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.
Steven Tamayo
1 year ago
the word for people from saint pete is “criminals”
Patricia
1 year ago
If we get to vote, I’m going with Tampanians. Tampanese would be a close second.
Richard
1 year ago
“Tamperin’” with the name?
Ray Steven’s said it all in his song “You’re Never Goin’ To Tampa With Me.”
I gave up trying to find the lyrics, but I do remember one line was “you can kiss my all you wanna, while we’re in Daytona, but you’re never gonna tampa’ with me.”
Amazon.com: Profile For Jerry McDaniel: Reviews: “Elsewhere, ‘You’re Never Goin’ To Tampa With Me’, is a play on words. The song name drops a lot of cities in Florida but the reason for the song’s title has to do with southern women’s accent when saying the word, tamper, and how it comes out as, tampa. So, Tampa being a city in Florida, the song blends a song about travel during Spring break with an over-amorous man looking for love.”
Rick
1 year ago
In some old streetcar brochures from the 50’s, it mentions “Tampans”
Clark
1 year ago
I’ve always used “Tampish”. Since so few of us can claim true native status, the rest of us are left with varying degrees of Tampishness.
But I really like Tampanese! Hadn’t heard that one before.
tiny...
1 year ago
Tampi.
WP
1 year ago
My vote goes for Tampanauts or Tampanuts, but I guess if we follow along the lines of naming those from Florida I’d say “Weeeee are the Tampians my friend, and we’ll keep on fighting till the end. We are the Tampians, Weee are the Tampians. No time for losers ’cause we are the Tampians….of the world.”
jason
1 year ago
I guess I would be a Thonotosassan?
Cynthia
1 year ago
Very true that there are few real Florida natives left, much less native Tampans. My step father was a Cuban born Tampan raised in Ybor City. We always referred to ourselves as Tampans. He also spoke the Tampan language.
Proud to be A Tampan!
Cuban Bread
7 months ago
I guess it could be broken down like this, A Tampan would be anyone from the city of Tampa, native or Transplant where as a “Tampanian” is a native of Tampa (specifically Ybor or West Tampa) usually of Hispanic or Italian decent.
As for the language created by the mafia in Tampa, it’s called “Tampanian” as well, I never heard of it being called “Tampan” until I seen this blog.
The birth of the language also is a little deeper than suggested above. Although the Mob did use the language to throw Police off, that wasn’t necessarily where it originated. The Roots of the language are actually believed to have started in the neighborhoods of Ybor and West Tampa. Since Italians, Spaniards and Cubans where all living so close together Italians would learn spanish in order to get jobs at the cigar factories and vice versa, eventually the bilingualism would trickle down to the children who would go on to learn English while in school creating the creole language that is Tampanian.
Dan-O
7 months ago
Observation: If a person from Tampa is a Tampan, then a person from Canada is a Canadan. So, a Canadian would be a person from Canadia.