Mr. Tico- What’s in a name?
Costa Ricans love their country, their culture and way of life, and for a reason. This reflects in the way they call themselves; rather than the more-formal 'costarricense' (Costa Rican), they are usually referred to as ‘tico’ (‘ticos’ in plural), even by other Spanish-speaking countries.
The explanation for this term is somewhat complex for a non-Spanish speaker, but we’ll try to clarify anyway. In the Spanish language it’s common to lengthen a diminutive, with the purpose of expressing affection. Let’s skip the grammar and go straight to an example:

The Spanish ‘Chiquito’, which means ‘boy’ (also a synonym of ‘small’), in its diminutive form will be said ‘chiquitito’ (small boy). In Costa Rica they change the diminutive into ‘chiquitico’, being the only Spanish speaking country to have the tendency to use the suffix ‘–tico’ (instead of ‘-ito). Therefore the people of Costa Rica use the term ‘tico’ to refer to themselves and each other. And they are proud of it, too!