Natives of U.S. States

What do you call a resident of the State of Michigan? Why, a Michiganian, of course!

The U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual lists the proper designation for natives of the fifty states in the United States.

For six states, the suffix –er is attached to the state’s name:

  • Connecticuter
  • Mainer
  • Marylander
  • New Yorker
  • Rhode Islander
  • Vermonter

For three states, the designation ends in -ite:

  • New Hampshirite
  • Wisconsinite
  • Wyomingite

All others end in –n. Examples include:

  • Coloradan
  • Indianian
  • Louisianian
  • Massachusettsan
  • Ohioan
  • Utahn

Inhabitants of other places around the globe have some interesting names, among them:

Glasgow: Glaswegian

Liverpool: Liverpudlian in common parlance (but Liverpolitan may make a comeback) See: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/official-name-liverpudlians-revealed-its-13496631

Johannesburg: Johannesburgers

Residents of a town in Austria are Fuckingers, and I don’t even want to think about how to refer to the locals in Muckanaghederdauhaulia, Ireland! (I do, however, want to know what the good townspeople of Humpty Doo, Australia call themselves. (Humpty Doodles? Anyone?)

Reference:

GPO Style Manual, 5.23.

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008/html/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008-7.htm
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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