From the best way to make barbeque to which football team you wouldn’t be caught dead supporting, everyone’s passionate about the state they call home. But when it comes to terms of endearment, we’re all a little more alike than we’d like to think.
Whether it’s a classic like beautiful or a saccharine diminutive like sweetie, every state’s got their favorite nickname. See which one your state asks about the most – according to a study of state searches conducted by WordFinder that includes terms of endearment – and if it matches your own preferred nicknames for your boyfriend, girlfriend, or partner.
Naturally, the rolltide nation couldn’t settle for searching for any common nicknames online. Instead, inquisitive ‘bamans throw it back to the old-fashioned nickname dollface.
Alaska’s Most Searched Nickname: Handsome
Alaskans can’t help but get inspired by the rugged, raw environment around them when they’re searching for terms of endearment. Of course, handsome tops their list.
Arizona’s Most Searched Nickname: Sweetie
There’s nothing like the Arizona deserts to keep you parched and looking for something to sate your thirst. For many Arizonans, there’s nothing more soothing than the nickname sweetie on their lips.
Arkansas’ Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
Straddling that line between the Midwest and the South, Arkansas keeps it simple with their nickname searches. You can’t go wrong with calling your boo beautiful every now and again.
California’s Most Searched Nickname: Darling
Practically stretching the whole west coat, California is a state full of unique cultural pockets. From the tech giants in Silicon Valley to the fresh faced entertainers wanting to make it big in Hollywood, anyone and everyone lives in sunny California. But one thing that diverse population all agrees on is that the best searched nickname is darling.
Colorado’s Most Searched Nickname: Baby
Whether perched on a ski-slope or wrapped up in a sleeping bag at the base of a hard mountain hike, you might click open your search engine to ask about a cute nickname for your new date-of-the-moment. The one that’s most searched in the snowy, ragged Colorado terrain? Baby.
Connecticut’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
A true Atlantic state, Connecticut’s most searched nickname reflects its sense of history and tradition. Because beautiful is a nickname that’s never gone out of style.
Delaware’s Most Searched Nickname: Babe
Unlike its neighbor, Connecticut, Delawareans couldn’t be restricted to a nickname like beautiful. Instead, they cut loose a bit with their search history and enjoy the nickname babe.
Florida’s Most Searched Nickname: Hottie
When they’re not fighting off hurricanes and gators, they’re enjoying the idyllic weather and looking up cute nicknames for their partners. Yet, you can’t escape the heat there even when you’re a search engine away because their most searched nickname is hottie.
Georgia’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
Looking for a nickname befitting of your partner that’s as pretty as a Georgia peach? Look no further than the classic nickname, beautiful.
Hawaii’s Most Searched Nickname: Angel
In-between catching waves and enjoying the ebb and flow of Hawaiian islands, tourists and natives’ search histories show that they favor the nickname angel.
Idaho’s Most Searched Nickname: Bunny
Idaho – home of the potato and the most off-the-wall nickname search history ever. We’ll give you 10 minutes to connect the dots between the relatively quiet western state and the playful nickname bunny.
Illinois’ Most Searched Nickname: Bae
If you live in Illinois, you like to stay up-to-date on all the current slang, hence why your most searched nickname online is bae.
Indiana’s Most Searched Nicknames: Babe
Indiana keeps their relationships casual by searching for nicknames like babe. Hoosiers have work to do and don’t have the time to mince words.
Iowa’s Most Searched Nickname: Sugar
It’s only natural that Iowa’s most searched nickname would be sugar, considering how important the agricultural industry is to them.
Kansas’ Most Searched Nickname: Princess
Just like Dorothy Gail could love her home and still wish for the adventure in Oz, Kansans want to escape their planted fields by looking up nicknames like princess to sweep their loved ones off their feet.
Kentucky’s Most Searched Nickname: Baby
Whether you’re traveling through on your way to the Kentucky Derby or you’ve got generations planted in the Kentucky soil, your most searched nickname is probably baby.
Louisiana’s Most Searched Nickname: Handsome
With a good portion of the state below sea level and the threat of hurricanes, high temperatures, and gators lingering around every corner, it’s no wonder that Louisiana’s most searched nickname would be unexpected. The nickname handsome gives lovely contrast to the casual state.
Maine’s Most Searched Nickname: Sweetie
When you’re cracking into lobster claws at one of Maine’s many ocean-side restaurants, you might look up a nickname or two to call your date. And the most likely one you’d pick in that part of the country is sweetie.
Maryland’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
For the Washington D.C. commuters that don’t call Virginia home, Maryland is the beautiful respite they get from the bustle of capital life. So, of course, the state’s most searched nickname is beautiful.
Massachusetts’ Most Searched Nickname: Bae
Home to Harvard, the Red Sox, and one of the most recognizable (and imitated) American accents, Massachusetts doesn’t need to make romance an art. Instead, they’re focused on searching nicknames that get straight to the point, like bae.
Michigan’s Most Searched Nickname: Darling
When you’ve resigned yourselves to living in the brittle near-Canadian cold in Michigan, you’ve got to keep things endearing at home. So, you’ll end up searching nicknames like darling to warm up your relationship with.
Minnesota’s Most Searched Nickname: Baby
In order to keep yourself from getting the boot in the iconic boot state, you need to arm yourself with some rock solid cute nicknames to call your lover. The most searched in your state? Baby.
