Sticks of Fire reader Lindsey wants to know what we should be called:
I know that Sticks of Fire uses the term Tampan, but I have seen more references to using the word Tampanian to describe a resident of Tampa. I need the proper term for academic use, but is it simply a matter of preference? Thank you!
Hey Lindsey! Thanks for contacting us! And, what a great question. Basically, what is the demonym for people from Tampa?
The old joke was that we must be “tampons,” because the Bucs were good for only one period. But why not Tampine, Tampite, Tampanese, Tampi, Tampaner, Tampish, Tampard, Tampic, Tampese, Tampino, Tampiot, Tampegian, or Tampling? Believe it or not, some folks actually refer to us as “Tampians.”
I have heard that “Tampan” is the proper name for one born or currently living in Tampa, but many folks say “Tampanian” in order to avoid any suggestion that they might be called a Tampon.
Online discussions debating Tampan vs. Tampanian bear this out, and the Urban Dictionary (edited by anyone) cuts to the chase and just says we are Tampanians.
But these are all just opinion (plus, we went with “ask a TAMPAN,” so I went looking elsewhere.
According to the Free Dictionary and dictionary.com, a tampan is “a venomous South African tick.” But if you ask the Textile Museum, a “tampan is a small, rectangular cloth used in areas of Southern Sumatra in Indonesia.”
According to Wikipedia, the Kota Tampan site in the Lenggong valley of Malaysia may be the earliest known site of human inhabitation. The culture at Kota Tampan is referred to as Tampanian.
Back in Tampa, Florida, Wikipedia says:
The Trafficante family was credited for creating the language known in the old mafia days as “Tampan.” Tampan was a language of an Italian/Spanish dialect. It was spoken by the Mob mainly because the police could not understand the language.”
In addition, there is a Tampania Avenue (not tampaniaN) in the city, but I have no idea where that name came from.
All of this is fun stuff, but getting us no closer to an answer, so I’ll leave it up to you readers to help us out. And by the way, I’d like to hear from all Tampa Baymians - St. Petersburgers, Clearwatarians, Lutzlings and Largoids alike.