"Michigander" ( ) and "Michiganian" ( ) are unofficial

demonym A demonym (; ) or 'gentilic' () is a word that identifies a group of people ( inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place ( hamlet, village, town, city, region, ...

s for natives and residents of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Less common alternatives include ''Michiganer'', ''Michiganite'', ''Michiganese'', ''Michigine'', and ''Michigoose'' (female).

Difference in terminology

''Michigander'' vs. ''Michiganian''

While governors Jim Blanchard, John Engler, and Jennifer Granholm used ''Michiganian'', more recent governors

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. Snyder, who was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, ...

and

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...

have used ''Michigander''. A 2011 poll indicated 58% of Michigan residents preferred ''Michigander'', compared to 12% for ''Michiganian'', with 12% having no preference, and 11% not liking either term. In 2017, as part of a unanimous bill to modernize the legislation establishing the Michigan Historical Commission, the state legislature changed a reference from ''Michiganian'' to ''Michigander'', implicitly endorsing the latter term. The federal government continues to use ''Michiganian''.

''Yooper''

Residents of the Upper Peninsula typically refer to themselves instead as ''Yoopers'' (a formation derived from the initials ''U.P.'') either instead of or in addition to a state demonym. They sometimes refer to residents of the Lower Peninsula who live "below the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

" between the peninsulas as ''

trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

'', but this term is rarely self-applied.

Origins

''Michiganian'' is the term used for the state's citizens in ''The Collections of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society'' since the 1870s. ''Michigander'' is considered

pejorative A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...

by some due to the circumstances under which the term was popularized, but others perceive no such negative connotation. Even though the term was in use by at least 1820, it has nevertheless commonly been attributed to

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, who popularized it when he was a Whig representative in Congress. On July 27, 1848, Lincoln made a speech against

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was a United States Army officer and politician. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He was also the 1 ...

, who had been a long-time

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

. Cass was then running for president on a "

popular sovereignty Popular sovereignty is the principle that the leaders of a state and its government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associativ ...

" platform that would have let states that were conquered in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

decide whether to legalize slavery. Lincoln accused the Democrats of campaigning on the former President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

's coattails by exaggerating their military accomplishments.

But in my hurry I was very near closing on the subject of military tales before I was done with it. There is one entire article of the sort I have not discussed yet; I mean the military tale you Democrats are now engaged in dovetailing onto the great Michigander .e. Lewis Cass

Despite that, Michigan voters would go on to favor Lincoln for President twice, in

1860 Events January * January 2 – The astronomer Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan (hypothetical planet), Vulcan at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 &ndas ...

and

1864 Events January * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...

References

{{Reflist * American regional nicknames Demonyms Michigan culture