Where did the term Hoosier come from?

The name of the state of Indiana means ‘land of the Indians’. Indiana was probably called this in the early 19th Century because of the number of Native Americans that called Indiana home when the first white settlers arrived before 1820. The earliest settlers to the region were in Vincennes Indiana and were French speaking.

Europeans and Americans who settled in Indiana were being called,”Hoosiers” as early as 1930. There are several different explanations of where the name came from.

Indiana was a very rural place and many of the first homes were isolated in a dense forest. Visitors to the first Indiana residents did not want to be mistaken for a hostile native American or a bear so when people in cabins heard someone approaching they would yell ‘who’s here’ and later that became associated with the residents of the state. Said with a bit of a southern drawl is sounded like the word;’Hoosier’ and folks became known by that name who lived in Indiana.

Famous Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley popularized the next version of where the name ‘Hoosier’ came from. Indiana had a number of isolated taverns where pioneer men frequently drank too much and got in fights. According to Mr. Riley, when the barkeep found ear’s on the floor after a night of frontier partying he would say, “Who’s ear” and that evolved into Indiana frontiers men being called “Hoosiers”.

Another story says that loud talking Indiana river men were known to pick fights with their male passengers on the river boats.  One big talking man would try to ‘hush’ his opponent.  Indiana river men rarely lost the fights and became known as,”hushers” and later it was mispronounced as ‘”Hoosiers”.

The last well known story about the origin of the term,’Hoosier’ comes from dates back to canal building in the state.  A contractor with the last name,’Hoosier’ hired men to work on the canal between Louisville and Portland Indiana. The men were called,”Hoosiers” because they worked for Mr. Hoosier on the Indiana side of the canal. The name soon was applied to all men living and working in the state.

No one knows for sure where the term ‘Hoosier’ came from. Hoosier hysteria refers to the state’s obsession with high school and college basket ball. Hoosier hospitality refers to the general southern attitude of welcoming visitors to the state especially during the Indy care 500 mile race and now the Brickyard 400.