Ask the Editor

Why is New York City called “The Big Apple”?

Question

Why is New York City called The Big Apple?  —  SP Lee , United States

Answer

There are many ideas about how and why people started calling New York City “The Big Apple.” It can be difficult to know exactly when or why a new term or name for something started being used. The first recorded use of the nickname “The Big Apple” that we know of is from a 1909 book titled “The Wayfarer in New York” written by Edward S. Martin.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s the nickname was used in horse racing and jazz music circles. Some think it was used to say that if you raced your horse or played your music in The Big Apple you were successful.

In the 1970’s the city itself began to use the name in marketing campaigns and it became very popular, and now it is widely used by many people.