Short answer:
For Virginia, especially the University of Virginia, “Hoos” is a nickname for UVA students, fans, alumni, and sports teams, shortened from the older term “Wahoos.”

What “Hoos” Means for Virginia

  • “Hoos” is the casual, everyday name UVA people use for themselves and their teams (as in “Go Hoos!”).
  • It comes from “Wahoos,” an older nickname that grew into a core part of UVA identity and school spirit.
  • Today, “Hoos” basically means “UVA community” — students, alumni, and supporters.

You’ll see it everywhere around Charlottesville: in chants (“Wahoowa”), on merch, and in UVA media like UVA Today’s “So Hoos Asking?” series.

Quick origin story (why “Hoos”?)

  1. In the late 1800s, Washington & Lee baseball fans supposedly mocked UVA players by calling them “Wahoos” during a rivalry game.
  1. UVA students flipped the insult into a badge of pride, using “Wahoos” for themselves and their teams.
  1. Over time, student newspapers and everyday speech shortened it to “Hoos,” which is now the most common form.

There’s also a popular legend that a “wahoo” is a fish that can drink twice its weight, which got tied into UVA’s party‑school lore, but that’s more fun myth than formal history.

How “Hoos” fits with “Cavaliers”

  • Official mascot: Cavaliers (used more in formal/media contexts).
  • Unofficial but dominant nickname: Wahoos/Hoos (used by students, fans, and in UVA culture).

So when people say “Hoos” in a Virginia context, they’re almost always talking about the University of Virginia community and its teams, not the state in general.

TL;DR: “Hoos” is UVA’s proud nickname for its people and teams, born from “Wahoos,” an old rivalry taunt that the university turned into a symbol of school spirit and identity.
[9][1][5] Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.