Originally, Nantucketers were people who were native to and whose ancestors were native to Nantucket Island. After Nantucketers realized that the effects of the Event were permanent, visitors and Coast Guardsmen were integrated into the definition.
Although there were some visitors, most were inhabitants of the island because the tourist season had not yet begun. In all the entire population of Nantucket was around 7000 people right after the Event. In the years after the Event the locals had a population explosion and immigrants from bronze age Britain helped add to a greater population. The Nantucketers were led by Jared Cofflin.