Michigander or Michiganian? The State Name That’s Dividing the Internet

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Article courtesy of Pens.com.

• A new study reveals which states have the most confusing demonyms, and Michigan takes fifth place, with Americans wanting to know what to call people from Illinois 1,441 times per month. 
• Massachusetts has the most confusing demonym, with 2,073 searches per month. 
• South Dakota has the least confusing demonym, recording the fewest searches for what to call residents from this state. 

A new study reveals that Michigan has the fifth-most confusing state demonym.

The study, by Pens.com, analyzed Google searches for each state’s demonym to find out which ones are the most confusing. A demonym refers to the word used to describe inhabitants of a particular place, such as a country, city, or state.

They analyzed the number of searches for terms such as ‘what are people from [state] called,’ and ‘what do you call someone from [state]’, to find which states and cities have the most confusing demonyms.

Massachusetts was found to have the most confusing demonym, with Americans searching 2,073 times per month on average for what people from the state are called.

The state’s recommended demonym according to the US Government Publishing Office (GPO) is ‘Massachusettsans.’ The Massachusetts state government also designates the state’s demonym as ‘Bay Stater.’ The state has other unofficial demonyms including Massachusettsian and Massachusite.

Utah has the second most confusing demonym, with 2,051 average searches per month across America. The state’s ‘Utahn.’ Unofficial names for residents and natives of the state include Utahian and Utahan.

The third most confusing state demonym belongs to Connecticut, with an average of 1,772 searches per month. The GPO’s recommended demonym for the state is ‘Connecticuters’, however, a common name residents choose to go by is ‘Nutmeggers.’ Other unofficial demonyms for the state include Connecticutian, Connecticuteer and the rather lengthy Connecticutensian.

Illinois has the fourth most confusing demonym, with Americans searching for what to call residents and natives of this state an average of 1,456 times monthly. According to the GPO, the state’s recommended demonym is ‘Illinoisan.’ Unofficial names for people from the state, include Illinoisian and Illinoian.

Michiganians have the fifth most confusing demonym,

with Americans searching for what to call Michigan natives an average of 1,441 times monthly. Other monikers for residents of this state include Michigander, Michiganite and Wolverine.

Maine is in sixth place, with 1,428 monthly searches for what to call Mainers, and New Jersey follows closely in seventh place, with 1,413 monthly searches for the state’s demonym, which is New Jerseyan.

Ohioans have the eighth most searched-for demonym, with 1,289 monthly average searches for what people from Ohio are called. There are 1,142 monthly searches for what to call people from Colorado, which is Coloradan.

The state with the tenth most confusing demonym is Arkansas, with 1,119 monthly average searches for what to call an Arkansan.

South Dakota was found to have the least confusing demonym, with only 40 monthly average searches for what to call South Dakotans.

America’s 10 most confusing state demonyms

 Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Pens.com said: 

“It may seem like something that everyone should know, but more often than not, basic abbreviations for areas are being confused. When this does happen, it can be pretty damning, particularly if it’s done in formal documents. If you don’t pay attention or understand which demonyms are correct, you could invalidate important documents, which could have severe consequences, personal and professional.”

Sources:

• Google Keyword Planner

• US Government Publishing office style manual (table 5.23)

• The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

Methodology:

Google Keyword Planner was used to determine the combined number of monthly searches on average over the 12 months between June 2023 and May 2024 for the following search term variations across the U.S.:

• What are people from [state] called

• What do you call someone from [state]

• What do you call people from [state]

• What do you call a person from [state]
• Person from [state] called

The combined search volume for each state’s search terms was calculated and then used to rank the locations from the highest number of average monthly searches to the lowest.

States ranked by searches for their correct demonym