# Referring to CT and MA residents **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 22, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884 "2001-10-22T16:31:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/1 "2001-10-22T16:31:37Z")
I did a quick search of the SDMB database and came up with nothing so here goes: A person from California = Californian Ditto New York = New Yorker Ditto Cambridge = Cantabridgean (a little different than the source place, but obviously derived from it; if anyone can help me understand why the UK’s residents names vary so much from the place name itself (e.g., Manchester = Mancunian; Liverpool = Liverpudlian; Oxford = Oxonian, etc…) it would be worth extra bonus points to my main question…) anyway, what about: A person from Connecticut = ? A person from Massachusetts = ? The locals I have asked don’t know (someone offered “Connecticucian” but was far from sure; everyone wants to refer to CT’ers as “Nutmeggers” and MA’ers as “Bay Staters” or “Massholes”, which, while I found I had unearthed some latent New England tension, didn’t meet the criteria of using the place name to refer to resident. What’s the straight dope? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/2 "2001-10-22T16:40:03Z")
“Connecticuter” appears in the 1993 Webster’s International Dictionary. I have never heard anyone use it. People I know from Connecticut say “Nutmegger”. But, here’s what the U.S. Government Printing Office gives as its official list for residents of the various states Alabamian Alaskan Arizonan Arkansan Californian Coloradan Connecticuter Delawarean Floridian Georgian Hawaiian Idahoan Illinoisan Indianian Iowan Kansan Kentuckian Louisianian Mainer Marylander Massachusettsan Michiganian Minnesotan Mississippian Missourian Montanan Nebraskan Nevadan New Hampshirite New Jerseyan New Mexican New Yorker North Carolinian North Dakotan Ohioan Oklahoman Oregonian Pennsylvanian Rhode Islander South Carolinian South Dakotan Tennessean Texan Utahn Vermonter Virginian Washingtonian West Virginian Wisconsinite Wyomingite [http://www.access.gpo.gov/styleman/2000/chapter\_txt-5.html](http://www.access.gpo.gov/styleman/2000/chapter_txt-5.html) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/3 "2001-10-22T16:46:27Z")
9 minutes - very impressive, \*\* BobT\*\* - thanks. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/4 "2001-10-22T16:51:07Z")
I say “Connecticutian” and “Masshole”… or “Massachusettsian” if I’m being polite. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/5 "2001-10-22T18:15:58Z")
Very cool list, Mr. T. 🆒 Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/6 "2001-10-22T19:13:10Z")
I don’t know, “Connecticutian” and “Connecticuter” just don’t roll off the tongue. I guess I usually say I’m a Nutmegger, but even that doesn’t do it for me. Our northern neighbors are usually Bay Staters, although Masshole will do if I’m driving on 495. And New Hampshirite? When I lived there, we were known as Granite Staters. I guess I should have said that I was a native Mancunian and New Hampshirite. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![epolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/7 "2001-10-22T19:28:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*North Carolinian > South Carolinian > \*\* I always felt that these would be better as “Carolingian” Like the dynasty. ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/8 "2001-10-22T19:56:10Z")
I’m from Connecticut, and I have never used Connecticutian or Connecticuter. Come to think of it, I’ve never used any thing other than “people/person from Connecticut”. I seem to recall this debate with friends back in middle school, and we just gave up. I’ve called people from Massachusetts Massholes before, but that was only freinds. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/9 "2001-10-22T20:26:43Z")
One could go the Mark Twain route and refer to residents of Connecticut as “Yankees”. I’ve heard “Bay Stater” for Massachusetts and “Mainiac” for Maine. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/10 "2001-10-22T23:41:48Z")
People from Michigan refer to themselves as _Michiganders_ more often than _Michiganians._ As for some of the other entries: “Mainer”, “Mainite” and other such terms have, as far as I can tell, never been used by an actual resident of the 23rd state. They all call themselves _Down Easters._ As to where the heck the term “Down Easter” came from, I have no idea. “Illinoisan”? They’re _Illini,_ man. “Indianian”? Hasn’t the U.S. Government Printing Office ever heard of the term _Hoosier?_ I’ve heard both _Ohioan_ and _Buckeye_ a lot. I understand that people who live in Hawaii usually refer to themselves as _Islanders_. The term _Hawaiian_ is supposed to be reserved for people who are ethnically Hawaiian. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/11 "2001-10-23T00:04:31Z")
As a former Massachusetts resident, I can confirm that Mass residents are commonly referred to as “Bay Staters” or “Bay State Residents” For example, on the evening news, you might here somthing like "There were 3 Bay State Residents among the injured . . . " Keep in mind that in many settings, Mass residents are referred to by region - as “New Englanders.” ---
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/12 "2001-10-23T01:05:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > **"Illinoisan"? They’re _Illini,_ man.** Illini is plural, and i’ve only heard it as in reference to the U of I’s sports teams… rarely heard Illinoisan, more often “from Illinois”. it flows easier. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/13 "2001-10-23T01:51:12Z")
According to the [Massachusetts General Court](http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/2%2D35.htm), (what we call our legislature) we are called Bay Staters. To everyone else, I’m a Masshole, and damned proud of it, thankyouverymuch. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/14 "2001-10-23T02:54:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > \*\*“Mainer”, “Mainite” and other such terms have, as far as I can tell, never been used by an actual resident of the 23rd state. They all call themselves _Down Easters._ \*\* No, we don’t. When we’re being serious we call ourselves Mainers. When we’re being jocular, we call ourselves Maineiacs. People from away have an unfortunate tendency to call the whole state “Down East”, but for me the term refers only to coastal sections of the state east of Penobscot Bay, i.e., Hancock County and Washington County. Some Mainers consider Waldo County, just west of the Bay, to be part of Down East, but I don’t. An MPSIMS thread: [What are the people in your state called?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=24678) ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/15 "2001-10-23T03:26:28Z")
Can’t believe that nobody’s mentioned the Cheeseheads in Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/16 "2001-10-23T04:28:41Z")
Up here in New Hampshaa, we go by “Granite Staters” - coz we’re thickheaded and stubborn. Those poor, misguided folks down in Mass are either “Bay Staters”, “Massholes”, or “G-damn Kennedy Voters”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/17 "2001-10-23T10:32:12Z")
Well it may not roll off the tongue but if you’re listening to the news what you’ll here most of the time is “massachusetts residents.” (though lucwarm is right you do hear “bay state residents” often and “bay staters” occasionally). Casually - the cumbersome but functional “people from massachusetts.” I’ve never heard bay state residents or bay staters used casually. Charming as it is, I’ve never heard Massholes used. Obviously I don’t hang out with the right crowd. I’ve also never heard Massachusettsan used EVER. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/referring-to-ct-and-ma-residents/88884/18 "2001-10-23T12:06:51Z")
according to Vermonters you are either a Vermonter or a flatlander no matter how mountainous your state is - or so i’ve heard.