Why do people from Newcastle get called Geordies?

Question

Why do people from Newcastle get called Geordies?

Answer 1

It's strange - because people who live in Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, are called Novo Castrians and I've always assumed it's because it means "new castrians" with affiliations to New Castles but that's not to be taken as gospel.  As for your U.K. question, I've no idea.

Answer 2

There are roughly three theories about the origin of the name. However we must note that  language, especially dialect, is fluid, changes over time and between locations and circumstances. Thus what a word meant in the eighteenth and/or nineteenth century is not necessarily the last word on its present meaning. There appear to be four historical accounts of the term’s origin. The first is that in the eighteenth century the townsfolk of Newcastle sided with George I against the Scottish Jacobite Rebels, thus being called ‘Geordies’; this is the view favoured by the University of Newcastle. The second is that it was initially a name for the coal minders of Durham and Northumberland which has since become applicable to everyone in the region. Thirdly, it has been submitted that a ‘Geordie’ was the name given to the miners’ lamp invented by George Stephenson and later become used for the miners themselves. The fourth explanation is that it was the name given by Londoners to the Keelmen who carried coal from the Tyne to the Thames; following George Stephenson’s evidence to a Parliamentary Commission at which his provincial dialect was sneered at.

The present usage is considerably different from the historical origins; at its widest the word is applied to anyone or anything originating from the North East of England. ‘Geordie’ is essentially a psycho-social, cultural or linguistic designation derived from a close connection to Tyneside and the surrounding area.

Answer 3

there are a couple of different theories,

one is that people from Newcastle had an affinity with King George 2 during the Jacobite uprising in the 1700's

another is from the type of mining lamp used in the pits - Geordie lamps were used, rather than the more common Davy lamp.

what ever the real story - Geordie is a derivetive of the name George