Illinoisan
/ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪən/noun
A person who was born in or lives in the U.S. state of Illinois.
Did you know?Illinois derives from French attempts to record an Indigenous Miami-Illinois name associated with the Illiniwek, often interpreted as referring to human beings or people.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Miami-Illinois
ilenweewa
“A person, human being, or ordinary person; the source of the Indigenous name later recorded for the Illinois people.”
17th Century
French
Illinois
“French rendering of an Indigenous ethnonym, used for the people and the region associated with them.”
18th Century
French
Illinois
“The name applied in French colonial usage to the Illinois Country and its Indigenous inhabitants.”
1818
English
Illinois
“The name adopted for the U.S. state admitted to the Union.”
19th Century
English
Illinoisan
“English formation using Illinois plus the suffix -an, meaning a person connected with Illinois.”
Modern English
English
Illinoisan
“A resident or native of Illinois.”
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