Many people travel to a new city and they suddenly realize have no idea how to refer to the people who live there. What are people living in Glasgow or Sydney called? It’s a quirk of language that some of these adjectivals and demonyms are totally and utterly bizarre, with inexplicable or long forgotten roots. Here are some of my favorite terms for the inhabitants of cities from around the world.
What are some of your favorite city dweller adjectives?
Amalfi, Italy – Amalfitan
Bergamo, Italy – Bergamasque
Birmingham, England – Birminghamian (“Brummie”)
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Porteño
Cambridge, England – Cantabrigian
Cape Town, South Africa -Capetonian
Copenhagen, Denmark- Copenhagener
Cracow (Kraków), Poland – Cracovian (Krakovian)
Glasgow, Scotland – Glaswegian
Istanbul, Turkey – Istanbulite
Las Vegas, Nevada – Las Vegan
Madrid, Spain – Madrileño
Manchester, England –Mancunian
Memphis, Tennessee – Memphian
Newcastle, England – Novocastrian (“Geordie”)
Parma, Italy – Parmesan
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Carioca
Sydney, New South Wales – Sydneysiders
Warsaw, Poland – Varsovian
