Residents of Chelsea, Que. have a new nickname

The town hall in Chelsea, Que. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

Residents of Chelsea, Que. will now be known as ‘Chelsiens.’

The municipality north of Ottawa and Gatineau unveiled its new demonym during a special council meeting Monday evening.

“A demonym is more than just a word: it’s a citizen-led expression, born from the community, that strengthens our sense of belonging and connects future generations,” Mayor Pierre Guénard said on Facebook.

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part in the process.”

Chelsea unveiled the new demonym with the sign “I am Chelsien.”

As part of the town’s 150th anniversary, officials asked residents for suggestions for a distinctive name to identify residents.

The demonym had to be “well pronounced in both official languages” and “gender inclusive or gender-neutral,” according to the municipality. Submissions needed to be approved by Quebec’s body responsible for managing place names in Quebec before it was approved by council.

Sixty proposals were received during the public consultation process, with 24 making it to the shortlist based on the required criteria.

Other suggestions included Chelsois, Chelski and Chelseacois. The municipality said in a news release that Chelsien was the only citizen proposal that received a community approval rating of over 50 per cent.

“What an honor to unveil this new demonym on our 150th anniversary! It embodies the pride, vitality, and unity of Chelsea, and I am confident that it will continue to bring us together and nurture our sense of belonging for years to come,” Guénard said.

The municipality is nearly evenly split between speakers of both official languages, with about 47.8 per cent of residents using English as their first language, according to the 2021 census.

Ottawa residents are known as Ottawans.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s William Eltherington