Oklahoma State Nickname: The Sooner State
Fact-checked • Updated December 14, 2025
"The Sooner State"
Also Known As:
About the Nickname The Sooner State
Oklahoma is known as the Sooner State, a nickname rooted in the events surrounding the Land Run of 1889. Sooners were settlers who entered Oklahoma Territory ahead of the official start time to claim land, often in violation of the rules. The term later spread in popular and institutional use, including its adoption by the University of Oklahoma for its athletic teams in 1908, and remains the state’s most widely recognized and established nickname.
Meaning of 'The Sooner State'
President Benjamin Harrison opened the Unassigned Lands for settlement on April 22, 1889 at exactly noon. Nearly 50,000 people waited along the borders for the signal. Some settlers crossed early and hid in ditches or brush so they could stake claims ahead of everyone else. The Indian Appropriations Act included a sooner clause that said anyone entering before the designated time would forfeit their right to claim land. People called these rule breakers Sooners. The name was an insult at first.
Legal settlers despised Sooners because they cheated the system. These early entrants grabbed the best farmland and town lots before honest participants even crossed the border. Railroad workers and surveyors who had legitimate work in the territory also used their access to claim prime locations illegally. Disputes between legal claimants and Sooners ended up in court for decades. The United States Department of the Interior finally had to step in and settle most cases. During an 1895 land run, Sooners took nearly half the available land before the official start.
The University of Oklahoma changed everything in 1908. The football team needed a nickname and chose Sooners after trying Rough Riders and Boomers first. Negative feelings about the name gradually faded over the next twenty years. By the 1920s, Oklahomans embraced Sooner as a mark of boldness and pioneer determination. The state of oklahoma nickname caught on during this period without any legislative action. License plates, university fight songs, and tourist materials now use the Sooner name throughout Oklahoma.
Other Nicknames
Boomer State
Boomers operated differently from Sooners. David L. Payne organized the Boomer Movement in the late 1870s to pressure the government into opening the Unassigned Lands. His followers believed the Homestead Act of 1862 gave them the right to settle on public land. Federal troops repeatedly expelled Boomers from Indian Territory before 1889. Dr. Morrison Munford of the Kansas City Times coined the terms Boom and Boomer to describe the settlement campaign. Boomers promoted their vision of a settler's paradise in newspaper articles and public speeches. The Santa Fe Railway Company backed their efforts because the railroad wanted to develop the region. When the land run finally happened, many Boomers who waited for the legal signal discovered Sooners had already claimed the choice sections.
Native America
Thirty-nine federally recognized Native American tribes have headquarters in Oklahoma today. Congress created Indian Territory in the 1830s as a permanent homeland for tribes forced to relocate from the Southeast. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole nations endured the Trail of Tears to reach this designated land. These groups became known as the Five Civilized Tribes. Following the Civil War, the federal government renegotiated treaties and took back portions of tribal territory, labeling them Unassigned Lands. Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory merged in 1907 to form the state. Oklahoma comes from two Choctaw words meaning red people. Museums, cultural centers, and events like the Red Earth Festival keep tribal traditions alive across the state.
Land of the Red Man
This earlier nickname acknowledged both the state's name meaning and its Native American population. Before 1907, the entire region was Indian Territory where relocated tribes governed themselves. Each nation maintained its own courts, schools, and laws. The Five Civilized Tribes attempted to create an independent state called Sequoyah in 1905, but Congress rejected their proposal. Federal lawmakers instead combined Indian Territory with Oklahoma Territory when granting statehood. Oklahoma's state seal includes symbols from all Five Tribes arranged in a star pattern. The nickname appears less often now, though it recognizes the forced removal that brought Native peoples here and their continued presence.
Interesting Facts
Fact 1 of 7
Approximately 50,000 people participated in the Land Rush of 1889, racing to claim portions of nearly 2 million acres.
Sources & References
This article has been researched using authoritative sources to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Encyclopedia entry explaining the origin of the Sooner name, from the 1889 Land Rush through its adoption as Oklahoma's unofficial nickname
Comprehensive article covering Oklahoma's history, the Land Rush of 1889, and how the Sooner State nickname developed over time