Connecticut Names And Symbols

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Connecticut's official nickname, adopted in 1959, is "The Constitution State," based on its colonial constitution of 1638–39.[1] Unofficially (but popularly) Connecticut is also known as "The Nutmeg State".[1] The nutmeg connection to Connecticut may come from its sailors returning from voyages with nutmeg (which in the 18th and 19th centuries was a very valuable spice in New England). It is also said to come from Yankee peddlers from Connecticut who would sell small carved nobs of wood shaped to look like nutmeg to unsuspecting customers.[12] George Washington gave Connecticut the title of "The Provisions State"[1] because of the material aid the state rendered to the Revolutionary War effort. Connecticut is also known as "The Land of Steady Habits".[1]

According to Webster's New International Dictionary, 1993, a person who is a native or resident of Connecticut is a "Connecticuter". There are numerous other terms coined in print, but not in use, such as: "Connecticotian" - Cotton Mather in 1702. "Connecticutensian" - Samuel Peters in 1781. "Nutmegger" is sometimes used,[13] as is "Yankee," though this usually refers someone from the wider New England region.[14] The traditional abbreviation of the state's name is "Conn."; the official postal abbreviation is CT.

Commemorative stamps issued by the United States Postal Service with Connecticut themes include Nathan Hale, Eugene O'Neill, Josiah Willard Gibbs, Noah Webster, Eli Whitney, the whaling ship the Charles W. Morgan which is docked in Mystic Seaport, and a decoy of a broadbill duck.

Connecticut state insignia and historical figures[1], except where noted

State tree	White Oak; or more specifically, the Charter Oak
State bird	American Robin
State flower	Mountain Laurel
State insect	European Mantis
State animal	Sperm Whale
State mineral	Garnet
State shellfish	Eastern Oyster
State fish	American Shad
State fossil	Eubrontes giganteus
State ship	USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
State flagship and tall ship ambassador	Freedom Schooner Amistad
State aircraft	F4U Corsair
State tartan	visible here
State song	Yankee Doodle
State folk dance	Square dance
State cantata	The Nutmeg
State hero	Nathan Hale
State heroine	Prudence Crandall
State composer	Charles Edward Ives
State statues in Statuary Hall	Roger Sherman and Jonathan Trumbull[15]
State poet laureate	John Hollander
Connecticut State Troubadour	Pierce Campbell[16]
State composer laureate	Jacob Druckman