Is a resident of Utah called a Utahn, Utahan or Utahian? In 2025, the Utah State Legislature approved S.B. 230, designating Utahn as the official state demonym. The bill was sponsored by Senator Day McCay (R-Riverton). Governor Spencer J. Cox signed the bill into law on March 18, 2025 (Utah Code). 

A demonym is a word used to denote a person who inhabits or is native to a particular place, such as a particular country, state or city. As a passionate advocate of Utahn, Senator McCay was spurred into action after the New York Times crossword hint was seeking a six letter word for a “Salt Lake City resident.” Utahn has five letters. “While it may seem trivial, I think how we’re known and how people see Utahns is important, and we want to make sure they spell it correctly,” McCay said during a Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee hearing. Additionally, McCay hopes that codifying Utahn into law will stop national media outlets from using Utahan or Utahian. 

“U-T-A-H-N is the common way that Utahns would spell it,” said Representative Jordan Teuscher (R-South Jordan). “But there are those misfits out there who spell it with an ‘-an,’ and so we want to make sure that it’s consistent in government documents, media, and education materials. This reflects our historical and local usage and aligns with our state’s identity and heritage.”

Political science professor Quin Monson of Brigham Young University and partner at Y2 Analytics conducted a 2021 survey, Call Me a Utahn, which revealed that 90% of survey respondents preferred Utahn, while 10% preferred Utahan with the extra “a”.

The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO) determines the official English-language demonyms. Interestingly, the 2016 U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual (pg. 95 print, pg. 109 digital) spells Utahn correctly.

Utah is one of two states with an official demonym. Massachusetts residents are called Bay Staters.