29 States with Weird Nicknames for their Residents - mental_floss List Show Ep. 512
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- A weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information. This week, John shares some of the bizarre nicknames states have for their residents!
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Sad Massachusetts was listed as bay staters instead of Massholes
Because that's what people from the other New England states call them.
i agree, maybe once or twice have i heard bay staters.... but i think on a daily basis i hear/say masshole...
Emma Killion they also left out New Hamp-shits and Maine-iacs for New Hampshire and Maine.
MASSHOLE 4 LIFE
Japanese Businessman wait, is new hampshits a thing? I'm from NH, I've never heard that.
in michigan people from the UP refer to people who live in the lower half of the state as trolls because they live south of the Mackinaw Bridge, or under the bridge
While people who live in the lower half of Michigan refer to ourselves as Michiganders, although I don't know if people from the UP are also considered Michiganders or not.
I've always understood Michigander to be state-wide, not peninsula-specific like Yooper/Troll.
Moon Blossom they're secretly a hidden Canadian research project used to track data on the average American, and we trolls must stop them!
It's been an increasingly common minority usage in recent decades to hear "Michiganians" than "Michiganders". "Michiganders" always sounded kind of gross to me, so I like the alternative. I'm not a big fan of geese.
I prefer Michiganian, I too have always disliked Michigander. Sure, Michiganian is maybe a bit boring, but Michigander is just odd.
Pfft, whatever. Everyone knows that people from Idaho are called Potatoes.
don't make fun of people from Idaho! They'll know! they have eye's everywhere...
0:05 - Delaware
0:34 - Arizona
0:43 - Indiana
1:07 - Arkansas
1:23 - California
1:35 - North Carolina
2:10 - Ohio
2:41 - Kansas
3:00 - Oklahoma
3:16 - Connecticut
3:30 - Florida
3:38 - Georgia
3:52 - Alaska
4:10 - Wisconsin
4:16 - Idaho
4:30 - Illinois
4:56 - Hawaii
5:05 - Iowa
5:31 - Maine
5:44 - Michigan
5:53 - Maryland
6:13 - Massachusetts
6:21 - Tennessee
6:29 - New York
6:48 - Missouri
7:01 - Pennsylvania
7:13 - Rhode Island
7:30 - South Carolina
7:51 - Wyoming
zennypai you forgot Wyoming... :(
Alright no Texas... I'm out
You and me both!
Thanks, I was looking for Oklahoma
Surprised Cornhuskers didn't make the list for nebraska!
My mom is from Nebraska and she's a proud Cornhusker. After visiting Nebraska I can vouch for the appropriateness of the nickname.
That's not a weird name
Or Bugeaters for that matter
Bugeaters was the one I was expecting.
Joel Wilken GO HOOSIERS!!
I grew up in Indiana and my dad told me that in the old days, they'd go around asking "Hoosier mama? Hoosier daddy?" lol.
that's funny. sounds like a down home type of saying. i heard my grandparents talking with family friends one time on a sunday, about ancestry,. i was just a kid. a day or two later i asked my granma.." nanaw, what are?" she said, "honey, we're mostly tom-cat." of course i didn't get it till much later. i still get a chuckle when i think of that.
JenaCurrie Go Hoosiers!!
People from Maine are also referred to as Maniacs
Theresa Jacobs - my ex is proof of that. 😱
as far as i knew, the arkansas story was true about oklahomans. i have never heard of arkies, but okies were oklahoma transplants who worked as migrant farmers in california and it became a pejorative term but has since been reclaimed. see also: the song "okie from muskogee", with muskogee being a town about an hour east of tulsa.
I was just going to post that as well. Most settled down for good in the Central Valley of California, tho they had a profound impact on our language, so in some linguistic circles the accent of most of Southern California is called a "Sokie" accent.
Similar to Cheese Head, Yankee comes from the dutch insult Jan Kees, literally John Cheese, meaning a simpleton.
And as a Bay-Stater, the most common nickname for us that i hear is Masshole.
EmperorEva0001 Sorry, but Kees isn't the Dutch word for cheese, that's kaas. Kees is just a common first name in the Netherlands.
