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Louisiana nicknames: the Pelican State and 80+ more, explained

86 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

Louisiana's official nickname is the Pelican State, and it is also called the Bayou State, the Creole State and Sportsman's Paradise, while New Orleans goes by the Big Easy and the Crescent City.

This page collects real, documented Louisiana nicknames and explains where each one comes from. You will find state and region nicknames, New Orleans nicknames, neighborhood and landmark names, city nicknames, the many capital of the world titles small towns have claimed, and a few famous sports and culture nicknames. Where an origin is disputed, the note says so.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Creole State

    Honors the state's long history of Creole culture

  • Crescent City

    For the city's curve along a bend of the Mississippi, used since 1835

  • Child of the Mississippi

    Refers to the great river that runs through the state to the Gulf

  • Satchmo

    Nickname of New Orleans-born trumpeter Louis Armstrong

  • Frog Capital of the World

    Rayne, which built a trade shipping frog legs to New Orleans

  • Northshore

    Popular name for the Florida Parishes area north of Lake Pontchartrain

Want endless ideas? Try the town name generator and generate new names in one click.

Louisiana state nicknames and region nicknames

The state's best-known nicknames, followed by the names Louisianans use for parts of the state.

  1. Pelican State: Official state nickname; a pelican feeding its young appears on the seal and flag
  2. Bayou State: For the slow, marshy waterways; once used on license plates
  3. Sportsman's Paradise: On today's license plates, for year-round hunting and fishing
  4. Creole State: Honors the state's long history of Creole culture
  5. Sugar State: Louisiana is one of the top sugarcane growers in the country
  6. Child of the Mississippi: Refers to the great river that runs through the state to the Gulf
  7. The Boot: For the state's boot-like shape on the map
  8. Hollywood South: Earned after state film incentives began in 2002
  9. Acadiana: Official name of the French Louisiana region, home to Cajun culture
  10. Cajun Country: Everyday name for Acadiana in south Louisiana
  11. Florida Parishes: Eight parishes east of the Mississippi, once part of West Florida
  12. Northshore: Popular name for the Florida Parishes area north of Lake Pontchartrain
  13. River Parishes: Parishes along both banks of the Mississippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge
  14. German Coast: Historic name for early German settlements upriver from New Orleans
  15. Crossroads: Central Louisiana tourism region around Alexandria and Natchitoches
  16. Ark-La-Tex: Corner where Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma meet; Shreveport promoted it

New Orleans nicknames

Few American cities have collected as many nicknames as New Orleans.

  1. The Big Easy: Possibly from musicians finding work easily; popularized in the 1970s
  2. Crescent City: For the city's curve along a bend of the Mississippi, used since 1835
  3. The City That Care Forgot: For residents' easygoing, carefree nature; in use since at least 1938
  4. NOLA: Acronym built from New Orleans, Louisiana
  5. Birthplace of Jazz: The music grew up here in the late 1800s and early 1900s
  6. Mardi Gras City: For the famous Carnival parades the city throws every year
  7. Queen City of the South: A label for New Orleans in print since at least 1837
  8. The Creole City: Nod to the city's deep Creole roots
  9. Bulbancha: Choctaw name for the area, meaning place of many tongues
  10. La Nouvelle-Orléans: Original French name, honoring Philippe II, Duke of Orléans

New Orleans neighborhood nicknames

Locals rarely use the long official names. These are the ones you will hear.

  1. Vieux Carré: The French Quarter's French name, meaning Old Square
  2. The Quarter: Everyday short name for the French Quarter
  3. Little Palermo: Old nickname for the French Quarter during heavy Sicilian immigration
  4. The Marigny: Short name for the Faubourg Marigny, just downriver of the Quarter
  5. Faubourg Tremé: Formal French name of the historic neighborhood beside the Quarter
  6. Sliver by the River: High ground by the Mississippi that escaped major Katrina flooding
  7. Isle of Denial: Joking post-Katrina name for that same dry riverfront strip
  8. Irish Channel: Neighborhood settled by Irish immigrants; the name's origin is obscure
  9. Garden District: Named for the large gardens around its early houses
  10. Over the Hump: Local name for the area downriver from Algiers Point
  11. Old American Quarter: Historic name for today's Central Business District

Louisiana city nicknames

From Red Stick to the Hub City, every Louisiana city seems to have a second name.

  1. Red Stick: English for Baton Rouge, after a red pole marking hunting grounds
  2. The Capital City: Common nickname for Baton Rouge, the seat of state government
  3. Hub City: Lafayette; one account credits 1830s roads radiating like wheel spokes
  4. Heart of Acadiana: Lafayette city and parish, at the center of Cajun Country
  5. Twin Cities: Monroe and West Monroe in northeast Louisiana
  6. Queen City of Lafourche: Thibodaux, home of Nicholls State University
  7. Petit Paris: St. Martinville's nickname, French for Little Paris
  8. Camellia City: Official nickname of Slidell on the Northshore
  9. The Dell: Casual local nickname for Slidell
  10. Magic City: Bogalusa, praised for how fast it was built
  11. Sugar City: Iberia Parish town of Jeanerette, in sugarcane country
  12. Louisiana's College Town: Ruston, home of Louisiana Tech University
  13. The Bedroom of Baton Rouge: Denham Springs, a commuter suburb east of the capital
  14. City of Hospitality: Nickname of Plaquemine, in Iberville Parish
  15. Alex: Short form for the Rapides Parish seat, often pronounced Ellic
  16. The Lake Area: Lake Charles and its surroundings in southwest Louisiana
  17. America's Antique City: Ponchatoula, known for its antique-shop historic district
  18. Louisiana City of Murals: Rayne's second nickname, for its many painted walls

Louisiana capital of the world nicknames

Small Louisiana towns love a big title, usually with a festival to match.

