The were named after the people who came to California during the gold rush in 1849.
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The 49ers were gold miners that went to California to mine for gold in 1849.
Forty-Niners
It is California which was thought to be an island at the time and was popular in many books.
People were called 49ers b/c the gold rush happened in 1849, sum 80,000 people migrating to California in search of gold. People in fewer numbers also migrated in 1848, they were called 48ers.
The 49ers are important in history because they became the first major league professional sports franchise to be based in San Francisco.