And as someone from the Netherlands I have to add that cheesehead is not an insult in my opinion ;)
My mistake. "The chosen name Jan Kees may have been partly inspired by a dialectal rendition of Jan Kaas ("John Cheese"), the generic nickname that Southern Dutch used for Dutch people living in the North." -excerpt from Wikipedia "Origins and history of the word [Yankee]"
Cheese Head might be a Dutch insult, but speaking as a life-long Wisconsinite, the origin of the name as it pertains to my state had nothing to do with Dutch or Dutch people. Wisconsin has been the Dairy State for a long time, and people from other states (I've always heard it was Illinois) started calling is Cheeseheads as an insult (but, again, nothing to do with Dutch people). Then someone carved a cheese-shaped hat out of a couch cushion, people started enjoying the nickname, and the rest is history.
beats the shit out of headcheese
@Jill H. also Illinois are called suckers because they come to Wisconsin an spend all their money, SUCKERS
And now, because of this video, Pike County will again be the only thing outsiders know about Missouri. And the arch. Why are we so neglected? :) ha
Andie F I will have you know that I am one of those outsiders, and I know another place in Missouri: Ft. Lost In The Woods. As expected, it's a shit hole the likes of which are few and far between.
That nickname is not very accurate actually. The most accepted/used/known nickname for Missourians is Bushwackers, it comes from the rebel fighters that battled the Kansas Jayhawkers (Jayhawk for non native born, Jayhawkers for those born in state)...yup, I'm a Jayhawker, now in Missouri but will never be a Bushwacker! My husband is a Bushwacker though, as are our kids!
But, strangely Missouri is actually well known for the Ozark region and the tourist area of Branson, as well as the sports teams on each side of the state! I hate that I know so much of this state...lol... I still know more of my home state though, because I'm obviously a nerd!!!
@@denaturner8871 I'm from Kansas City though. Does that make me a Bushwaker Jayhawk. (We got a basketball team called the Jayhawks)
@@quincy9908 well, you KNOW there is a difference between the two KCs... as evidenced by how PISSED OFF KCMO people get when someone refers to the Cheifs or Royals as a "Kansas Team"...lmao!!!
But to answer your question clearly: if you're from Wyandotte you are a Jayhawk, if you're from KCMO you are a Bushwacker. If you are from one side of the stateline but moved across to the other side, you typically would be called by which ever state you reside in... but not me, because Fuck Dat!! Or I guess you could blend the two and come up with a hybrid name... like a "shipname". lol
Describing Sooners as "overly eager" and "getting early access" is a very nice way of saying they were cheating 😅
Lower Peninsula Michiganders are called Trolls because we live under the bridge.
I'm surprised and kinda disappointed that you also didn't bring up "trolls" for MI as well. It refers to people from the lower peninsula since we live "below the bridge".
I like to call people from Oregon Oreganos, instead of Oregonians. Most get upset for some reason. It's such a nice herb.
greenxraven I like to call them "use your effing blinker jerk!"
Aunt Manda That's what people from Montana are called. They don't even know what a blinker is!
I've lived in Oregon my whole life. My parents moved here in the 90's. My mom calls us "Orgonskis." I do not appreciate that.
I like to call people from Portland "Libtards"
I adore oregano, but still prefer Oregonians. I think because it has more syllables in conjunction, as opposed to Oreganos.
As someone from Florida I can say that the proper name for people from our state is Crazy
I've never heard of Arkies. I always heard of the migrants as Okies, like in The Grapes of Wrath.
Great job pronouncing the Hawaiian words for "resident" and "newcomer"! Your Hawaiian has improved greatly, John :-)
I've lived in DE all my life and I've never heard us called Muskrats and I've never heard anyone give a damn whether we're eating them or not.
What about Cake Eaters from Edina, MN?
David Rynda woohoo Minnesota!
David Rynda we all know why it's called Edina "Every Day I Need Attention"
Yet no one talks about their rival, Eden Prairie
I clicked on this video hoping to see cake eaters mentioned. You just saved me 8 minutes, thanks!
Lol, I was just explaining what a cake-eater is to my 8 yo nephew after his hockey practice today. he lives in ep, and the practice was at a rink in Edina... I thought about that as soon as I clicked the video.
People from Durango, Colorado refer to themselves as "Durangotangs".
