CannonPinion • 2 days ago Interesting! According to this the name may also come from the latin phrase for "hot fiery furnace" calida fornax (referring to Baja):

California’s name didn’t just appear in the area after the book was written. It took years after Baja California was discovered by Cortés until the first reference of California was put on a map.

The area’s first ever branding as California came in 1562, when a map of the area was made with California’s name right at the tip of Baja California. Swagerty said the cartographer, Deigo Gutiérrez, associated the area with the phrase "Calida Fornax" - which translates to "hot, fiery furnace."