Chapter 1
Ancient roots and hidden histories
Chapter 2
Cities with secret identities
Chapter 3
Regional nicknames turned official
Chapter 4
Suffix showdowns and linguistic rules
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret world of demonyms
Ch 3 · Regional nicknames turned official
schopenhauer Official Demonyms from Nicknames
Ditch Indianan / We're Hoosiers now / It's on the books!
schopenhauer 'Canuck' began as a slang term for Canadians in the 1830s before being embraced as a patriotic nickname.
schopenhauer People from Indiana are called 'Hoosiers,' but historians still debate where the word actually comes from.
BETA
schopenhauer Match local nicknames to their countries to discover the unique history of global demonyms.
Fun Fact
The Kiwi badge: The kiwi bird first appeared as a military symbol in 1886 before becoming the global nickname for New Zealanders.
Glossary
demonym (noun)
A name used to denote the inhabitants of a particular country, state, or other locality. In 2016, the United States government officially adopted the popular nickname Hoosier as Indiana's formal demonym.
A name used to denote the inhabitants of a particular country, state, or other locality. In 2016, the United States government officially adopted the popular nickname Hoosier as Indiana's formal demonym.
Quiz
Where did the nickname 'Kiwi' for New Zealanders first gain widespread international use?