  1. Crawfish Capital of the World: Breaux Bridge, officially designated by a Louisiana House speaker
  2. Jambalaya Capital of the World: Gonzales, proclaimed by the governor; festival since 1968
  3. Frog Capital of the World: Rayne, which built a trade shipping frog legs to New Orleans
  4. Strawberry Capital of the World: Ponchatoula, host of a spring berry festival since 1972
  5. Strawberry Capital of America: Hammond; a state plaque downtown still says so
  6. Catfish Capital of the Universe: Des Allemands, on the bayou of the same name
  7. Duck Capital of America: Gueydan's motto; the town hosts a yearly Duck Festival
  8. Rice Capital of America: Crowley, home of the International Rice Festival
  9. Boudin Capital of the World: Scott, designated by the Louisiana Legislature in 2012
  10. Smoked Meat Capital of the World: Ville Platte, home of a smoked meat festival
  11. Swamp Pop Capital of the World: Ville Platte again, by official Louisiana Legislature designation
  12. Cajun Music Capital of the World: Mamou, a small town famous for its musicians
  13. Pie Capital of Louisiana: Lecompte, as its welcome sign proudly says
  14. Dogtrot Capital of the World: Dubach, named for a classic Southern house style
  15. Buggy Capital of the World: Church Point, where buggies were common into the 1950s
  16. Sweet Potato Capital of the Nation: Sunset, after farmers switched from cotton around 1900
  17. Spice Capital of the World: Opelousas, home to well-known Cajun seasoning makers
  18. Cradle of Louisiana Oil: Jennings, site of the state's first producing oil well
  19. The Peach City: Ruston, host of a peach festival every June
  20. Butterfly Capital of Louisiana: Haynesville, also called the Gateway to North Louisiana

Louisiana sports, music and local nicknames

Fans, famous names and the everyday words that make Louisiana sound like Louisiana.

  1. Who Dat Nation: Name for New Orleans Saints fans, from the famous chant
  2. Death Valley: Nickname of LSU's famously loud Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge
  3. Fighting Tigers: Official nickname of LSU's athletic teams
  4. Ragin' Cajuns: University of Louisiana at Lafayette teams, once called the Bulldogs
  5. The Kingfish: Nickname of Huey Long, governor and U.S. senator
  6. Satchmo: Nickname of New Orleans-born trumpeter Louis Armstrong
  7. Pops: What musicians and close friends usually called Louis Armstrong
  8. Yat: Name for a strong local New Orleans accent, from the greeting where y'at
  9. Neutral ground: Local word for a street median, from the old Canal Street divide
  10. The Causeway: Short name for the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, nearly 24 miles long
  11. The Superdome: Everyday name for the Caesars Superdome, Saints home since 1975

How to pick the right name

Match the nickname to the moment

Pelican State fits school projects and official writing, Sportsman's Paradise fits hunting and fishing talk, and the Big Easy or the Crescent City fit anything about New Orleans travel.

Plan around a capital festival

Many capital titles come with a party. Rayne's Frog Festival is the second weekend in May, Ponchatoula's Strawberry Festival is usually in April, and Gonzales has held a Jambalaya Festival since 1968.

Talk like a local

In New Orleans you walk around the Quarter, park on the neutral ground and greet friends with Where y'at. Using the local names shows you did your homework.

Keep each nickname with its own town

If you set a story in Louisiana, a real nickname like Red Stick or the Hub City adds instant texture. Just pair each one with the right place, because locals notice.

Louisiana nicknames: 86 ideas from Nomezo

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Louisiana called the Pelican State?

Pelican State is Louisiana's official nickname. A pelican feeding its young appears on the state seal and the state flag, and the brown pelican became the official state bird in 1966.

What are Louisiana's other nicknames?

Louisiana is also called the Bayou State, the Creole State, Sportsman's Paradise, the Sugar State, Child of the Mississippi and the Boot. Its film industry earned it the name Hollywood South.

Why is New Orleans called the Big Easy?

The name may come from early 1900s musicians who found work easy to get there. It became famous in the 1970s, helped by James Conaway's 1970 novel The Big Easy and the 1987 film.

Why is Baton Rouge called Red Stick?

Baton Rouge is French for red stick. French explorers in 1699 saw a red-painted pole marking the hunting boundary between the Houma and Bayougoula peoples.

Why is New Orleans called the Crescent City?

The older city grew along a sharp crescent-shaped bend in the Mississippi River. The nickname has been in use since at least 1835.

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