List of demonyms for U.S. states and territories

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This is a list of official and notable unofficial terms used to designate the citizens of specific states, federal district, and territories of the United States of America.


List[edit]

State
federal district
or territory 		Official
(recommended by U.S. GPO)[1] 		Official, unofficial, or informal alternatives
 Alabama Alabamian Alabaman[2][3]
 Alaska Alaskan Russian: Аляскинский
 American Samoa American Samoan, Samoan: Amerika Samoa
 Arizona Arizonan Spanish: Arizoniano
 Arkansas Arkansan Arkansawyer,[4] Arkie[5]
 California Californian Californio (archaic)
 Colorado Coloradan Coloradoan (archaic)[6][7]
 Connecticut Connecticuter Connecticotian,[8] Connecticutensian,[8] Nutmeg,[8] Nutmegger[8]
 Delaware Delawarean Blue Hen's Chicken,[9] Muskrat[9]
 District of Columbia Washingtonian (see also nicknames of people of Washington state)
 Florida Floridian Alligator,[10] Cracker,[11] Fly-Up-the-Creek[10], Spanish: Floridano
Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia Georgian Buzzard, Cracker, Goober-grabber[12]
 Guam Guamanian, Spanish: Guameño
 Hawaii Hawaii resident Islander,[13] Kamaʻāina. The Associated Press Stylebook restricts use of "Hawaiian" to people of Native Hawaiian descent.[14]
 Idaho Idahoan Fortune Seekers[15]
 Illinois Illinoisan Illinoisian, Illinoian, Flatlander,[16] Sucker, Sand-hiller, Egyptian[17]
 Indiana Hoosier Indianan (former GPO demonym replaced by Hoosier in 2016),[1] Indianian (archaic)[18]
 Iowa Iowan Hawkeye[19]
 Kansas Kansan Sunflower, Jayhawker, Grasshopper[20]
 Kentucky Kentuckian Corncracker[21]
 Louisiana Louisianian (French: Louisianais, Spanish: Luisiano)
 Maine Mainer Down Easter or Downeaster,[22] Mainiac[23]
 Maryland Marylander
 Massachusetts Massachusettsan Bay Stater (official term used by state government),[24] Massachusettsian,[25] Massachusite,[26][27] Masshole (derogatory[28] as an exonym; however, it can be affectionate when applied as an endonym[29])
 Michigan Michiganian Michigander,[30] Wolverine,[31][32] Michiganite, Yooper/Troll (for residents of the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula, respectively),[33] Michigoose (used specifically for female residents, as a play on "Michigander")[33]
 Minnesota Minnesotan Gopher
 Mississippi Mississippian
 Missouri Missourian (French: Missourien, Spanish: Misuriano)
 Montana Montanan
 Nebraska Nebraskan Bugeaters or Cornhuskers [34]
 Nevada Nevadan
 New Hampshire New Hampshirite New Hampshireman or New Hampshirewoman[35]
 New Jersey New Jerseyan Jerseyite, New Jerseyite
 New Mexico New Mexican Spanish: Neomexicano, Neomejicano[36]
New York (state) New York New Yorker Knickerbocker[37][38]
 North Carolina North Carolinian Tar Heel, Tar Boiler,[39]
 North Dakota North Dakotan
 Northern Mariana Islands Mariana Islander, Spanish: Normariano
 Ohio Ohioan Buckeye,[40] Ohian (obsolete)[41]
 Oklahoma Oklahoman Okie,[42] Sooner[43]
 Oregon Oregonian
 Pennsylvania Pennsylvanian Pennamite,[44] Keystoner, Pennsylvania German: Pennsylfaanier
 Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Boricua[45]
 Rhode Island Rhode Islander Rhodean, Swamp Yankee[46]
 South Carolina South Carolinian Sandlapper[47]
 South Dakota South Dakotan
 Tennessee Tennessean Volunteer, Big Bender, Butternut[48]
 Texas Texan Texian (Anglo-Texan - historical),[49] Tejano (Hispano-Texan), Texican (archaic)
 Utah Utahn Utahan
 Vermont Vermonter
United States Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Virgin Islander
 Virginia Virginian
Washington (state) Washington Washingtonian
 West Virginia West Virginian
 Wisconsin Wisconsinite Badger,[50] Cheesehead[51][52]
 Wyoming Wyomingite Wyomese[53]

Map[edit]

