A Baiana with her food stall in Salvador
We all know Londoner, Parisian and New Yorker. But what are the names for the citizens of other cities and states? Or, as we call them, demonyms?
Easy to make up one by adding -er or -ian (or -ois in French) to the name. But I’ve been long interested in the more obscure appellations and I’ve collected them here.
Britain
I bet even the Brits don’t know some of those names.
Bath: Bathonian
Birmingham: Brummie
Colchester: Colcestrian
Glasgow: Glaswegian
Guernsey: Sarnian
Hartlepool: Hartlepulian (with a u)
Isle of Jura: Diurach
Isle of Man: Manx
Isle of Wight: Vectian
Leeds: Loiner or the more posh-sounding Leodensian
Liverpool: Liverpudlian or Scouse
Manchester: Mancunian
Newcastle: Geordie but the correct form is Novocastrian
The Orkneys: Orcadian
Winchester: Wintonian
Yorkshire: Tyke
France
France presents us with a wonderful range of demonyms. Yes there are lots of –ien like Parisien or –ois like Auxerrois, but did you know these? (Male form only)
Aix-en-Provence: Aixois
Auvergne: Auvergnat
Béziers: Biterrois
Biarritz: Biarrot
Bordeaux: Bordelais
Brittany: Breton
Le Mans: Manceaux
Le Puy-en-Velay: Anicien
Lyon: Lyonnais
Metz: Messien
Nancy: Nancèien
Nice : Niçois
Paris: remember a Parisian is a Parisien in France
Poitiers: Poitevin
Rodez: Ruthénois
Savoy: Savoyard
St-Étienne: Stephanois
Europe
Ah, now we’re off.
Ancona: Anconitan
Antwerp: Antwerpenaar
Badajoz: Pacense
Barcelona: Barcelonés
Cádiz: Gaditano
Cork: not a Corker, but Corkonian
Cyprus: Cypriot. In fact, the inhabitant of almost every Greek island is an –iot: Mykoniot, Chiot, Corfiot, Tiniot, but Cretan, Parian, Rhodian and, of course, Lesbian.
Geneva: Genevois
Girona: Gironí, gironina
Greenland: Inuk, plural Inuit
Gruyères –Grúerien
The Hague: Hagenar
Helsinki: Stadilainen
Krakow: Krakovian
Lausanne: Lausannois
The small town of La-Tour-de-Peilz on the shores of Lake Geneva: Boéland (!)
Lisbon: Lisboeta
Lubljana- Ljubljánčan
Lviv: Leopolitan
Madrid: Madrileño
Malagae: Malagueño but also Malacitano
Monaco: Monegasque
Moscow: Muscovite
Munich: Münchner
Naples: Neapolitan or Napolitano
Oslo: Oslovian
Oviedo: Ovetense
Parma: Parmesano
Prague: Prazan in Czech, Praguer in English
Salamanca: Salmantino or Charro
San Marino: Sammarinese (with two m’s)
St Petersburg: Peterburgian or, in Russian, Piterech or Peterburzhech.
Tenerife: Tinerfeño or chicharrero
Twente: Tukker
Vatican: Here the adjective is the same as the city – Vatican. Is this unique?
Vienna: Viennese or Viennois
Warsaw: Varsovian
Zurich: Zürcher
Latin America & Caribbean
You can reach a completely new level of fun with Latin American demonyms.
Bahia: Baiano (no h).
Barbados: Bajan
Brasília: no, it’s not Brasilian, it’s Brasiliense or Candango.
Buenos Aires: Porteño
Honduras: Catracho
La Paz: Paceño
Lima: Limeño
Mexico City: Chilango
Minas Gerais: Mineiro
Monterey (Mexico): Regiomontano
Rio de Janeiro city: Carioca
Rio de Janeiro state: Fluminense
Rio Grande do Sul: Gaúcho
São Paulo city: Paulistano
São Paulo state: Paulista
Salvador (Brazil): Soteropolitano
Australasia
Australia: Australian but also Aussie
Melbourne: Melburnian (where did the ‘o’ go?)
