You’ve seen it on the t-shirts. You’ve seen it on the souvenir mugs in Times Square. Maybe you’ve even seen the giant crystal apple drop on New Year’s Eve. But if you ask the average tourist—or even a lifelong Brooklynite—how did New York get its nickname, you’re going to get a lot of guesses. Most of them are wrong.
People love a good story. Some say it’s because of the prostitutes of the 19th century. Others swear it’s a reference to the families who sold fruit on the streets during the Great Depression. There’s even a persistent myth about an old brothel owner named Eve. Honestly? Those are just urban legends. The real history is way more interesting because it didn't start with high-society types or politicians. It started at the racetrack.
The Jockey, the Journalist, and the Long Island Tracks
If you want to understand the origins of "The Big Apple," you have to go back to 1920. John J. Fitz Gerald, a horse racing writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, is the man we have to thank. While he was down in New Orleans, he overheard some stable hands—specifically Black stable hands—referring to the New York racing circuit as the "Big Apple."
In the world of horse racing, New York was the big leagues. It was the place with the biggest purses, the most prestige, and the best horses. If you were a jockey or a trainer, New York was the "Big Apple" because it was the ultimate prize. It was the big time.
Fitz Gerald loved the phrase. He started using it in his columns, often under the header "Around the Big Apple." On February 18, 1924, he wrote: "The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There's only one Big Apple. That's New York."
It wasn't a marketing slogan. It was slang. It was gritty, back-of-the-house talk that Fitz Gerald brought into the mainstream. For a decade, the term lived mostly in the sports world. It was a badge of honor for the city, representing its dominance in the national pastime of gambling and speed.
Jazz Musicians Picked Up the Beat
By the 1930s, the nickname moved from the dirt of the racetrack to the smoky clubs of Harlem. Jazz musicians were a nomadic bunch, traveling from city to city to find gigs. They adopted the phrase to describe the same feeling the jockeys had: if you were playing New York, you were at the top of the mountain.
There was a popular saying among jazz cats at the time: "There are many apples on the tree, but when you pick New York City, you pick the Big Apple."
It signified the city’s status as the world capital of jazz. If you could make it at the Cotton Club or the Apollo, you had arrived. This era also gave us "The Big Apple" dance, which became a national craze in 1937. It was a circle dance involving jazz steps, and it further cemented the name in the American lexicon. However, nicknames are fickle things. As the 1940s rolled into the 50s and 60s, "The Big Apple" started to fade. People just called it "The City" or, during the darker years of the 70s, much worse things.
The 1970s: A Brand in Crisis
New York in the early 1970s was a mess. Crime was skyrocketing. The city was flirting with bankruptcy. Tourists were terrified. The image of the city was one of trash-filled streets, "Fear City" pamphlets, and a crumbling infrastructure.
Charles Gillett, the president of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau, knew he needed a miracle. He remembered the old nickname from his youth—the "Big Apple." It felt wholesome. It felt bright. It felt like something people would actually want to visit.
In 1971, Gillett launched a massive ad campaign. He printed stickers. He made posters. He convinced celebrities to wear apple pins. He worked with the legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser—the man who would later create the "I Heart NY" logo—to shift the city's brand from "dangerous concrete jungle" to "bright, delicious prize."
It worked.
The campaign was so successful that many people today assume the nickname was invented by an ad agency. While the usage was popularized by an agency, the soul of the name belongs to the horse stables and jazz clubs of fifty years prior.
Debunking the Myths: What It Isn't
We have to clear the air on a few things. You’ll often hear that the name comes from a woman named Eve who ran a famous brothel in the 1800s, and her "girls" were called "apples."
There is zero historical evidence for this.
Zero.
It’s a classic "folk etymology"—a story made up after the fact to explain a name that seems mysterious. Another common story is that during the Depression, many people sold apples on the streets to survive. While people certainly did sell apples to make ends meet, that isn't where the name originated. The nickname already existed in the racing columns of the 20s long before the market crashed in 1929.
The real history is less salacious but more meaningful. It’s a story about ambition. It’s about the people who worked the hardest jobs—stable hands and traveling musicians—recognizing that New York was the place where the stakes were highest.
Why the Name Stuck
New York is a city of superlatives. It’s always the biggest, the loudest, the most expensive. An apple is a simple, relatable fruit, but a "Big Apple" implies something substantial and rewarding. It fits the city’s ego.
Even today, when you see the "Big Apple" corner at 54th Street and Broadway—which was officially named "Big Apple Corner" in 1997 to honor John J. Fitz Gerald—you’re looking at a tribute to a sportswriter who just thought a bit of slang sounded cool.
The city has had other nicknames, of course.
- New Amsterdam: Its original name under the Dutch.
- Gotham: Popularized by Washington Irving in 1807 (he was actually insulting the city, comparing it to a village of fools in England).
- The City That Never Sleeps: Made famous by Frank Sinatra, but actually used in various forms since the late 1800s.
- The Empire City: A reference to its wealth and resources, allegedly coined by George Washington.
But none of them have the same bite as the Big Apple. It’s approachable. It’s iconic. It’s a brand that survived the city's worst decades to become a global symbol of urban success.
Actionable Takeaways for History Buffs and Travelers
If you're heading to the city and want to experience the "Big Apple" history for yourself, skip the M&M store and do these instead:
- Visit Big Apple Corner: It's at the corner of West 54th Street and Broadway. Look for the sign. This is where Fitz Gerald lived and worked at the Telegraph.
- Explore Belmont Park: While the tracks Fitz Gerald wrote about were varied, the New York racing tradition is still alive. If you want to feel the energy of the "Big Apple" as it was originally intended, head to a race.
- Jazz in Harlem: Go to Bill’s Place or the Village Vanguard. Listen to the music that kept the nickname alive during the 30s.
- Check out the Museum of the City of New York: They have incredible archives on the 1970s marketing campaign that saved the nickname from obscurity.
Understanding how did New York get its nickname changes how you see the city. It isn't just a random label. It's a testament to the fact that for over a century, regardless of the economy or the crime rate, New York has been the place where people go when they want to play for the biggest stakes. It’s the prize at the end of the race. It’s the high note at the end of the solo. It’s still the biggest apple on the tree.