Billy Trespassers lol I thought that was just my best friend who did that (he's from Durango)
John roasting the other "I" states made my day
I write for The Hawk Eye. This made my life.
WHAT A VEXILLOLOGICAL NIGHTMARE, MY GOODNESS
I'm not upset the Minnesotan's have a boring nick name. I'm just happy someone knows we exist!
Kristopher Bruns mud ducks
Sominboy27 Lake lurks maybe?
Kristopher Bruns same, bro. Same.
I heard the Tar Heel nickname came to be because during the revolutionary war some general commented that the soldiers from North Carolina held their ground like they had tar stuck to the heels of their boots, although this may be a local tale.
Omg John that one hair standing up.
As a native of Wyoming, I have to say that most things in the state are just interesting enough. Thanks for the mention.
Wyomingite, btw, melts at around 2300 degrees F into a beautiful opaque green glass.
Also, I'm from the area mentioned in the video.
I much prefer "Oklahomie" to "Sooner" honestly.
I have lived in Missouri all my life and have never hear of this.
Proud nutmegger
Me too
John Green is still doing mental floss? That's impressive!
Just a heads up; I checked the mean elevation for Iowa (I was born in Davenport) and the mean elevation of Indiana, Iowa is not flatter, Indiana is. That said, there are some places in both states that have very hilly terrain.
A friend of mine and his dad once determined that people from Montana should be called Montanoes.
The "Tar Heel" story I was raised with (I am not from there for full disclosure) was that the hill folk who were notoriously poor would make a shoe like covering on their heels by covering them with hot tar and fabric scraps. This covering was not removable so it was obvious to all who saw them.
As for the Sourdough name for Alaskans (I am from Alaska) there is a little more too it than what was described in the video, the sourdough starters were not just slept with, they were often kept in a leather bag around the neck so it would be warm at all times. Gold Rush miners didn't have heated homes, just tents most of the time, so it couldn't be left behind during the work day. This makes anyone who does this smell like the starter all the time as well. So it was more than just the name that stuck....
The modern take on the Sourdough moniker is explained thusly: Sour about being in Alaska and doesn't have the Dough to leave.
Michiganders living in the lower peninsula are called "trolls" since they're under the Mackinac bridge! 😄
I'm pretty sure Narragansett Bay is in Rhode Island but that's cool, just takin shit from the little guy I see
Yeah, that one sounded wrong to me as well. Mass. might have some claim to Mt. Hope Bay but not Narragansett
As someone from Massachusetts I say road island is in fact Massachusetts
@@damnedforyoursins3459 Mass tried to steal RI but they failed. Two groups went to England and received a charter, one group was from Providence and the other from Aquidneck (at that time thought to be the island Dutch explorer Block thought looked like the Island of Rhodes which was actually Block Island) called Rhode Island which is why the name of the state is 'The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations'.
I'm a lifelong Tennessean, and I have NEVER heard of Butternuts .... Weird!
As a native of Maryland and a Roman Catholic, I have never heard the term "Craw-thumper." The Terrapin is an awesome mascot. His name is Testudo and he is a Diamond Back Terrapin and also a native of this state, though his religious affiliation is unknown. The U of M's student newspaper is called "The Diamondback."
"Fear the Turtle!"
I grew up in TN and now live in IL. I've never heard of either of those nicknames.
You for got my state, Nebraska! We're called "bug-eaters", or at least we were. I was always told it's because the first Nebraskians were really hardy and reliant on the land when compared to other states at the time. Not sure if that's a fact, though! I just know it's a really dumb nickname
as someone who lived in Maryland for 24 years, I have never heard crawthumper.
Minnesota here. Just as an FYI, the University of Minnesota's mascot is a "Golden Gopher". Wisconsinites call us Mud-ducks due to the 11k+ lakes and they ALL have muddy shores.