New Zealand: New Zealander but also Kiwi
Northern Territory: Top Ender
Sydney: Sydneysider
Tasmania: Tasmanian or, as I prefer it, Taswegian
Victoria state: Gum Sucker
Western Australia: Sandgroper
North America
As you can imagine the Americans (don’t forget the term ‘Yanks’) don’t disappoint.
Connecticut: Nutmegger
Dallas: Dallasite
Hawaii: Hawaiian but also Kamaaina
Indiana: Hoosier
Los Angeles: Angeleno
Louisiana: Cajun
Massachusetts: Bay Stater
Michigan: Michigander or Yooper (Upper Peninsula only!)
New Jersey: New Jerseyite
Ohio: Buckeye
Oklahoma: Okie
Wisconsin: Sconnie
Wyoming:Wyomingite
Africa and Asia
On the whole, rather boring, except for Hong Kong, bless it. From Hong Kongese to Hong Kongolese, they’re rather fun to pronounce. Anyway, here are…
Burkina Faso: Burkinabé
Cairo: Cairene
Damascus: Damascene
Gaza: Ghazzawi
Istanbul: Istanbulu
Isfahan: Esfehooni
Kampuchea: Khmer
Madagascar: Malagasy
Manila: Manileño
Mumbai: Mumbaiker
Philippines: Filipino (with an F) or Pinoy
Tehran: Tehrooni
Tokyo: Edokko
UAE: Emirati
Zululand /kwaZulu: one Zulu, many Zulu, but the correct plural is amaZulu
Anyone have any strange demonyms for inclusion?
You can add “Melburnian” for Melbourne, Australia. Note the lack of an “o”.
Thanks. These demonyms never cease to amaze me..
Tokyo: Tokyoite/ Edokko
UAE: Emirati / Emirian
Manila: Manileño
Thank you. Will add. Impressed with Edokko!
For someone from Helsinki, I call them a “Helsinkian”!
As for the question on someone from Turku, I’d also like to know 😛
On that note:
Stockholm – Stockholmer
Copenhagen – Copenhagener
…and I have not come up with anything particularly suitable for those from Reykjavík. xD
Also, Helsinkians call themselves “stadilainen” (coming from the Helsinki slang name for the city, “Stadi”) but note that this is only used by the natives!
Thanks Anna – added Stadilainen. Love it. We really must find the demonym for Reykjavik.
Stadilainen is incorrect. It would be Helsinkiläinen in finnish.
Sorry, but stadilainen is street slang, meaning from the/any town/city. yes, it refers to Helsinki but is nothing official.
Helsinkiläinen is simply Finnish and nothing out of the order.
Tehran: Tehrooni
North Iran: Shomali
Isfahan: Esfehooni
Thanks Dave – will add Tehran and Isfahan, but need a more specific name for North Iran. I need to highlight the difference between the region name and the demonym.
Belgrade – Belgradian
Beograd – Beogradjan (some languages are keeping Belgrade in original form Beograd, it is j not i, in Serbian dj is respelled as đ)
How about Prague or Brno?
I checked and it seems to be Prazan in Czech and “Praguer” in English. But yes, Brno is a challenge 🙂
from Cádiz, Spain is Gaditano
Oh, nice one, thanks. Will add.
Another nickname for someone from Antwerp is “Sinjoor” a remnant of the Spanish occupation.
Besançon -> le Bisontin. This is French, but irregular and therefore fits into your list.
München -> Münchner is totally regular German and doesn’t belong here if not used in English?
Hamburg -> Hamburger is also regular German and the main meaning of this word in German.
Someone from Oxford is an Oxonian
People from The Isle and Royal Manor of Portland? We call ourselves Weirdos. Keep Portland weird!