Mississippi’s Most Searched Nickname: Darling
Mississippi keeps true to their southern roots with their most searched nickname. After all, a deep southern state like Ole Miss couldn’t be caught dead calling their partners anything other than darlin’.
Missouri’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
Missourians have been known to divide themselves over various issues in the past, but one thing they agree on is that beautiful’s the best nickname in the bunch.
Montana’s Most Searched Nickname: Angel
Yellowstone might have put Montana back on the cultural map, but Montanans have always had a penchant for the imaginative if their most searched nickname’s anything to go off of. After all, angel is one endearing way to call your loved one to the dinner table.
Nebraska’s Most Searched Nickname: Sweetie
Nebraskans love to talk fondly about their state, so it’s unsurprising that they’d want to speak just as sweetly to their loved ones, as the most searched nickname sweetie implies.
Nevada’s Most Searched Nickname: Darling
As Nevadans know, there’s so much more to the state than the infamous strip. And for the thousands of residents outside of its neon purview, they like to search the nickname darling.
New Hampshire’s Most Searched Nickname: Bae
One of the New England cluster that often gets overlooked by its louder neighbors, New Hampshire’s most searched nickname is bae.
New Jersey’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
New Jersey has quite the reputation, due in large part to MTV’s hit reality series The Jersey Shore. Yet, Jerseyans might be a little rough around the edges, but they know how to reel a crush in with the endearing nickname beautiful.
New Mexico’s Most Searched Nicknames: Sweetie
Spread out on the arid desert floor, taking in the muted but rich earthy reds and browns around you, you’ll turn to your partner and probably call them sweetie.
New York’s Most Searched Nickname: Baby
It’s New York, baby! The city that never sleeps would settle for nothing other than the most classic and universal nickname of them all – baby.
North Carolina’s Most Searched Nickname: Hottie
North Carolina’s always been a bit more forward than its buttoned-up Carolinas counterpart, taking risks and pushing southern culture to new places. The same can be said for its most searched nickname: hottie.
North Dakota’s Most Searched Nickname: Honey
Although honey’s typically associated with southern sentiments, North Dakota loves it too if its search history is anything to go off of.
Ohio’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
Smack-dab in the Midwest, Ohio joins many of its sister states with its most searched nickname: beautiful.
Oklahoma’s Most Searched Nickname: Darling
“Oooooooklahoma, where the wind goes sweeping down the plain,” and where people are looking up the nickname darling on the internet.
Oregon’s Most Searched Nickname: Sweetheart
One of the most forgotten states in the Union, Oregon, doesn’t get the credit it’s beautiful landscape deserves. And with a top nickname search like sweetheart, it’s impossible not to feel a little love for it.
Pennsylvania’s Most Searched Nickname: Hottie
From the rough streets of Philly to the coal mines across the state, Pennsylvania is full of interesting people who search for things like ‘hottie’ online.
Rhode Island’s Most Searched Nickname: Bae
As the smallest state, Rhode Island has a quirky reputation to protect. So, it’s most searched nickname couldn’t be something boring like honey. Instead, it’s bae.
South Carolina’s Most Searched Nickname: Sweetheart
There’s nothing more stereotypically South Carolina than Carolinians unanimously deciding that sweetheart is the best nickname of choice.
South Dakota’s Most Searched Nickname: Sugar
South Dakota’s best known for the giant slab of rocks carved to resemble four presidents and blue-collar life. But don’t let these Midwesterners fool you, they’ll charm you with a smile and a ‘sugar.’
Tennessee’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
Take one look at the rolling landscape and the heart-warming music that comes from the deeply spiritual state, and you can see why its most searched nickname is beautiful.
Texas’ Most Searched Nickname: Darling
If there was ever a nickname that just embodied the people of its chosen state, darling and Texas would be that mythical pairing.
Utah’s Most Searched Nickname: Darling
With a deeply rooted religious community comprising most of Utah’s population, it’s unsurprising that they wouldn’t be looking up a nickname any more daring than darling on the internet.
Vermont’s Most Searched Nickname: Beautiful
Just like New Hampshire, Vermont’s one of those states that tends to fade in the background. And their nickname – beautiful – is just as uncontroversial as they seem to be.
Virginia’s Most Searched Nickname: Love
Their advertising says that Virginia is for lovers, so of course their most searched nickname is love.
Washington’s Most Searched Nickname: Darling
Washington’s most searched nickname’s darling, which does well to counter social media’s “Pacific northwest is the serial killer stomping ground” reputation.
West Virginia’s Most Searched Nickname: Hottie
Much like North Carolina is to South Carolina, West Virginia’s often considered the controversial rule breaker of the Virginia territory. In keeping with the theme, its most searched nickname is hottie.
Wisconsin’s Most Searched Nickname: Angel
The cheeseheads got a little creative with their most searched nickname. Instead of something simple like baby or darling, they went ethereal with angel.
Wyoming’s Most Searched Nickname: Sugar
In horse country like Wyoming, you’re well acquainted with sugar in all its forms, whether it’s to sweeten your biscuits, feed your horses, or call your lovers.
How Does Your State Measure Up?
Whether you fell in line with your state’s stats or you broke the mold with your favored nickname, the fact that we love to call our loved ones by anything other than their names lives on.
