A demonym ( /ˈdɛmənɪm/), also referred to as a gentilic, is a name for a resident of a locality. A demonym is usually—though not always—derived from the name of the locality;^[1] thus, the demonym for the people of Britain is British, and the demonym for the people of Italy is Italian, yet the one used in the English language for the people of the Netherlands is Dutch (in Dutch Nederland/Nederlander).

[edit] About the term demonym

The word demonym comes from the Greek word for "populace" (δῆμος demos) with the suffix for "name" (-onym).

National Geographic Magazine attributes this term to Merriam-Webster editor Paul Dickson.^[2] It was subsequently popularized in this sense in 1997 by Dickson in his book Labels for Locals.^[3] Dickson himself attributed the term to George H. Scheetz in What Do You Call a Person From...? A Dictionary of Resident Names (the first edition of Labels for Locals).^[4] The term first appeared in Names' Names: A Descriptive and Prescriptive Onymicon by George H. Scheetz.^[1] The term is foreshadowed in demonymic, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as the name of an Athenian citizen according to the deme to which he belonged, with first usage traced to 1893.^[5][6]

The term demonym is not widely employed or known outside geographical circles and does not yet appear in mainstream dictionaries. It is used by some geographers, both online and within their studies and teaching.^[7]

Some places, particularly smaller cities and towns, may not have an established word for their residents; toponymists have a particular challenge in researching these. In some countries, like Belgium and Luxembourg, there is strong tradition of "demonym-like nicknames", called blason populaire in French. In some cases, this blason populaire is frequently used as the name of the inhabitants.

Demonyms as roots[link]

While many demonyms are derived from placenames, many countries are named for their inhabitants (Finland for the Finns, Germany for the Germans, Thailand for the Thais, Denmark for the Danes, France for the Franks, Slovakia for the Slovaks, and Slovenia for the Slovenes). Tribes and peoples generally have a longer continuous history than their countries; tribal names often imply a descent from a single ancestor, such as Rus as the legendary ancestor of the Russians. In Bantu languages the name of the land and the name of the inhabitants will have a common root distinguished by different prefixes (e.g. Buganda, land, and Baganda, inhabitants).

Adjectives as placenames[link]

Some placenames originated as adjectives. In such cases the placename and the demonym are often the same word. This dual function is very common in French, where for example Lyonnais means either the region or an inhabitant of Lyon. Examples include:

• Argentina: properly República Argentina (Argentine Republic) or Tierra Argentina (Land of Silver), from Latin argentum (silver). In English, the Spanish form Argentina is used for the country, the parallel English form Argentine as demonym and general adjective. The adjectival forms of Argentinean or Argentinian are used in the United Kingdom; however, the Oxford English Dictionary lists Argentine as the correct demonym.^[5] (Argentinian is a demonym for the Argentine, an archaic name for Argentina, and hence a less direct derivation.)
• Brazil: from pau brasil (pau: wood; brasil: ember-red color), the name of a native Brazilian tree highly regarded by the Portuguese explorers. The adjective brasil (Brazil in the old Portuguese spelling) came to be the official name for the whole country and lost its adjectival nature.
• Philippines: from Philippine Islands (Spanish: Islas Filipinas), named after King Philip II of Spain. Here, Philippine is the general adjective, while the Spanish masculine noun Filipino is the demonym. The English plural is Filipinos, as in Spanish.

Suffixation[link]

The English language uses several models to create demonyms. The most common is to add a suffix to the end of the location's name, slightly modified in some instances. These may be modeled after Late Latin, Semitic, Celtic or Germanic suffixes, such as:

