List of ethnic sports team and mascot names explained

Many sports teams are named for an ethnic group or similar category of people. Though these names typically refer to a group native to the area in which the sports team is based, many teams take their names from groups which are known for their strength (such as Spartans or Vikings), despite not being located near the historic homes of these groups.

Professional teams

American

• Allen Americans (ECHL) – Allen, Texas, USA
• Houston Texans (National Football League) – Houston, Texas, USA
• New York Knicks (NBA), the name "Knick" is a shortened version of the word "Knickerbocker", a term which comes from a pseudonym used by Washington Irving in his book, A History of New York. The term was used to refer to the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of New York. Later, by extension, the term was used to describe New Yorkers in general.
• New York Yankees (Major League Baseball) – New York City, New York, USA
• Rochester Americans (American Hockey League) – Rochester, New York, USA
• Tri-City Americans (Western Hockey League) – Kennewick, Washington, USA

• FC Bayern Munich (Association football) – Munich, Germany

Boers

• Indios del Bóer ("Indians of the Boer") (Baseball) - Managua, Nicaragua

Canadians in general

• Vancouver Canucks (National Hockey League) – Vancouver, British Columbia

• Les Canadiennes de Montréal (Canadian Women's Hockey League) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Montreal Canadiens (National Hockey League) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada

• Boston Celtics (NBA) – Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Celta de Vigo – Galician football team whose name reflects Celtic people.
• Celtic FC – Scottish football team whose name reflects Celtic people, both Scottish and Irish.
• Hibernian FC – Scottish football club reflecting Irish origins.
• London Irish (Premiership Rugby) – Brentford, Greater London, England

• London Cornish (Rugby Union) – London, England

Cossacks

• Vinnytski Haidamaky (Ukrainian Hockey Championship) – Vinnytsia, Ukraine
• Kozakken Boys (Tweede Divisie) — Werkendam, Netherlands

• Al Masry SC – Port Said, Egypt
• Egypt national football team The Pharaohs – Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt

• Mumbai Indians, Cricket, (Indian Premier League) – Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

See main article: List of sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples.

Italian

• Brooklyn Italians – U.S. Football (soccer) team based in Brooklyn, New York
• Audax Italiano – Chilean Football club based in La Florida

• Polonia Warsaw – Polish Football (soccer) team, founded when Poland was not an independent country

• Rospiggarna (Allsvenskan)

• The England Saxons, the country's second men's rugby union XV, formerly known as England A

• Edmonton Scottish (AMSL) – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• Highlanders, a team based in Otago, New Zealand, named for the Scottish population of the area.
• London Scottish F.C. (RFU Championship) – Richmond, London, England
• Victoria Highlanders (USL League Two) – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Spaniards

• Deportivo Español, Parque Avellaneda, Argentina
• RCD Espanyol, Barcelona
• Real Club España, Mexico City
• San Diego Padres (MLB), San Diego, California, USA
• Unión Española, Independencia, Chile

Alavese

• Deportivo Alavés, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

Asturians

• Asturias F.C., Mexico City

• Canberra Raiders (NRL) – Canberra, Australia – viking logo
• Canberra Vikings (NRC) – Canberra, Australia
• Minnesota Vikings (NFL) – Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
• Viking FK (Eliteserien) – Stavanger, Norway
• Víkingur (Úrvalsdeild) – Reykjavík, Iceland

School and youth teams

Arabs

• Coachella Valley High School, Coachella, California, USA. The nickname has been changed to "Mighty Arabs" and the cartoonish "Arab" mascot and logo have been retired.^[1]

Athenians

• Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles, California

Britons

• Albion College, Albion, Michigan

Cajuns

See also: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

Celtics

• Carlow University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Dutchmen

• Hope College, Holland, Michigan – Flying Dutchmen
• Union College, Schenectady, New York
• Edgerton High School, Edgerton, Minnesota – Flying Dutchmen

Gaels

• Bishop Gorman High School, Las Vegas

See also: Iona Gaels.

See also: Saint Mary's Gaels.

Irish

See also: Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Indigenous peoples

See also: List of college sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples.

See also: List of secondary school sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples.

Norse

• Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
• Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky

Saxons

• Alfred University, Village of Alfred, New York

Scots/Highlanders

• Alma College, Alma, Michigan – Scots
• Carlmont High School, Belmont, California – Scots
• College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio – Fighting Scots
• Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Georgia – Scots

See also: Edinboro Fighting Scots. • Heathwood Hall Episcopal school, Columbia, South Carolina – highlanders

• Gordon College, Boston, Massachusetts – Fighting Scots
• Incline High School, Incline Village, Nevada - Highlanders
• Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas – Scots
• Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minnesota – Fighting Scots
• McHenry County College, McHenry County, Illinois – Scots
• MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois – mascot is the Highlander
• Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee – Scots
• Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois – Fighting Scots

See also: NJIT Highlanders.

• Ohio Valley University, Vienna, West Virginia – Fighting Scots
• Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina – Nickname is Blue Hose, mascot is Scotty the Scotsman

See also: Radford Highlanders.

• Rochester Adams High School, Rochester Hills, Michigan - Highlanders
• Shadle Park High School, Spokane, Washington – Highlanders (Based on the Henderson Clan)

See also: UC Riverside Highlanders.

Swedes

• Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas – Terrible Swedes

Tartars

• El Camino College Compton Center, Compton, California
• Compton High School, Compton, California – In reference to the college, the high school is the "tarbabes".

Trojans

See also: Little Rock Trojans.

See also: Troy Trojans.

See also: USC Trojans.

Vandals

See also: Idaho Vandals.

Vikings

• Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois

See also: Augustana University Vikings.

• Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, Minnesota

See also: Cleveland State Vikings.

• Downey High School, Downey, California
• Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois
• Lynbrook High School, San Jose, California
• Miamisburg High School, Miamisburg, Ohio
• Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky – Nickname is Norse; mascot is Victor E. Viking.

See also: Portland State Vikings.

See also: Western Washington Vikings.

Defunct names

• Atlanta Black Crackers – (Negro league baseball team)
• C.D. Euzkadi (Spanish; Castilian: los vascos, "the Basques") - Mexican football team (1938-1939)
• Cleveland Indians - (Major League Baseball team), Cleveland, Ohio, now the Guardians
• Cincinnati Cubans – (Negro league baseball team)
• Edmonton Eskimos – (Canadian Football League) – Edmonton, Alberta. Name use discontinued in 2020. Team rebranded as Edmonton Elks in 2021 after interim period as "EE Football Team."
• Hermosillo Seris
• Hofstra Flying Dutchmen, now the "Pride"
• Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen, today the "Prairie Wolves"
• New York Americans – (National Hockey League, 1925–1941)
• New York Black Yankees – (Negro league baseball team)
• New York Cubans – (Negro league baseball team)
• Pekin High School (Pekin, Illinois) Chinks, now the "Dragons"
• Quebec Nordiques – (WHA 1972–1979, NHL 1979–1995)
• San Antonio Black Indians – (Negro league baseball team)
• Sonoma State University Cossacks, now the Seawolves
• Washington Redskins (National Football League) – Washington, D.C., USA, now the Commanders
• Wayne State Tartars, now the Warriors.

See also

• Mascot
• Indigenous peoples
• List of university and college nickname changes in the United States

Notes and References

1. News: California high school drops controversial Arab mascot. September 12, 2014. Philip J. Victor. Nadeem Muaddi. Al Jazeera.