Map of state demonyms for the United States.
Map of official demonyms as recommended by the U.S. GPO.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual. 2016. §5.23.
  2. ^ Safire, William (June 26, 1994). "On Language: Foam Fell on Alabama". The New York Times. Safire reports that after he used the word "Alabaman" in a column, he received a letter from Vic Gold that said in part, "The natives, I have learned to my sorrow, prefer Alabamian."
  3. ^ "The State of Alabama". Netstate.
  4. ^ Arkansawyer definition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on 2009-11-15.
  5. ^ "Ar•kie". Dictionary.infoplease.com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  6. ^ Writers Style Guide. Colorado State University. p. 62. Retrieved January 2, 2009. The correct name for a person from Colorado is Coloradan (not Coloradoan).
  7. ^ Quillen, Ed (March 18, 2007). "Coloradan or Coloradoan?". The Denver Post.
  8. ^ a b c d "The State of Connecticut - An Introduction to the Constitution State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  9. ^ a b "The State of Delaware - An Introduction to the First State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  10. ^ a b "The State of Florida". Netstate.
  11. ^ "'Cracker' Means Something Entirely Different In Florida: A Source Of 'Pride'". Mediaite. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  12. ^ "The State of Georgia". Netstate. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  13. ^ "The State of Hawaii - An Introduction to the Aloha State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  14. ^ Christian, Darrel; Jacobsen, Sally A.; Minthorn, David, eds. (2013). The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. New York, NY: Basic Books. p. 112. ISBN 9780465082995.
  15. ^ "The State of Idaho". Netstate.
  16. ^ Jim Fitzgerald (1987-10-06). "A Friend Escapes To Illinois . . . And Now Is A Flatlander!". ChicagoTribune.com.
  17. ^ "The State of Illinois - An Introduction to the Prairie State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  18. ^ "Indianian". Oxford Dictionaries.
  19. ^ "The State of Iowa". Netstate.com.
  20. ^ "The State of Kansas - An Introduction to the Sunflower State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  21. ^ Corncracker - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  22. ^ The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2007. New York: World Almanac Books. 2006. ISBN 978-0-88687-995-2.
  23. ^ "Mainiac". Time. June 20, 1938. (term used in reference to Maine author Kenneth Roberts)
  24. ^ "Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 2, Section 35: Designation of citizens of commonwealth". The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2008-02-29.: "Bay Staters shall be the official designation of citizens of the commonwealth."
  25. ^ Safire, William (1982-06-06). "On Language". The New York Times.
  26. ^ Collections. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society. 1877. p. 435.
  27. ^ Jones, Thomas (1879). DeLancey, Edward Floyd (ed.). History of New York During the Revolutionary War. New York: New York Historical Society. p. 465.
  28. ^ Nagy, Naomi; Irwin, Patricia (July 2010). "Boston (r): Neighbo(r)s nea(r) and fa(r)". Language Variation and Change. 22 (2): 270.
  29. ^ "'Masshole' among newest words added to Oxford English Dictionary". masslive.com. 2015-06-25. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  30. ^ "The State of Michigan - An Introduction to the Great Lakes State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  31. ^ Marckwardt, Albert H. (1952). "Wolverine and Michigander". Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review. LVIII: 203–8.
  32. ^ Sperber, Hans (February 1954). "Words and Phrases in American Politics: Michigander". American Speech. 29 (1): 21–7. doi:10.2307/453592. JSTOR 453592.
  33. ^ a b "MDE - Michigan Glossary". Michigan.gov. 2008-01-30. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  34. ^ "Football Players to Eat Corn, Not Bugs". History Nebraska. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  35. ^ "The State of New Hampshire - An Introduction to the Granite State from". Netstate.Com. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  36. ^ Neomexicano definition by Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española)
  37. ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  38. ^ New York Knicks, What's a Knickerbocker?
  39. ^ Powell, William S. (March 1982). "What's in a Name?: Why We're All Called Tar Heels". Tar Heel. Tar Heel Magazine, Inc. OCLC 005457348. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  40. ^ "The State of Ohio - An Introduction to the Buckeye State". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  41. ^ "Ohian". Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online.
  42. ^ Stewart, Roy P. (December 20, 1968). "Postal Card Proves Sooners Were 'Okies' Way Back In 1907". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 9, col. 2. Now comes Mrs. Agness Hooks of Thomas with a postal card mailed at Newcastle, Ind. in 1907, address to a Miss Agness Kirkbridge, with the salutation: 'Hello Okie — Will see you next Monday night.' Signed: Myrtle M. Pence. Mrs. Hooks says Agness Kirkbridge was an aunt of hers. The Kirkbridge family came to Oklahoma Territory in 1904 and settled south of Custer City.
  43. ^ "The State of Oklahoma - An Introduction to the Sooner State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  44. ^ "History of". Luzerne County. Archived from the original on 2013-03-27. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  45. ^ "Commonwealth of Puerto Rico". Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  46. ^ "The Providence Journal | Rhode Island breaking news, sports, politics, business, entertainment, weather and traffic - providencejournal.com - Providence Journal". Projo.com. 2012-07-17. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  47. ^ "South Carolina - Origin of the Terms Sandlapper, Sand-lapper, and Sand Lapper".
  48. ^ "The State of Tennessee - An Introduction to the Volunteer State from". Netstate.Com. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  49. ^ de la Teja, Jesus F. (1997). "The Colonization and Independence of Texas: A Tejano Perspective". In Rodriguez O., Jaime E.; Vincent, Kathryn (eds.). Myths, Misdeeds, and Misunderstandings: The Roots of Conflict in U.S.–Mexican Relations. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources Inc. p. 79. ISBN 0-8420-2662-2.
  50. ^ "Do You Want to Be a Badger?". Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
  51. ^ Kapler, Joseph, Jr. (Spring 2002). On Wisconsin Icons: When You Say 'Wisconsin', What Do You Say?. Wisconsin Historical Society. pp. 18–31. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  52. ^ Foamation: About Us. Foamation. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  53. ^ "Chicago Daily Tribune". 1903-06-02. Archived from the original on 2017-03-12. Retrieved 2017-03-09.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)

External links[edit]

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