Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?

Subject: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: Mr Red
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 07:12 AM

Came across the word hoosier on a COVID video. viz "native of Indiana" can anyone come up with any more obscure names for state natives?

The UK has a few - Yamyam is a native of the Black Country - (near Birmingham but 1 million miles distant - culturally - from Brummies)
plus Makem similarly near but culturally distinct from the more familiar Geordie. Newcastle built ships, but Sunderland "made" them (fitted them oot).

There are plenty of obvious ones like Bristolian, Lancastrian, even Mancunian. I am looking for names that are not immediately obvious from the name of the locale..............

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 08:36 AM

I believe Nova Scotians are referred to as, Blue noses.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: cnd
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 09:25 AM

The US has a bunch. I'm actually kind of surprised, Hoosier isn't all that obscure here (the University of Indiana even uses it as their nickname). Then again, I've never heard of almost any of the ones you listed, so it could just be familiarity.

Stateside, almost any state nickname can be applied to their denizens. For example, North Carolinians are Tar Heels (much to the chagrin of any NC State University fans, whose rival college is called the Tarheels), Kansans are Jayhawks, Marylanders are Old Liners, Nebraskans are Cornhuskers, etc. Some of them aren't used much or aren't as applicable, but those are some of the ones I've heard.

An old one that I'm fond of that you don't hear much anymore is "sand-lappers" to refer to South Carolinians. Though it technically refers principally to those along the east coast of the state, I've seen and heard it used many times to refer to the whole state. The term comes from the lowland practice of eating sand or mud (geophagia) for cultural/nutritional regions. This was done only by the poorest people of the South, which tracked with common stereotypes about SC.

Keeping in my area of expertise (the Southeast), North Carolina has two older ones I've read about but never heard in person. People from the eastern part of the state (especially the tidewater and lowland regions) used to be called "Tuckos" which comes from the word Tuckahoe, and people from the western part of the state were called "Cohees." Tucko itself is primarily associated with tidewater Virginians; how they took the name isn't exactly clear, but the name comes from an Indian word for a type of edible root. Cohee came from the western settlers saying "quoth he" quickly, which tended to sound like "quo he" to the untrained ear.

Similarly, any person from the mountain south was called a highlander and anyone from the coasts, especially the plantation areas, was a lowlander.

The origin of Tar Heels for North Carolina is widely disputed, but is related to another now-obscure name for Virginians in at least one story. The exact battle depends on which story you've heard, but some time during the Civil War men from both states were defending a line when the Virginians laid down and hid while the North Carolinians were forced to hold the line. Thus, North Carolinians were called Tar Heels (for the way they held their spot) and Virginians were called Sorebacks.

I'll see if I can think of some more good ones.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: Mr Red
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 09:48 AM

Geophagia - I have heard of pregnant women eating chalk, when schoolroom chalks were calcium carbonate, and not the modern gypsum. Which is logical since fetuses take calcium from the mother, so adding it to the diet is beneficial.

I've heard of angelinos from Los Angeles - or should that be angelini if they are all female?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: The Og
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 10:13 AM

Sooners...the name given to settlers who entered the Unassigned Lands in what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Land Rush of 1889.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 11:18 AM

Missourians were referred to as Pukes, once upon a time.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: Lighter
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 01:08 PM

American (NYC) (Aug. 19, 1834):

"A writer in the Illinois Pioneer says; that, the following nick-names have been adopted to distinguish the citizens of the following states:-

...Kentucky...Corn-Crackers

Ohio...Buckeyes,

Indiana...Hoosiers,

Illinois...Suckers

Missouri...Pukes,

Michigan, T[erritory]...Woolverines [sic].

The Yankees are called Eels."

Carlisle [Pa.] Weekly Herald (Nov. 11, 1835): "of Kentucky, Red Horses; of Tennessee, Mudheads; ...Virginians, Corn Crackers."

Northern Pennsylvanian (Carbondale) (Nov. 11, 1837): "...Yankees, Flat Heads, Wolfereens [sic], Buck Skins, Herring Bones."

Southern Patriot (Charleston) (July 31, 1843): "Arkansas, Tooth Pickers."

Guardian (London, Eng.) (Aug. 21, 1844): "Iowa, Hawk-eyes,...Wisconsin, Badgers."

Cecil Whig (Elkton, Md.) (June 14, 1845):

"Maine, Foxes; New Hampshire, Granite Boys; Massachusetts, Bay Staters; Vermont, Green Mountain Boys; Rhode Island, Gun Flints; Connecticut, Wooden Nutmegs; New York, Knickerbockers; New Jersey, Clam-catchers; Pennsylvania, Leatherheads; Delaware, Musk-rats; Maryland, Craw-thumpers; Virginia, Beagles; North Carlina, Tar Boilers; South Carolina, Weasels; Georgia, Buzzards; Louisiana, Cre-Owls; Alabama, Lizards; Kentucky, Corn-crackers; Tennessee, Cotton-manies [sic]; Ohio, Buckeyes; Indiana, Hoosiers; Illinois, Suckers; Missouri, Pewks; Mississippi, Tadpoles; Arkansas, Gophers; Michigan, Wolverines; Florida, Fly-up-the-Creeks; Wisconsin, Badgers; Iowa, Hawkeyes; N.W. Territory, Prairie Dogs; Oregon, Hard Cases."

North Carolina Argus (Apr. 30, 1863): We, as 'tar heels,' came into this work...asking no questions."

Stroudsburg [Pa.] Jeffersonian (Sept. 14, 1865): "...Delaware, Blue Hen's Chickens. ...Louisiana, Pelicans. ...California, Gold Hunters....Nevada, Sage Hens. Kansas, Jayhawkers. Minnesota, Gophers; Texas, Beef Heads. Nebraska, Bug Eaters."

Most of those are long obsolete and may never have been common. The following are still well known, but most often applied to state-university football teams and their fans:

Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, Jayhawks [sic], Tarheels, Hoosiers, Badgers, Wolverines.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: Mr Red
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 06:30 PM

One alleged derivation of Hoosier from Wiki:

In 1833 the Pittsburgh Statesman said the term had been in use for "some time past" and suggested it originated from census workers calling "Who's here?"

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: GerryM
Date: 16 Sep 21 - 09:53 PM

We have a few in Australia, although I don't know how many are in common circulation.

Residents of New South Wales are Cornstalks.
Cornstalks refer to residents of Victorians as Mexicans (because they are south of the New South Wales border).
Residents of Western Australia are Sandgropers.
Residents of Queensland are Banana Benders.
Residents of South Australia are Crow-eaters.
Residents of Tasmania are Apple Islanders.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Hoosier- other names for locals of....?
From: JennieG
Date: 17 Sep 21 - 02:47 AM

GerryM - Victorian have also been referred to as "gum suckers" apparently from the habit of sucking gum from some species of wattle. Composer Percy Grainger wrote "Gum-Suckers March"; as he hailed from Melbourne he may have known the name.

Residents of the Northern Territory are Top Enders.

I remember my Posh Melbourne Grandmother referring to Tasmanians as Taswegians, although I don't think that's used much these days.