# Liverpool **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899 "2005-01-03T21:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/1 "2005-01-03T21:49:21Z")
So, watching Liverpool vs Chelsea replay last night (Bless you, Fox Sportsworld!) and my son is watching with me. Six year olds often find questions left unasked by mere mortals. So he wants to know, “Why do they call it ‘Liverpool’? Are there lots of livers lying around?” So, what is the origin of the name Liverpool? For bonus points, I’ve been wondering if all of the teams in the Premiership have nicknames and if so what they are? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/2 "2005-01-03T21:57:15Z")
As a lifelong Liverpool FC fan and only non-Liverpool-born child of a family of scousers I have to say I have absolutely no clue what the origin of the city’s name is. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/3 "2005-01-03T22:04:56Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > As a lifelong Liverpool FC fan and only non-Liverpool-born child of a family of scousers I have to say I have absolutely no clue what the origin of the city’s name is. ☹ Maybe you can tell us what a “scouser” is then (I know who it refers to, but what’s the reference)? Oh, and in the game we watched last night, which I assume occurred sometime over the weekend Liverpool got jobbed on that non-call of the hand in the box on Tioga for Chelsea! That game really should have been a draw at worst. ---
**Author:** ![Zcrysis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zcrysis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zcrysis)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/4 "2005-01-03T22:07:41Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool) says this: > [@](#): > > In 1190 it was known as ‘liuerpul’, meaning a pool or creek with muddy water. Other origins of the name have been suggest including ‘elverpool’, a reference to the large number of eels in the mersey. I suspect like most english place names, no one really knows how the places ended up named as they did. Every premier league team, and probably every league team, has a nickname. Arsenal are the Gunners Aston Villa are the Villains Birmingham are the Blues Blackburn are Rovers [may not count as nickname technically] Bolton are the Trotters Charlton are the Addicks Chelsea are The Blues [Chelski has become popular] Crystal Palace are the Eagles Everton are the Toffees Fulham are the Cottagers Liverpool are the Reds Manchester City are The Citizens [not sure about this one] Manchester Utd are the Red Devils Middlesborough are plain old Boro Newcastle are the Magpies Norwich are the Canaries Portsmouth are Pompey Southampton are the Saints Tottenham are Spurs WBA are the Baggies. How many points this all worth? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/5 "2005-01-03T22:12:06Z")
Google produces many answers, including two which seem reasonable possibilities: - From the Welsh _Ller Pwll_, ‘place on the pool’ - Old English _lifer pol_, ‘pool with muddy water’ But basically, nobody knows. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/6 "2005-01-03T22:13:10Z")
I’ve read in more than one biography of The Beatles that the city was named for the liver bird. What kind of bird that is, or how true it is, is something I don’t know, but there’s another explanation. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/7 "2005-01-03T22:18:24Z")
According to [this page](http://www.birminghamuk.com/liver.htm), the liver bird is the cormorant: > [@](#): > > The Liver Bird, the official mascot of Liverpool is a cormorant (seaweed bird) which in bygone times could often be seen flying alongside the Mersey River with seaweed in their beaks. Now, how much of that is truth and how much of that is the heavy, clinging stink of legend that surrounds so much in Britain that’s older than about 150 years I don’t know… ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/8 "2005-01-03T22:20:11Z")
I don’t know about the name of the city itself, but the bird on the Liverpool FC club badge is referred to as the Liver bird. Man City aren’t really referred to as the Citizens except in reference books–more commonly it’s the Blues (in contrast to the Reds of Man Utd). However, it’s never the Sky Blues, even though that’s the colour they play in–Coventry City are the Sky Blues but they aren’t in the Premiership at the present. Most of the others are accurate. ‘Chelski’ is really new, it’s because of Chelsea’s new Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovitch. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/9 "2005-01-03T22:21:43Z")
Oh, and **ShibbOleth** –that’d be ‘handball’. Referees aren’t very good at spotting handballs in the penalty box in general! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/10 "2005-01-03T22:27:10Z")