• -(a)n (countries / continents: Africa → African, Albania → Albanian, Algeria → Algerian, America → American, Andorra → Andorran, Angola → Angolan, Antigua → Antiguan, Armenia → Armenian, Asia → Asian, Australia → Australian, Austria → Austrian, Barbados → Bajan, Bolivia → Bolivian, Bosnia → Bosnian, Brunei → Bruneian, Bulgaria → Bulgarian, Cambodia → Cambodian, Chile → Chilean, Colombia → Colombian, Costa Rica → Costa Rican, Croatia → Croatian, Cuba → Cuban, El Salvador → Salvadoran, Eritrea → Eritrean, Estonia → Estonian, Ethiopia → Ethiopian, Europe → European, Fiji → Fijian, Gambia → Gambian, Georgia → Georgian, Germany → German, Guatemala → Guatemalan, Guinea → Guinean, Haiti → Haitian, Honduras → Honduran, Hungary → Hungarian, India → Indian, Indonesia → Indonesian, Italy → Italian, Jamaica → Jamaican, Kenya → Kenyan, [North / South] Korea → [North / South] Korean, Latvia → Latvian, Liberia → Liberian, Libya → Libyan, Lithuania → Lithuanian, Macedonia → Macedonian, Malawi → Malawian, Malaysia → Malaysian, Mali → Malian, Mauritania → Mauritanian, Mauritius → Mauritian, Mexico → Mexican, Micronesia → Micronesian, Moldova → Moldovan, Mongolia → Mongolian, Morocco → Moroccan, Mozambique → Mozambican, Namibia → Namibian, Nauru → Nauruan, Nicaragua → Nicaraguan, Nigeria → Nigerian, Palau → Palauan, Paraguay → Paraguayan, Puerto Rico → Puerto Rican, Romania → Romanian, Russia → Russian, Saint Lucia → Saint Lucian, Samoa → Samoan, Saudi Arabia → Saudi Arabian, Singapore → Singaporean, Slovakia → Slovakian, Slovenia → Slovenian (also "Slovene"), South Africa → South African, Sri Lanka → Sri Lankan, Syria → Syrian, Tanzania → Tanzanian, Tonga → Tongan, Tunisia → Tunisian, Tuvalu → Tuvaluan, Uganda → Ugandan, United States of America → American, Uruguay → Uruguayan, Venezuela → Venezuelan, Zambia → Zambian, Zimbabwe → Zimbabwean; cities / states: Alaska → Alaskan, Alexandria → Alexandrian, Arizona → Arizonan, Atlanta → Atlantan, Baltimore → Baltimorean, Bavaria → Bavarian, California → Californian, Catalonia → Catalan, Chicago → Chicagoan, Cincinnati → Cincinnatian, El Paso → El Pasoan, Galicia → Galician, Hanoi (Vietnam) → Hanoian, Hawaii → Hawaiian, Karelia → Karelian, Louisiana → Louisianian, Miami → Miamian, Minneapolis → Minneapolitan, Minnesota → Minnesotan, Nebraska → Nebraskan, Ottawa → Ottawan, Philadelphia → Philadelphian, Regina → Reginan, Riga → Rigan, Rome → Roman, San Antonio → San Antonian, San Diego → San Diegan, San Francisco → San Franciscan, San Jose → San Josean, Sofia → Sofian, Tahiti → Tahitian, Tasmania → Tasmanian, Tucson → Tucsonan, Tulsa → Tulsan, Victoria → Victorian, Utah → Utahn)
• -ian (countries: Bahamas → Bahamian, Belarus → Belarusian, Belgium → Belgian, Bermuda → Bermudian, Brazil → Brazilian, Cameroon → Cameroonian, Canada → Canadian, Chad → Chadian, Egypt → Egyptian, Ecuador → Ecuadorian, Ghana → Ghanaian, Grenada → Grenadian, Iran → Iranian (also "Irani" or "Persian"), Jordan → Jordanian, Laos → Laotian, Maldives → Maldivian, Palestine → Palestinian, Saint Vincent → Vincentian, Trinidad → Trinidadian, Ukraine → Ukrainian; cities / states: Adelaide → Adelaidian, Athens → Athenian, Ballarat → Ballaratian, Boston → Bostonian, Brisbane → Brisbanian (also "Brisbanite"), Calgary → Calgarian, Cardiff → Cardiffian, Coventry → Coventrian, Edmonton → Edmontonian, Florida → Floridian, Fort Worth → Fort Worthian, Gibraltar → Gibraltarian, Houston → Houstonian, Isles of Scilly → Scillonian, Lethbridge → Lethbridgian, Liverpool → Liverpudlian, Louisville → Louisvillian, Madrid → Madrilenian, Manchester → Mancunian, McKinney → McKinnian, Melbourne → Melburnian, New Guinea → New Guinian, New Orleans → New Orleanian, Oregon → Oregonian, Paris → Parisian, Peterborough → Peterborian, Phoenix → Phoenician, Saskatoon → Saskatonian (Saskabusher), Washington → Washingtonian, Wellington → Wellingtonian)
• -nian (Bendigo → Bendigonian, Panama → Panamanian, Tobago → Tobagonian, Toronto → Torontonian)
• -in(e) ( Argentina → Argentine cf. above) Florence → Florentine (also Latin "Florentia"), Montenegro → Montenegrin, Philistia → Philistine)
• -ite (Ann Arbor → Ann Arborite, Austin → Austinite, Brisbane → Brisbanite (also "Brisbanian"), Chennai → Chennaite, Dallas → Dallasite, Delhi → Delhite, Denver → Denverite, Dunedin → Dunedinite, Irmo → Irmite, Israel → Israelite (also "Israeli", depending on the usage; see below), Karachi → Karachiite, Moscow → Muscovite (also Latin "Muscovia"), New Hampshire → New Hampshirite, Perth → Perthite, Ruskin → Ruskinite, Seattle → Seattleite, Seoul → Seoulite, Springfield → Springfieldianite, Spokane → Spokanite, Tokyo → Tokyoite, Vancouver → Vancouverite, Wisconsin → Wisconsinite, Wyoming → Wyomingite), mostly for cities.
• -(e)r (Amsterdam → Amsterdammer, Arkansas → Arkansawyer, Auckland → Aucklander, Beijing → Beijinger, Berlin → Berliner, Budapest → Budapester, Cleveland → Clevelander, Copenhagen → Copenhagener, Detroit → Detroiter, Dublin → Dubliner, Frankfurt → Frankfurter, Hamburg → Hamburger, Hong Kong → Hongkonger, Iceland → Icelander, Leeds → Loiner, Liechtenstein → Liechtensteiner, London → Londoner, Luxembourg → Luxembourger, Michigan → Michigander, Montreal → Montrealer, Netherlands → Netherlander (though see below; Irregular forms), New England → New Englander, New York → New Yorker, New Zealand → New Zealander (Kiwi), Pittsburgh → Pittsburgher, Prague → Praguer, Quebec → Quebecker or Quebecer (though see below; Irregular forms), Queensland → Queenslander, Saigon (Vietnam) → Saigoner, Solomon Islands → Solomon Islander, Somaliland → Somalilander, Stockholm → Stockholmer, Tallinn → Tallinner, Winnipeg → Winnipegger, Zurich → Zuricher)
• -(en)o (Los Angeles → Angeleno or Los Angeleno, Philippines → Filipino cf. above), adapted from a standard Spanish suffix -(eñ/n)o, as in salvadoreño, madrileño, malagüeño, Zamboanga City → Zamboangueño, andorrano, or chino
• -ish (Åland → Ålandish, Britain → British, Cornwall → Cornish, Denmark → Danish, England → English, Finland → Finnish, Ireland → Irish, Kurdistan → Kurdish, Poland → Polish, Scotland → Scottish, Spain → Spanish, Sweden → Swedish, Turkey → Turkish), mostly for countries
