Why Is Connecticut Called “The Nutmeg State”?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 31, 2020

Connecticut is called “The Nutmeg State” because its colonial residents were so persuasive that they could sell a wooden nutmeg. Another theory states that the sobriquet comes from the trade in nutmegs that Connecticut merchants did during the colonial period.

Some historians believe that the first theory may be based on a misconception: perhaps the merchants from Connecticut sold nutmegs to ignorant buyers who did not realize that they had to grate the woody nutmegs in order to unleash their spiciness. “The Nutmeg State” is not Connecticut’s official nickname; that honor has belonged to “The Constitution State” since 1959. “The Land of Steady Habits” and “The Provision State” are the state’s other nicknames.