Don't forget we're the Land of 10, 000 Lakes. **The 1968 state survey found 15,291 lake basins, of which 3,257 were dry. If all basins over 2.5 acres were counted, Minnesota would have 21,871 lakes. Yep, MN has more than twice the amount of lakes that we advertise. **
** Comments obtained from Wikipedia search. May be paraphrased. **
People from Nova Scotia, Canada are called Bluenosers refer to a ship that won the Americas Cup. Residents from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada are called Besties, once an insult is now embraced as symbol of the province's pride
I am a fellow Hoosier, and I have never cared where it came from, I just like it. I grew up about 10 miles from Bloomington, so GO HOOSIERS! ;P
I'm 5th generation Missourian, and I've NEVER heard the term Piker even when I lived in a county adjacent to Pike County.
One of my favorite stories about how Hoosier came about was because of fighting. So, some say it was a bar fight or just a general fight, but people looked at the ground and saw severed body parts, then they yelled out "whose ear."
In the lower peninsula of Michigan, we're called Trolls because we live south/under the Mackinac Bridge. ♡
Born and raised in TN for 25 years and I have NEVER heard the term "Butternuts" besides as a vegetable, flavor or candy.
Cheesehead started in 1987, during the Brewers 13 game winning streak. People started wearing couch foam shaped like cheese on their head to celebrate.
As soon as I saw this video I immediately knew my state (Indiana) would be on it. And we do not say “Hoosier” when someone knocks on the door... never heard of that in my life!
I'm a McNutt-megger!!!!!!
HELL IN A SHELL! We have an awesome mascot!
I'm so glad they had Maine on here, but I find it funny that they went with Downeaster instead of Maniac. This started as an offensive term that we sort of adopted, probably given to us by the Massholes
For Michigan, anyone who lives in the UP are called Yoopers. Anyone who lives in the lower peninsula is called a "trolls" because we live underneath the bridge. (There is a bridge called the mackinaw bridge that connects the upper and lower peninsula together). And anyone who is a tourist and comes to northern Michigan for the scenery in the summer, is known as a Fudgie. We have a lot of fudge shops in northern Michigan.
Cheese Head might be a Dutch insult, but speaking as a life-long Wisconsinite, the origin of the name as it pertains to my state had nothing to do with Dutch or Dutch people. Wisconsin has been the Dairy State for a long time, and people from other states (I've always heard it was Illinois) started calling us Cheeseheads as an insult (but, again, nothing to do with Dutch people). Then someone carved a cheese-shaped hat out of a couch cushion, people started enjoying the nickname, and the rest is history.
i knew georgia would have something to do with goobers. hahaha
Us Hoosiers are proud of our nickname.. and the Basketball team that carries it.
As a Marylander I find your remarks regarding the Terrapins offensive
Will Mumford and he says Maryland funny.
Mispronouncing words is his "thing" - he usually announces it anytime he makes a blatant error.
pyrotheevilplatypus he didn't mispronounce it, he in fact said it correctly... which is weird to hear because marylanders don't.
William Eversberg then why'd you say he said it funny?
pyrotheevilplatypus cause here it's said more like Merlin or mareland
Hey, John. You forgot Bugeaters for Nebraskans. Not that common today, but was back in the 19th century. Cornhusker is the modern replacement. Cheers.
WHAT! THE TERRAPIN IS A WONDERFUL MASCOT!
Very interesting! As from where I live in Perth Western Australia - we're called Sandgropers! It is very sandy in some parts which makes it hard to grow crops . But I think the nickname comes from the insect found here.
People in the Inland Empire (east of the Cascade Mountains) in Washington sometimes refer to those in the west as "Coasties." I've actually heard this one used in conversation, though not for a couple decades.
People from Nebraska are called Cornhuskers... kinda missed that one :)
also from Michigan! anyone who lives in the lower peninsula is called a troll because we live "under the bridge" (Mackinac Bridge)
I've been in Ga for 20+ years and have never heard nor been called a gobber grabber
when i lived in arizona, my friends and i refered to ourselves as" sun sponges " and make fun of the all the "snow birds."
Ummm... Fun video and I never miss one, but "butternut" in the SE states refers to a specific tree and its delicious nut. Butternuts are now threatened by the butternut canker. The uniforms you cited were made of fabric dyed by the husks of butternuts (which were once commonly used in the Southern textile industry). Love you guys
Sourdoughs are only Alaskans who have been there a while. Newbies are cheechakos.
