<P> Commonwealth is a designation used by four of the 50 states of the United States in their full official state names : Kentucky ( the law creating Kentucky names it the `` State of Kentucky '' but it was originally part of the land grant of the Colony of Virginia ) , Massachusetts , Pennsylvania , and Virginia . Each was , prior to 1776 , a British colony , or parts thereof , and share a strong influence of English common law in some of their laws and institutions . </P>
how many us states are commonwealths and which states are they
Kentucky Massachusetts Pennsylvania Virginia