The term
Londoner refers to a person born and raised in
London, which, in this context, is traditionally defined as the
London postal district. However, with increasing
immigration and the outward growth of the
metropolitan area, the term is now more commonly defined as any inhabitant of
Greater London, although those from inner London—especially of the elder generations—may not consider them true
Londoners.
Conversely, residents of some Greater London boroughs (such as Harrow and Kingston) often identify themselves as coming from those formerly separate towns, and hence list their home county as Middlesex or Surrey respectively.
Although the term Londoner is generally accepted as covering people from Greater London in general, it is sometimes used more narrowly to mean a Cockney. Therefore, whilst all Cockneys are Londoners, not all Londoners are Cockneys, since to qualify as a true Cockney one must be born within the sound of Bow Bells, the peal of the church bells of the parish church at St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, London. Despite this, in some parts of the UK the term Cockney is incorrectly used to refer to any Londoner.
Other popular uses of the term
- The Londoner, formerly a monthly news sheet from the former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, delivered to all households in Greater London which was abolished by Boris Johnson, the new Mayor of London.
- The Londoner's Diary, the daily diary section of the London (England) Evening Standard, covering social events in the capital.
- The Londoner, a community paper in London, Ontario, Canada.
- The Londoner, a well-known pub in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok (full name: The Londoner Brew Pub).
- Londoners
, is a website created by students at City University, London.