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List of Adjectival and Demonyms for the United States

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What do you call someone from Idaho (Idahoan) or someone from New Hampshire (New Hampshirite)? What do you call someone from _______? The term for this type of word is a Demonym (also called a gentilic). This is sometimes the same as the Adjectival form of a state but not always.

For example, someone from California is a Californian; and you cheese from California, Californian cheese. In this case, the Demonym and Adjectival forms are the same.

However, this is not true for every state. Someone Maryland is known as a Marylander (Demonym form); however, crabs from Maryland are simply called Maryland crabs (Adjectival form).

In fact, not every state has an Adjectival form. In the case where there is not an appropriate adjective form, you should try to reword the sentence or simply use the state name itself as an adjective form. Notice that in English we capitalize both the Demonym and Adjectival forms of the word because they are derived from proper nouns. Many other languages such as Spanish do not capitalize demonyms.

The United States Government Publishing Office (U.S. GPO) published "preferred" demonym for each state. These are often considered the official nomenclature but many states have unofficial nicknames or informal alternatives.

Below is a complete List of adjectival and demonyms for the United States.

State	Preferred Dymonyms	Unofficial Dymonyms	Adjectival
Alabama	Alabamian	Alabaman	Alabamian
Alaska	Alaskan		Alaskan
American Samoa	American Samoan†		American Samoan
Arizona	Arizonan	Arizonian	Arizonan
Arkansas	Arkansan	Arkansawyer	Arkansan
California	Californian	Californio	Californian
Colorado	Coloradan	Coloradoan	Coloradan
Connecticut	Connecticuter	Nutmegger	‡
Delaware	Delawarean	Muskrat	Delawarean
District of Columbia	Washingtonian †	D.C.'er	Washingtonian
Florida	Floridian	Floridan	Floridian
Georgia	Georgian	Goober-grabber	Georgian
Guam	Guamanian †		Guamanian
Hawaii	Hawaiian	Islander	Hawaiian
Idaho	Idahoan		Idahoan
Illinois	Illinoisan	Illinoisian	Illinoisan
Indiana	Indianian	Hoosier	Indianian
Iowa	Iowan	Hawkeye	Iowan
Kansas	Kansan	Grasshopper	Kansan
Kentucky	Kentuckian	Corncracker	Kentuckian
Louisiana	Louisianian		Louisianian
Maine	Mainer	Mainiac	‡
Maryland	Marylander		‡
Massachusetts	Massachusettsan	Bay Stater	‡
Michigan	Michiganian	Wolverine	Michiganian
Minnesota	Minnesotan		Minnesotan
Mississippi	Mississippian		Mississippian
Missouri	Missourian		Missourian
Montana	Montanan		Montanan
Nebraska	Nebraskan	Cornhusker	Nebraskan
Nevada	Nevadan	Nevadian	Nevadan
New Hampshire	New Hampshirite	New Hampshireman or New Hampshirewoman	‡
New Jersey	New Jerseyan	New Jerseyite	New Jerseyan
New Mexico	New Mexican		New Mexican
New York	New Yorker	Knickerbocker	‡
North Carolina	North Carolinian	Tar Heel	North Carolinian
North Dakota	North Dakotan		North Dakotan
Northern Mariana Islands	Mariana Islander †		‡
Ohio	Ohioan	Buckeye	Ohioan
Oklahoma	Oklahoman	Sooner	Oklahoman
Oregon	Oregonian		Oregonian
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvanian	Pennamite	Pennsylvanian
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rican †	Boricua	Puerto Rican
Rhode Island	Rhode Islander	Rhodean	‡
South Carolina	South Carolinian		South Carolinian
South Dakota	South Dakotan		South Dakotan
Tennessee	Tennessean	Volunteer	Tennessean
Texas	Texan	Texian	Texan
Utah	Utahn		Utahn
Vermont	Vermonter		‡
Virginia	Virginian		Virginian
Virgin Islands	Virgin Islander †		‡
Washington	Washingtonian		Washingtonian
West Virginia	West Virginian		West Virginian
Wisconsin	Wisconsinite	Cheesehead	‡
Wyoming	Wyomingite		‡

† This demonym is not officially published by the U.S. GPO
‡ There is not proper Adjectival form

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