (red) and the statesman (blue) who are shaking hands on the existing state steal. That image (illustrating the motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”) also appears on the flag. The angled lines suggest a “K.” By Ed Mitchell. 2013.

Kentucky flag proposal by Ed Mitchell, modified by Hans. Uses the black and brown from Bezbojnicul's proposal. Apr 2015. (details)

KY flag proposal by lizard-socks (source). September 2012.

Kentucky flag proposal 1 by Hans. Dec 2013. (details)

Kentucky flag proposal 2 by Hans. Based on lizard-socks' proposal. Jan 2015. (details)

Kentucky flag proposal 3 by Hans. Based on lizard-socks' proposal. Jan 2015. (details)

Kentucky flag proposal 4 by Hans. Based on lizard-socks' proposal. Jan 2015. (details)

Kentucky flag proposal 5 by Hans. Based on lizard-socks' proposal. Jan 2015. (details)

Kentucky flag proposal by Arminius13

KY flag proposal "5thEye"

Kentucky Flag Proposal by TheMaster001

KY flag proposal "Jabask"

KY flag proposal by Libervurto

Horse is version of one design that is used at the Derby. Over 15 blades of blue grass. Design by Rotten Ali.

Kentucky state flag proposed by Ken Morton. A number of users have proposed flag designs for Kansas featuring horses. Here's mine.

Kentucky flag proposal. Bluegrass green. Bourbon yellow. 15 stars for the 15th state.

"Blue Moon Flag" by SimplisticFlags. January 2019. (details)

My version of proposal by Ed Mitchell and later modified by Hans. The intertwined arrows represent the joining of the frontiersman (green) and the statesman (blue) who are shaking hands on the state steal also illustrating the motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” The star suggests the handshake and represents the state itself. White background is used in the state seal. The blue line suggests the Kentucky River; the green line suggests the bluegrass; together the angled lines suggest a “K.” Posted by Preston Knapp [1]

KY Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 1"

KY Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 2"

A modified version of my earlier design for a Kentucky state flag. (posted by Ken Morton)

Proposal for a flag for Kentucky. By Qaz Dec 2019 (details)

Proposal for a flag for Kentucky. By Qaz Dec 2019 (details)

Proposal for a flag for Kentucky. By Qaz Dec 2019 (details)

Common symbolism

Horses

Kentucky state quarter reverse

Kentucky is well-known for its horse racing; it hosts the annual Kentucky Derby, the most-visited stakes race in North America. A thoroughbred horse appears on the state's state quarter. Many proposals represent horse racing by a horse or horseshoe.

Bluegrass

Kentucky's nickname is the "Bluegrass State". This is often represented in designs by the colors blue and green, or by a teal or bluish green color.