Whether you're talking about cities or countries, states or towns, most places have some kind of name for the people who live there. People who live in Ireland are Irish, people from London are Londoners, and so on. Those place-related names are called demonyms (not to be confused with nicknames).
For the most part, demonyms are pretty straightforward and uninteresting. Often, it's just the name of a place with the addition of –ian or –er. For example, people from Sheffield are called Sheffielders, and people from Bradford are Bradfordians.
Sometimes, though, you find a demonym that's particularly interesting or fun to say. Some demonyms came about before modern-day English, so they're based on very different names for the area. Others just sound funny when paired with typical demonym suffixes.
In this post, we'll take a look at some of the most interesting and amusing demonyms from around Great Britain. If you know of some good ones we've missed, feel free to share in the comments.
113 of the Most Interesting and Amusing Demonyms Around Great Britain
The demonyms below are in no particular order, and this list is far from comprehensive. These are just some of the demonyms we've encountered and found amusing, pleasant, or otherwise interesting.
- Oxford – Oxonians
- Newcastle upon Tyne – Novocastrians
- Liverpool – Liverpudlians
- Leeds – Leodensians or Loiners
- Birkin – Birkinians
- Biggleswade – Biggleswadians
- Syston – Systonians (to me, this sounds like either a medical issue or an evil race on Doctor Who)
- Appleby-in-Westmorland – Applebians
- Bristol – Bristolian
- Solihull – Silhillians
- Glasgow – Glaswegians
- Giggleswick – Giggleswickians
- Hebden Bridge – Hebdeners
- Bingham – Binghamites
- Kingston upon Hull – Kingstonians or Hullians
- Leighton Buzzard – Leighton Buzzardites
- Dunstable – Dunstablians
- Towcester – Towcestrians
- Woking – Wokingians
- Godalming – Godalmingers (this one is more amusing if you know that “minger” is rude British slang for an ugly or “gross” person).
- Carlton – Carltonians (I can't hear this without picturing the infamous Carlton dance from the 1990s American television series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
- Uttoxeter – Uxonians
- Walsall – Walsallians
- Wolverhampton – Wulfrunians
- Slough – Sluffs or Paludians
- Finchampstead – Finchampsteadians (quite a mouthful)
- Harrow – Harrovians
- Milton Keynes – Miltonians Keynes
- Bournemouth – Bournemouthians
- Chickerell – Chickerellers
- Cambridge – Cantabrigians (just when you think you've got it figured out, they go and do something like this)
- Christchurch – Christchurchers
- Shaftesbury – Shatesburians
- Poole – Poolers
- Peterborough – Peterborians
- Cirencester – Cirencestrians
- Marazion – Marazionites
- Penzance – Penzancians
- Chester – Cestrians
- Macclesfield – Maxonians
- Stroud – Stroudians
- Birkenhead – Birkonians
- Torpoint – Torpointers
- Penryn – Penryners or Penrynians
- Liskeard – Liskeardians
- Keynsham – Keynshamites
- Redruth – Redruthians
- Yeovil – Yeovilians
- Bath – Bathonians
- Glastonbury – Glastonburians
- Burnham-on-Sea – Burnhamites
- Carlisle – Carlislians
- Bognor Regis – Bognorians
- Rye – Ryers
- Petworth – Petworthians
- Roedean – Rodeanians
- Halifax – Haligonians
- Manchester – Mancunians
- Worthing – Worthingers
- Grimsby – Grimbarians
- Louth – Ludensians
- Bacup – Bacupians
- Dumbarton – Dumbartonians
- Barrow-in-Furness – Barrovians
- Blackpool – Sandgronians or Blackpudlians
- Basildon – Basildoners
- Coventry – Coventrians
- Giffnock – Giffnockians
- Birmingham – Birminghamians (though the informal “Brummies” is very common)
- Derby – Derbeians
- Bradninch – Bradninchers
- Dawlish – Dawlishians
- Great Torrington – Torringtonians
- Honiton – Honitonians
- Ilfracombe – Ilfracombians or Ilfracombers
- Plymouth – Plymothians
- Totnes – Totnesians
- Appledore – Appledorians
- Dundee – Dundonians
- Canterbury – Cantuarians
- Sevenoaks – Sennockians
- Aldershot – Aldershotians
- Fleet – Fleetians
- Gosport – Gosportians
- Waterlooville – Waterloovillians
- Winchester – Wintonians or Winchesterians
- Hartlepool – Hartlepudlians
- Leominster – Leominsterians
- Ledbury – Ledburians
- Caterham – Caterhamians
- Cobham – Cobhamites
- Ewell – Ewellians
- Dorking – Dorkingians
- Inverness – Invernessians
- Arbroath – Arbroathians
- Carnoustie – Carnoustians
- Forfar – Forfarians
- Kirriemuir – Kirriemuirians
- Stromness – Stromnessians
- Kirkwall – Kirkwallians
- Aberdeen – Aberdonians
- Stirling – Stirlingers
- Shrewsbury – Salopians
- Aberystwyth – Aberystwythians
- Helensburgh – Helensburghians or Helensburghers
- Lochgilphead – Lochgilpheaders
- Edinburgh – Edinburghers
- Inverkip – Inverkippers
- Clydebank – Clydebankers
- Cardiff – Cardiffians
- Brigend – Brigenders
- Wrexham – Wrexhamites
- Abergavenny – Abergavennians
A British Demonym Mystery…
While most places have some kind of demonym, that's not entirely universal. Some places are small or oddly-named, and residents identify more with the county or a larger nearby town.
As we researched this post, we couldn't help but wonder about one particular demonym. Those who've travelled extensively in the UK or watched programmes like Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages may have come across a Welsh village with an extremely long name:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Would you call their residents Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochians? Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochites? I'm not sure anyone actually wants to go there.
Given that the name of the village is often shortened to Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG, one would hope that if a demonym was needed, it would be something like Llanfarians.
Save it to Pinterest!