In Cornwall, non-Cornishmen are referred to as emmets. This comes from the Cornish word for ant, as tourists tend to come down in large numbers during the summer. This led to a comedian making road signs for the fictitious Porthemmet Beach; as popular destinations are Portreath, Porthtowan and St. Ives (Porth Ia) beaches.
In Australia; South Australians are Croweaters, Western Australians are Sandgropers, Queenslanders are often Banana Benders.
Proud Terrapin here. What's terrible about a snapping turtle with spikes all over it?
I've lived in some of those states but I have never ever heard of those nicknames
I loved hearing all the names for Arkansans. My home town there races turtles on the first saturday of October . I think small town / unique state festivals would be a cool video. Keep up the good work!
COOL FUN FACT: Abraham Lincoln was from Illinois and is referred to in SEVERAL PIECES OF ACADEMIC LITERATURE as "the Tall Sucker"
As an Illinoisian I must sadly concede your accuracy.
"We have a rivalry with the other "I" states"
This Iowan says ... challenge accepted. ;)
Great video, bud.
Darin Conard Iwegian
Should have included some international ones. Crow Eater (South Australia) and Banana Bender (Queensland) are pretty amusing nicknames!
Thumbs up if you're a Wyomingite and proud!
venustas9 ayyy!
I have lived in Illinois my entire life. My family has been here for over 130 years. No one I know of has ever heard the name suckers for people from Illinois. We've heard flatlanders, or more recently FIBS, LOL! The cheeseheads call us FIBS.. Friendly Illinois Buddies... 😉
This Suburban Mom "Friendly Illinois Buddies" !?! Thank you for making this Cheesehead LOL.
I've lived in Arizona for fifty years and have never heard the term "Sand Cutter". I have heard us referred to as "Zonies", usually by folks from San Diego, California. Also, lots of us call ourselves "Desert Rats" and, of course "Sun Devils".
Residents of Michigan's lower peninsula are called "trolls," because we live below the bridge.
In Maine, we also call our train the Down Easter
Another Michigan nickname: People who live in the lower peninsula (like myself) are sometimes referred to as Trolls, because we live south of, or "under," the Mackinac Bridge.
Also in Michigan, tourists who go "up north" (the northern part of the Lower Peninsula) are sometimes referred to as Fudgies because there is a lot of fudge made, and therefore bought by tourists, up there.
As a Marylander, I much prefer the terrapin as a mascot for UMD over the 'crawthumper'.
I'm from Michigan, and I'm glad you included upers. Did you know lots of upers refer to people from the lower peninsula as "trolls" since we live "under" the bridge (Mackinaw)?
surprised you didn't have Zonies for Arizona. Growing up in San Diego every summer the Zonies would flock to southern California beaches with their maroon license plates with the white cactus in the middle.
As a Texans, I'm ashamed that there is no other more interesting word for people of my state
Maine only uses Down Easter for a specific region which lies on the coast roughly between the Penobscot River and the border, including rural Hancock and Washington counties and the towns of Bar Harbor, Machias, Jonesport, and Eastport.
The rest of Maine and also the Downeasters are also called Mainiacs and Mainahs. Though the proper term is Mainer.
I was once told that a Hoosier was a Kentuckian that ran out of money trying to get to Michigan
I have lived in St. Louis, MO my entire life and i've literally never heard of pikers.
I'm from Illinois, and I've never heard us being called suckers before.
Every Okie who went to OSU instead of OU is cursing you out right now. Then wrapping it all up with a nice "bless your heart"
This kama‘aina definitely only watched this video to see if he would mention kama‘aina. And he did! :D
Nebraskans call themselves Corhuskers after the football team and the state is nicknamed the Cornhusker State. Though what might be more interesting is that we used to be the Bee-eaters.
You missed "Bellinghampster", for people from the many Bellingham's (We have one in WA).
Fun fact: New Mexicans don't have a nickname but if you're from its largest city Albuquerque, you're referred to as a "Burqueño"
minnesotan, you mentioned us even though you said you didn't want to, hahaha.
My momma was a Troll. My daddy was a Yooper...I'm a Trooper.
people from NYC usually say New Yawkus
and we usually don't realize our accent until heading out of the southern part of the state....
usually depending on where you grew up it's one of 4 things, bronx brooklyn Staten island(which is watered down jersey) and Long island type accent