# Unusual genitive place names **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 12, 1999, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380 "1999-08-12T21:24:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 1999, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/1 "1999-08-12T21:24:00Z")
How many are there? Oxford - Oxonian Cambridge - Cantabrigian Halifax - Haligonian Liverpool - Liverpudlian Monaco - Monegasque Luxembourg - Luxembourgeois ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 1999, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/2 "1999-08-12T21:49:00Z")
Glasgow–Glaswegian Madrid–(in Spanish)Madrileno (with the tilde on the “n”) Germania–(in Russian) niemietski ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 1999, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/3 "1999-08-12T22:57:00Z")
## Minneapolis: Minneapolitans St. Paul: St. Paulites Tim “My hovercraft is full of eels.” ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 1999, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/4 "1999-08-12T23:59:00Z")
From Phoenix - Phoenicians ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 1999, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/5 "1999-08-12T23:59:00Z")
Oh, and from Maine - Mainiacs ---
**Author:** ![jayron\_32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jayron\_32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayron_32)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/6 "1999-08-13T00:42:00Z")
I’m going to get in trouble for this… From massachusetts: Massholes (or if you prefer, Bay Staters) From Coxsackie, New York: Coxsackers From Tampa, Florida: Tampons (OK, not true, but it should be) * * * Jason R Remy “One pill makes you taller, and one pill makes you small, but the ones that mother gives you don’t do anything at all” – Jefferson Airplane \* White Rabbit \* (Slick, G. 1966) ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/7 "1999-08-13T00:53:00Z")
Indiana: Hoosiers New York: New Yorkers Scotland: Scots (?) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/8 "1999-08-13T03:07:00Z")
This raises a question I’ve wondered about; is there any consistant rule as to which suffix you use to describe the inhabitant of a place? We have -ite -ian -an -er -ek -ese or even the antiquated -ishman. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/9 "1999-08-13T05:59:00Z")
I think the way to pronounce a place name comes from whatever sounds best. I suppose someone more schooled in linguistics can tell you which sounds go together better. For the record, I was born an Angeleno (which is pronounced with a long e). Los Angeles adopted a Spanish name (with an English pronunciation) even though San Francisco and San Diego use English style “-an” suffixes. ---
**Author:** ![Keeves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f05b48/32.png) [@Keeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeves)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/10 "1999-08-13T13:17:00Z")
Naples - Neapolitan ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/11 "1999-08-13T14:28:00Z")
Utah - Uintans ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/12 "1999-08-13T15:12:00Z")
Here in Dallas we call ourselves “Dallasites,” and the standing joke is that the designation is based on people from Paris being “parasites.” * * * Live a Lush Life Da Chef ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/13 "1999-08-13T16:52:00Z")
Isle of Mann - Manx ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/14 "1999-08-13T16:58:00Z")
Annapolis - Annapolitans Baltimore - Baltimorons (well, I call them that, at any rate.) ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/15 "1999-08-13T18:37:00Z")
Holland = Dutch But I think this is because of a past misconception by English speakers that they were German (Deutch). What do the Dutch call themselves? Hollanders? Neaderlanders? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 1999, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/16 "1999-08-13T23:21:00Z")
The Dutch, I believe, prefer Nederlanders. According to Tom Burnam, “Considering what happened to the Netherlands at the hands of the DEUTSCH during World War I and World War II, it is not surprising that ‘Dutchmen’ are not particularly fond of the word.” ---
**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:** [August 14, 1999, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/17 "1999-08-14T03:02:00Z")
Michigan - Michiganders Oregon - Oregonians * * * “Age is mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” -Leroy “Satchel” Paige ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/18 "1999-08-14T23:14:00Z")
To Jeff Wilson: I hope you don’t say “Michigander” to someone from Michigan. They detest that term and prefer Michiganian. (I have an uncle in St. Clair Shoes.) Lincoln told a Michagan Representative to “quit Michigandering around.” On Hollywood Squares, George Gobel (about 1979) said a Michigander is “a goose that’s been run over by a truck.” ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/19 "1999-08-14T23:15:00Z")
Excuse me–Jeff Olsen. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Phil\_Saoud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@Phil\_Saoud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phil_Saoud)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 1999, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380/20 "1999-08-15T00:41:00Z")
Having live in Michigan my entire life (so far) I’d like to say that no one I know detests the name Michigander. We prefer it to Michiganian. That term was forced on us by some bureaucrat who made it our official title. That’s reason enough to reject it right there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-genitive-place-names/6380.md?page=2)