The Word “Hillbilly” Wasn’t an Accident

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]Ever wonder where the word hillbilly actually came from? There are two stories. And the truth matters. Some say it comes from Scottish supporters of King Billy, William of Orange, back in the 1600s.

[00:00:13]They were called Billy boys. When Scots-Irish settlers came to Appalachia, the story goes they brought that identity with them, hill people, King Billy's people, hillbillies. It's a powerful origin story. But scholars say that's folk etymology. There's no proof the word existed in America until 1892.

[00:00:34]That year, it appeared in the Railroad Trainman's Journal. A worker complained, "I don't think it is right to hire some hillbilly and give him the same right as I." That's the first recorded use. By 1900, the New York Journal defined a hillbilly as a poor, uncivilized white citizen who lives in the hills, drinks whiskey, and fires off his revolver.

[00:00:57]Notice the framing. The word became a weapon to justify discrimination and exploitation.

[00:01:04]Whether it came from Scottish pride or American prejudice, one thing is clear.

[00:01:09]It was used against us, and we've been reclaiming it ever since. Comment which origin story you believe and follow for more Appalachian truth.