  • "-ish" is usually only proper as an adjective. Thus many common "-ish" forms have irregular demonyms, e.g. Britain/British/Briton; Denmark/Danish/Dane; England/English/Englishman; Finland/Finnish/Finn; Flanders/Flemish/Fleming; Ireland/Irish/Irishman; Kurdistan/Kurdish/Kurd; Poland/Polish/Pole; Scotland/Scottish/Scot; Spain/Spanish/Spaniard; Sweden/Swedish/Swede; Turkey/Turkish/Turk.
• -ene (Cairo → Cairene, Damascus → Damascene, Nazareth → Nazarene, Slovenia → Slovene (also "Slovenian") )
• -ensian (Kingston-upon-Hull (UK) → Hullensian)
• -ard (Spain → Spaniard, Savoy → Savoyard)
• -(l)ese (Assam → Assamese, Benin → Beninese, Bhutan → Bhutanese, Burma → Burmese (though see below; Irregular forms), Calabria → Calabrese, China → Chinese, Congo → Congolese, Da Lat (Vietnam) → Dalatese, East Timor → East Timorese, The Faroe Islands → Faroese, Gabon → Gabonese, Genoa → Genovese, Guyana → Guyanese, Hong Kong → Hongkongese, Japan → Japanese, Lebanon → Lebanese, Macau → Macanese, Malta → Maltese, Marshall Islands → Marshallese, Milan → Milanese, Nepal → Nepalese, Portugal → Portuguese, Senegal → Senegalese, Shanghai → Shanghainese, Sudan → Sudanese, Suriname → Surinamese, Taiwan → Taiwanese, Togo → Togolese, Turin → Torinese, the Tyrol → Tyrolese, Vienna → Viennese, Vietnam → Vietnamese)
  • "-ese" is usually considered proper only as an adjective, or to refer to the entirety. Thus, "a Chinese person" is used rather than "a Chinese".
  • Often used for East Asian and Francophone locations, from the similar-sounding French suffix -ais(e), which is originally from the Latin adjectival ending -ensis, designating origin from a place: thus Hispaniensis (Spanish), Danensis (Danish), etc.
• -i (Afghanistan → Afghanistani, Azawad → Azawadi, Azerbaijan → Azerbaijani, Bahrain → Bahraini, Bangladesh → Bangladeshi, Bengal → Bengali, Bihar → Bihari, Dagestan → Dagestani, Desh → Desi, Gujarat → Gujarati, Hyderabad → Hyderabadi, Iraq → Iraqi, Israel → Israeli (in the Modern State of Israel), Kashmir → Kashmiri, Kazakhstan → Kazakhstani (also "Kazakh"), Kuwait → Kuwaiti, Nepal → Nepali, Oman → Omani, Pakistan → Pakistani, Punjab → Punjabi, Qatar → Qatari, Rajasthan → Rajasthani, Sindh → Sindhi, Somalia → Somali (not Somalian), Tajikistan → Tajikistani (also "Tajik"), United Arab Emirates → United Arab Emirati, Uzbekistan → Uzbekistani (also "Uzbek"), Yemen → Yemeni), mostly for Middle Eastern and South Asian locales and in Latinate names for the various people that ancient Romans encountered (e.g. Allemanni, Helvetii)
• -ic (Hispania → Hispanic, Turk → Turkic) derives from a Latinate suffix widely used outside ethnonyms (e.g., chemical compounds), which with regard to people is mostly used adjectivally (Semite vs. Semitic, Arab/Arabian vs. Arabic) to refer to a wider ethnic or linguistic group (Turkic vs. Turkish, Finnic vs. Finnish).
• -iot(e) (Corfu → Corfiot, Cyprus → Cypriot, Phanar → Phanariote), especially for Greek locations.
• -asque (Menton → Mentonasque, Monaco → Monégasque)
• -gian (Galloway → Galwegian, Galway → Galwegian, Glasgow → Glaswegian, Norway → Norwegian)
• -onian (Aberdeen → Aberdonian, Bath → Bathonian, Dundee → Dundonian, Newport → Newportonian)
• -vian (Kraków → Krakovian, Oamaru → Oamaruvian, Oslo → Oslovian, Peru → Peruvian, Warsaw → Varsovian, Waterloo → Waterluvian)

