George Washington University announced today the school’s new nickname is the Revolutionaries. The moniker replaces the now-defunct name, the Colonials.
The new nickname is three years in the making. The university has been ruminating on a moniker change since summer 2020 (a period of renamings across the DC area), forming a special committee to discuss the matter. Last June, the school announced it would be retiring the Colonials nickname, and a university press release noted that “given the division among the community about the moniker, it can no longer serve its purpose as a name that unifies.” The university shared ten potential replacements in February, including Blue Fog, Catalysts, and, of course, the Revolutionaries.
The latter option prevailed. In a trajectory similar to the American Revolution, the Revolutionaries have overtaken the Colonials. A university press release announcing the name says the Revolutionaries is a nod to the university’s students and staff who “are not afraid to break boundaries and change the game.” (Blue Fog could never!)
The university will start using the Revolutionaries in the upcoming scholastic year, releasing updated merch with the new nickname.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