The Liver Bird is nonexistent. Nobody outside Liverpool takes that story seriously. Even the attempts to claim it’s another name for another bird are suspect. In short - never trust a Liverpudlian 😉 Continuing the parade of team names, I’ve had an insufficient attempt at the next level…in league order, for partisan reasons 😉 … Ipswich - Tractor Boys Wigan - ? Sunderland - ? Reading - Royals Sheffield Utd - Blades West Ham - Hammers Millwall - Lions Derby - Rams Preston - ? Crewe - Railwaymen Burnley - Clarets Stoke - Potters QPR - ? Leeds - ? Leicester - ? Watford - Hornets Plymouth - Pilgrims Brighton - Seagulls Wolves - Wolves?! Coventry - ? Cardiff - Bluebirds Gillingham - ? Notts Forest - Forest (ffffft) Rotherham - ? ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/11 "2005-01-03T22:33:26Z")
I think most of the ones you’ve missed out are dull ones, like the teams’ strip colours (Preston are the Whites IIRC. Coventry are definitely the Sky Blues). Leicester are the Foxes. Gillingham are (surprise surprise) the Gills. Sunderland are officially the Black Cats but we call them the Mackems. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/12 "2005-01-03T22:36:12Z")
That was my 900th post. Just to add: Wolves are really Wolverhampton Wanderers, but everyone calls them Wolves. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/13 "2005-01-03T22:43:30Z")
I was omitting ‘nickname = colour of strip’, because they’re boring and repetitive (how many blues are there?). I guess that frees up Birmingham and Liverpool as newly-nicknameless, and at a push Burnley and even Norwich, although that’s a bit harsh. Especially for Norwich - they’re anonymous enough as it is 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/14 "2005-01-03T22:46:32Z")
You’re not an Ipswich fan are you? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/15 "2005-01-03T22:46:41Z")
> [@bluecanary](#): > > That was my 900th post. > > Just to add: Wolves are really Wolverhampton Wanderers, but everyone calls them Wolves. Thanks for the add, I’d been wondering about that one. I recalled “Wanderers” from way back when, but lately just hear them called Wolves. For extra bonus points, what were a couple of the “team names” used in a Monty Python skit where one was something like “the East Hampton Catholic River-wideners”? I don’t recall whether or not this referred to football. Probably not, unless philosophers and Beckenbauer were involved. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/16 "2005-01-03T22:49:26Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > I was omitting ‘nickname = colour of strip’, because they’re boring and repetitive (how many blues are there?). I guess that frees up Birmingham and Liverpool as newly-nicknameless, and at a push Burnley and even Norwich, although that’s a bit harsh. Especially for Norwich - they’re anonymous enough as it is 😃 I thought Norwich were named the canaries because that City was famous for canary breeding. Nothing to do with the colour of the strip. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/17 "2005-01-03T22:53:06Z")
Please, after all the dodgy calls that went Liverpool’s way in the 80’s I am delighted to see them get jobbed as often as possible. Boot room my arse 😃 Love FSW though. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/18 "2005-01-03T23:01:14Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > I thought Norwich were named the canaries because that City was famous for canary breeding. Nothing to do with the colour of the strip. My my my…you’re right! (Thanks, Google, thanks-for-nothing 😉 )…on the other hand, they were apparently known as the Citizens until they took on those colours. So maybe that name is as predictable as ‘reds’ or ‘blues’. I’ve certainly never heard it in Manchester - normally it’s just “Cit-ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/19 "2005-01-03T23:09:11Z")
> [@Zcrysis](#): > > …Portsmouth are Pompey… Possibly worth mentioning that(I think), unlilke all(most of?) the others, ‘Pompey’ is the slang name for the city itself - I think the name has some nautical/naval origin. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899/20 "2005-01-03T23:18:51Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Maybe you can tell us what a “scouser” is then (I know who it refers to, but what’s the reference)? I have never been to Liverpool (seen it from a plane window though). That not withstanding, ‘scouse’ is a shotened form of ‘lobscouse’ - a type of stew eaten on board ship and presumably also in Liverpool (it being an important sea port). Hence a scouser is someone from Liverpool. > [@GorillaMan](#): > > QPR - ? QPR = The R’s [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool/282899.md?page=2)