List of British regional nicknames

The United Kingdom has many nicknames for residents of its countries, cities and regions. For example, residents of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians or Scousers. Some of these names are a badge of pride, in other cases they can be considered offensive.

Aberdeen 
Aberdonian, Haddie,[1]
Barnsley 
Tykes,[2] Colliers (a former mining community), also Dingles (normally used by people from Sheffield)
Burnley 
Dingles, a reference to Burnley's proximity to Yorkshire and the family from the TV soap opera Emmerdale.(normally used by people from Blackburn, Preston and other parts of Lancashire)
Birmingham 
Brummie[3]
Black Country 
Yam Yam[4]
Blackpool 
Blackpudlian,[5] Sandgronian, Donkey Lasher
Brighton 
Batty boys
Bristol 
Legends Ciderheads
Britain 
Brit,[6] Britons,[6] British, Britisher, Limeys in Canada and the United States,[7] Pommys in Australia and New Zealand.[8]
Caithness 
Gallach[9]
Cardiganshire 
Cardi[10]
Cheltenham 
Cheltonian
Cheshire 
Cestrian
Chesterfield 
Cestrefeldrian,
Colchester 
Colcestrian, Colchie, Roman, Camuloonie, Steamie, Castler. Cross'n'Crowner (After Colchester's coat of arms).
Cornwall 
Cornish, Kernowick, Merry-Jack, Mera-Jack, Uncle Jack (when abroad)
Coventry 
Coventrian
Darwen 
Darrener
Dundee 
Dundonian, Coagie
Edinburgh 
Edinbronian, Edinburger, Edinbourgeois, Edin, The Burgh, Edinbugger
England 
Sassenach, Red Coat, Inglish, [11] Nigel, Guffie, (in Northeast Scotland), Sais
Essex 
Essex Calf (Archaic), Eastie, Essexer, Esser, Saxon.
Forest of Dean 
Forester, sheep-shagger
Fraserburgh 
Brocher[12]
Glasgow 
Glaswegian,[13][12] Keelie,[14][15] Weegie,[16]
Grimsby 
Cod Head (After the fishing port in Grimsby)
Guisborough 
Guisborian [17] Also used as name for alumni of Guisborough Grammar School and Prior Pursglove College.
Hartlepool 
Monkey Hanger[18] or Poolie
Horsham 
Horshamite
Kirkcaldy 
Langtonian
Ipswich 
Twelve toes
Ireland 
Paddy, 'Mick' (Mc)
Isle of Wight 
Caulkhead (named after the caulking of boats)
Kirriemuir 
Kirriemairian
Lancashire 
Lancastrian; Yonner (specifically south-eastern Lancashire)
Leeds 
Loiner,[19]Leodensian (as heard in the song "I Predict a Riot" by The Kaiser Chiefs
Leicester 
Rat-eye (from the Roman name for the city: Ratae); Inbreds (used by people from Coventry)
Leigh 
Lobbygobbler, Leyther
Lincolnshire 
Yellow belly (after a species of frog common in the Lincolnshire and East Anglian Fens)[20]
Liverpool 
Liverpudlian, Mickey Mouse,[21] Scouse or Scouser
Llanelli 
Turk
London 
Cockney[22][23] Londoner, Del Boy, Rent Boy
Luton 
Lutonian, Hatter
Macclesfield 
Maxonian
Maidenhead 
Maidonian
Manchester 
Mancunian, Manc[24]
Marlow 
Marlovian
Middlesbrough 
Smoggie[25], an abbreviation of Smog Monster[26]
Neath 
Abbey-Jack, blacks, black-jacks.
Newcastle 
Geordie, Novocastrian
Newtown 
Syrup
Northamptonshire 
Cobbler
Northern England 
Northerner
North Wales 
Gog[27]
Norwich
Carrot Cruncher, Country Bumpkin, Norfolk Dumpling
Oldham 
Yonner (from Oldham pronunciation of 'yonder' as in 'up yonner')
Peterhead 
Bluemogganer, Blue-Tooner
Plymouth 
Janner. Originally a person who spoke with a Devon accent,[28][29] now simply any West Countryman.[28] In naval slang, this is specifically a person from Plymouth.[29]
Scotland 
Scottie, Jocks[30] Mac
Sheffield 
Sheffielder, Dee Dar (normally used by people from Barnsley)
Shropshire 
Salopian
South Shields  
Sand dancer
Southampton 
Scummer[31]
Southern England 
Southerner, Southern Shandy
Southport 
Sandgrounder
Stoke-on-Trent 
Potter, Clay Head, Stokie
Stockport 
Stopfordian, Stoconian
Sunderland 
Mackem[32]
Sutherland 
Cattach
Swansea 
Jack, Swansea Jack, Gyppo
Swindon 
Moonraker
Wales 
Taff (slightly xenophobic),[33] Taffy, Trog, Sheep-shagger
Walsall 
Saddler
Warrington 
Wire, Wirepuller (after the local wire industry),
Welshpool 
Soupie
West Riding of Yorkshire 
Wessie (in other parts of Yorkshire)
Weymouth and Portland 
Kimberlin (Portland name for a person from Weymouth)
Wigan 
Pie-Eater, Purrer
Wiltshire 
Moonraker
Whitehaven 
Jam-eater
Wolverhampton 
Wulfrunian
Workington 
Marra
Yorkshire 
Tyke, Yorkie, Yorkshiremen

