What Do You Call People From Connecticut?
Every state has a nickname for its residents. People from Texas are called Texans, people for New York are called New Yorkers, and people from Florida are called Floridians. So, what do you call people from Connecticut?
As someone who has lived in Connecticut most of my life, this is a question I get asked often by friends that live out of state. So, I did some research to get a definitive answer.
Nicknames for People that Live in the State of Connecticut
There are a few different unofficial names for someone from Connecticut. The two primary nicknames are Nutmegger and Connecitucter, but there are also some less common names as well. The nicknames for Connecticut residents aren’t very intuitive, so I’ll explain each one more in depth below.
Nutmegger
Nutmegger is the most common Connecticut nickname. I’ve never heard of someone from Connecticut refer to themselves as a Numegger, but it’s probably the best name available.
Nutmegger is derived from the state’s nickname, the Nutmeg State, which was coined after Connecticut salesmen who would go around selling nutmegs. There’s a belief that early Connecticut residents would sell wooden nutmegs, which in turn led to them being called Nutmeggers.
Connecticuters
One of the simplest solutions to the question, “what are people from Connecticut called,” is to just at an “er” at the end of the word “Connecticut.” If you did that, you would be left with the phrase “Connecticuter.” And apparently, someone did that exact thing 30 years ago.
Connecticuter comes directly from Webster’s New International Dictionary of 1993. According to the dictionary, people who are native to or are a resident of the state of Connecticut are called “Connecticuters”.
The name doesn’t roll off the tongue very easily, but it has been quoted in other publications, like the Hartford Courant. I’ve never actually heard anyone use the name in real life, but “Connecticuter” is out there.
Other Names for a Person that Lives in CT
A few other names for people that live in Connecticut are “Connecticotian” and “Connecticutian”. The term Connecticutensians seems to be of similar origins to what people from Georgia are called, which is Georgians.
The history of both of these names dates back to the 1700s. Connecticotian was first used by Cotton Mather in 1702, and Connecticutensian was first used by Samuel Peters in 1781. However, it seems like these Connecticut nicknames have been retired in modern times.
What do Connecticut residents actually call themselves?
So, what do you call someone from Connecticut? Nutmegger or Connecticutian would probably be the best answer, but I don’t recommend calling a person from Connecticut by either name.
If you were to call Connecticut residents by any of the names mentioned in this article, they would likely look confused. None of these names are actually used by people from Connecticut. People from CT generally just say, “I’m from Connecticut.”
If you want to learn more about the state of Connecticut, I recommend you check out this article exploring all of the things that Connecticut is known for.
