Yooper

[ yoo-per ]

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (used as a nickname):

   She can’t wait to get back to Marquette and hang out with her siblings and all the other Yoopers she grew up with.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yooper¹

First recorded in 1970–75; phonetic respelling of the pronunciation of U.P. ( def ) + -er ¹( def )

Example Sentences

“Like, I always thought Mike was really calm. He had the Duke button-up. You know, I didn’t know which bank he worked for, but I knew it was a bank. Then I played him the first time, and I look down there, and I said, ‘Wow, sometimes he talks like a Yooper.’

From Washington Post

Fun quote: “There is great pride in being a Yooper and sounding like a Yooper.”

From Washington Post

Even the denizens have a name: Yooper, which was added to Merriam-Webster in 2014.

From Washington Post

A more recent addition to the Yooper canon is “Here: Women Writing on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula,” edited by Ronald Riekki.

From Washington Post

These are all worthy and important ways to contribute to your community, but here, we ask our readers to consider donating the life-saving gift of blood if they are able to, as this donation could make all the difference for a friend, neighbor or fellow Yooper.

From Washington Times