See also

References

  1. ^ "haddie", (Robinson 1985, pp. 257)
  2. ^ "tyke", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 674)
  3. ^ "Brummie", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 95)
  4. ^ "Wolverhampton researches Black Country dialect". The Guardian. 2003-01-27. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2003/jan/27/highereducation.postgraduate. Retrieved 2010-10-03. 
  5. ^ Viner, Brian (11 April 2001). "Welcome to fabulous Las Blackpool, Lancashire". independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/welcome-to-fabulous-las-blackpool-lancashire-681032.html. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  6. ^ a b "Brit", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 92)
  7. ^ "limey", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 401)
  8. ^ "pommy", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 506–507)
  9. ^ Transactions of the Gaelic Society. Gaelic Society of Inverness. pp. 97. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SxktAAAAIAAJ&q=Gallach+caithness&dq=Gallach+caithness&hl=en&ei=MuKkTL7VG4iTswbM3JClCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAzgU. Retrieved 2010-09-30. 
  10. ^ "Cardi", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 119)
  11. ^ "Sassenach", (Robinson 1985, pp. 581)
  12. ^ a b Adrian Room (2003). Placenames of the world: origins and meanings of the names for over 5000 natural features, countries, capitals, territories, cities, and historic sites. McFarland. p. 426. ISBN 9780786418145. 
  13. ^ Resistance in James Kelman’s 'How ... - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=G4-LX4ntEEAC&pg=PA5&dq=glaswegian&hl=en&ei=_kWjTMbsKIbEswaCvPXHCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=glaswegian&f=false. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
  14. ^ "Brewer, E. Cobham. Dictionary of Phrase & Fable. Nicknames". Bartleby.com. http://www.bartleby.com/81/12073.html. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
  15. ^ "keelie", (Robinson 1985, pp. 335)
  16. ^ Payam Zarrabizadeh. "Off the Brochure Travel Guide: Glasgow, Scotland". Peter Greenberg. http://www.petergreenberg.com/2009/08/20/off-the-brochure-travel-guide-glasgow-scotland/. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
  17. ^ "Old Guisborian 7793". Guisborough Freemasons. http://guisboroughfreemasons.org/craftlodges/oldguisborian7793.html. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 
  18. ^ "The Hartlepool Monkey, Who hung the monkey?". This is Hartlepool. http://www.thisishartlepool.co.uk/history/thehartlepoolmonkey.asp. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
  19. ^ "Loiner", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 406)
  20. ^ "Brewer, E. Cobham. Dictionary of Phrase & Fable. Nicknames". Bartleby.com. http://www.bartleby.com/81/17670.html. Retrieved 2010-09-30. 
  21. ^ "Mickey Mouse" - rhyming slang for "Scouse", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 429)
  22. ^ "Cockney", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 151)
  23. ^ Hotten, John Camden (1859). "Cockney". A dictionary of modern slang, cant and vulgar words. p. 22. http://books.google.com/?id=Zhk9h-w1negC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Dictionary+of+Modern+Slang,+Cant+and+Vulgar+Words&cd=1#v=onepage&q=.  Cockney: a native of London. An ancient nickname implying effeminacy, used by the oldest English writers, and derived from the imaginary fool's paradise, or lubberland, Cockaygne.
  24. ^ "Manc", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 418)
  25. ^ Harley, Shaun (2007-10-16). "'I was made in Middlesbrough'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7046579.stm. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
  26. ^ Milward, Richard (2010-01-28). "'Tonight I'm a rock'n'roll scribe: Attack of the slightly slurring smog monster'". Guardian News and Media Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/28/rock-roll-scribe-smog-monster. Retrieved 2011-08-27. 
  27. ^ "gog", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 295)
  28. ^ a b "janner", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 363)
  29. ^ a b Cyril Tawney (1987). "Glossary". Grey funnel lines: traditional song & verse of the Royal Navy, 1900–1970. Taylor & Francis. p. 167. ISBN 9780710212702. 
  30. ^ "jock", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 369)
  31. ^ White, Jim (2003). "Scummer". The Rough Guide to Manchester United 3. p. 80. http://books.google.com/books?id=SOWewSQO9XoC&pg=PA80&dq=southampton+%22scummer%22&hl=en&ei=OENdTtKyO-rg4QSj8_k8&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=southampton%20%22scummer%22&f=false. 
  32. ^ "Quiz: How Much of a Mackem are YOU?". Sunderland Echo. 2009-01-04. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/lifestyle/culture_2_9148/quiz_how_much_of_a_mackem_are_you_1_1088796. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
  33. ^ "taff", (Partridge, Dalzell & Victor 2007, pp. 369)

Bibliography for references