No one knows for sure why people from Indiana called Hoosiers.
The term has been in use since at least the 1830s, but there are lots of amusing theories.
For example, early pioneers in the state supposedly answered a knock on the door by saying, “Who’s yere?”
Then there’s the theory that the name came from rivermen who were good at beating up, or “hushing,” their enemies, earning them the name of “hushers.”
Another says that a canal contractor named Hoosier liked hiring laborers from Indiana, who became known as “Hoosier’s men,” or just plain Hoosiers.
Another possibility is that “hoosier” was commonly used in the South in the 1800s to refer to people who lived in the hills.
Many people from Cumberland, England, immigrated to America and settled in the mountains of the southeastern United States. In the dialect of the people living around Cumberland in those days, a “hoo” meant high or hill, and “hoozer” meant anything unusually large.
When the descendants of these early settlers moved to Indiana, they may have brought the name with them.
Related Posts
-
Why Is There a Town Named Santa Claus In the State of Indiana?
There really is a town named Santa Claus in the state of Indiana. And its post office receives half a million packages, letters, and cards for remailing with the town's postmark during the…
-
How Did the Anaheim Angels, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Indiana Pacers Get Their Names?
The Anaheim Angels took their name from Los Angeles, the city where the franchise began. Los Angeles is Spanish for "the angels." The Indiana Pacers represent the home of the Indianapolis 500, where…
-
How Many Records Did the Tri-State Tornado Set In 1925 When It Hit Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana?
Murphysboro, Illinois, holds the sad record of being the U.S. city to have the most people killed in a tornado. In March 1925 a total of 234 people died in and around Murphysboro…
-
Why Are People From Oklahoma Called Sooners and Where Did the Nickname Come From?
Back in 1889, on the first day people were allowed to lay claim to free government land in Oklahoma, some of the 50,000 eager settlers tried to stake their claims before the noon…
-
Where does the word “nickname” come from and What does nickname mean in old English?
From early times men have been in the custom of giving to their acquaintances some name considered to be more fitting than the name given by the parents. It is an added name,…
-
Why is New York City Called the “The Big Apple” and Where Did the Nickname Come From?
One of the more popular stories as to how New York got its nickname is as follows. During the 1940s, Robert Emmerich, who played piano in the Tommy Dorsey Band, wrote an obscure…