Irregular forms[link]

There are many irregular demonyms for recently formed entities, such as those in the New World. There are other demonyms that are borrowed from the native or another language.

In some cases, both the location's name and the demonym are produced by suffixation, for example England and English and English(wo)man (derived from the Angle tribe). In some cases the derivation is concealed enough that it is no longer morphemic: France → French (or Frenchman/Frenchwoman) or Flanders → Flemish or Wales → Welsh.

In some of the latter cases the noun is formed by adding -man or -woman, for example English/Englishman/Englishwoman; Irish/Irishman/Irishwoman; Chinese/Chinese man/Chinese woman (versus the archaic or derogatory terms Chinaman/Chinawoman, which are not the preferred nomenclature).

From Latin or Latinization

• Ashbourne → Ashburnian (Essiburn)
• Colchester → Colcestrian
• Exeter → Exonian
• Halifax → Haligonian
• Leeds → Leodensian (Ledesia)
• Lviv → Leopolitan (Leopolis)
• Manchester → Mancunian (Mancunia)
• Melbourne → Melburnian (Melburnia)
• Naples → Neapolitan (Neapolis)
• Newcastle → Novocastrian (Novum Castrum)
• Orkney Islands → Orcadian (Orcadia)
• St Albans → Verulamian (Verulamium)
• Tripoli → Tripolitan (Tripolis)
• University of Cambridge → Cantabrigian
• University of Oxford → Oxonian
• Venice → Venetian

From native or other languages

• Andhra → Andhraite
• Aguascalientes (lit. "hot waters") → Hidrocálido, from Mexico's state and city.
• Barbados → Bajan A colloquial term a shortened form of Barbadian → Bar-bajan → Bajan
• Birmingham → Brummie
• Botswana → Batswana (plural), Motswana (singular)
• Brittany → Breton (from French)
• Brussels → Bruxellois (from French)
• Burkina Faso → Burkinabè
• Burma/Myanmar → Myanma
• Cambodia → Khmer (also Cambodian)
• Colchester → Colcestrian
• County Cork → Corkonian
• Dundee → Dundonian
• Fontainebleau → Bellifontain (from French)
• Glasgow → Glaswegian
• Hartlepool → Hartlepudlian
• Karnataka → Kannadiga (from the local demonym)
• Kerala → Keralite
• Kiribati → i-Kiribati
• Kosovo → Kosovar (Albanian language)
• Lesotho → Basotho (from Sesotho), Mosotho (singular)
• Liverpool → Liverpudlian or Scouser
• Lyon → Lyonnais (from French)
• Meru → Merian (Residents of Meru, Kenya)
• Mumbai → Mumbaikar (either gender), Mumbaikars
• Netherlands → Dutch (from Middle Dutch: Duuts, High German: Deutsch, or Proto-Germanic: *þeudiskaz (all three meaning "national/popular"))
• Nice → Niçois (from French)
• Niger → Nigerien (from French)
• Nunavut → Nunavummiuq (from Inuktitut)
• Paisley → Buddie
• Philippines → Pinoy (m.)/ Pinay (f.)
• Puerto Rico → Boricua
• Pegswood → Pegswardian
• Quebec → Québécois (from French)
• Rivière-du-Loup → Louperivois
• Stockport → Stopfordian
• Tamil Nadu → Tamilian
• The Hague → Hagenees (people born in the inner city), Hagenaar (people born elsewhere)
• Twente → Tukker
• Vanuatu → ni-Vanuatu

Irregular singular forms

• Bali → Balinese
• Balochistan → Balochi
• Chechnya → Chechen
• Czech Republic → Czech
• Denmark → Dane
• Finland → Finn
• Greece → Greek
• Ingushetia → Ingush
• Isle of Man → Manx
• Java → Javanese
• Kazakhstan → Kazakh
• Kurdistan → Kurd
• Kyrgyzstan → Kyrgyz
• Madagascar → Malagasy
• Poland → Pole
• Serbia → Serb
• Seychelles → Seychellois
• Slovakia → Slovak
• Soviet Union → Soviet
• Spain → Spaniard
• St Etienne→ Stephanois
• Sweden → Swede
• Switzerland → Swiss
• Tajikistan → Tajik
• Thailand → Thai
• Turkey → Turk
• Turkmenistan → Turkmen
• Uzbekistan → Uzbek

New World forms

In the case of most Canadian provinces and territories and U.S. states, it is unusual to use demonyms as attributive adjectives (for example "Manitoba maple", not "Manitoban maple"); thus they are generally used only predicatively ("Ben Franklin was Pennsylvanian") or substantively ("Eight Virginians have become Presidents of the United States"). There are some exceptions – the attributive adjective for Alaska for many is Alaskan; the same is true for Alberta (Albertan), Texas (Texan), and Hawaii (Hawaiian).

• Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío → Paisa
• Buenos Aires → Porteño (city), Bonaerense (province)
• Canada → Canadien (male), Canadienne (female), when referring to someone of French-Canadian heritage
• Quebec → Quebecker or Quebecer, English alternatives to Québécois (which may carry language and political implications)
• Halifax → Haligonian
• Toronto → Torontonian
• Waterloo → Waterluvian
• Connecticut → Connecticuter (uncommon), Nutmegger (common)
• Indianapolis → Indianapolitan
• Indiana → Hoosier
• Los Angeles → Angeleno
• Maine → Mainer
• Maryland → Marylander ( /ˈmærɨləndər/ MARR-i-lənd-ər, sometimes /ˈmɛərləndər/ MAIR-lənd-ər)
• Mexico City → Chilango
• Michigan → Michigander or Michiganian (coming from the Upper Peninsula → Yooper)
• Minneapolis → Minneapolitan
• Newfoundland and Labrador → Newfoundlander, Labradorian, Newfie (also Newf or sometimes Newfy)
• Ohio → Buckeye (nickname)
• Oklahoma → Okie (derogatory), Oklahoman (formally)
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania → Yinzer
• Phoenix, Arizona → Phoenician
• Portland → Portlander
• Rio de Janeiro → Fluminense (State), Carioca (City)
• São Paulo → Paulista (State), Paulistano (City)
• Sydney → Sydneysider
• Texas → Texan (see also Texian and Tejano)
• Wisconsin → Sconnie (see also Cheesehead)

According to Webster's New International Dictionary, 1993, a person who is a native or resident of Connecticut is a "Connecticuter", although many prefer "Connecticutian" or the slightly shorter "Connecticite"; The nickname "Nutmegger", which is not a demonym, is also used.

A person who is a native or resident of Indiana is a Hoosier, an irregular demonym whose origin is obscure. The state's official nickname is "The Hoosier State". Hoosier is also an attributive adjective (e.g.: "the Hoosier Lottery"). Demonyms like "Indianan" or "Indianian" are attributed to the state by federal publications and dictionaries, but are confusing at best and not used in practice. (Since "Indiana" literally means "land of the Indians", the historical mistake initiated by Columbus becomes inherently absurd and clunky: "of the people of the land of the Indians," or perhaps "of the land of the land of the Indians", or even "of the land of the land of the land of the people of India") A search of the state's official website at in.gov on June 16, 2010 found 13 instances of the word Indianian and 47 of the word Indianan, compared to more than 20,000 of the word Hoosier.

Double forms[link]

Some regions and populaces also have double forms, as the concepts of nation and state are diverging once more. Hence, one whose genetic ancestors were from Britain is a Briton, whereas one with a passport from the country is considered British. The Franks settled France, but the citizens are French. This may be the case for states that were formed or dissolved relatively recently. As in the examples below, another reason for double forms of demonyms may be in relation to historical, cultural or religious issues.

• Greek gods but Ode on a Grecian Urn – Greek may apply to anything connected with Greece, but Grecian is restricted to ancient culture.
• Israelite but Israeli – Israelite pertaining to the ancient tribes and kingdom of Israel; Israeli pertaining to the modern nation of the same name.
• Scotch whisky but Scottish art – Scotch used primarily for food and drink products of Scotland (broth, oats. Also mist) – in most other contexts it is archaic and often considered mildly derogatory; Scottish for anything else pertaining to Scotland. Confusingly, Scots is also used adjectivally when referring to the people of Scotland, and/or to either Scots Gaelic or Scots English (Lowlands).
• Asian refers to people or objects from Asia; Oriental refers to objects.

Due to the flexibility of the international system, the opposite is often also true, where one word might apply to multiple groups. The US Department of State states that 98 percent of the Austrian population is ethnically German,^[8] while the CIA World Factbook contradicts this assertion by saying Austrians are a separate group (see Various terms used for Germans).^[9]

Fiction[link]

Literature and science have created a wealth of demonyms that are not directly associated with a cultural group, such as Martian for hypothetical people of Mars (credited to scientist Percival Lowell), Jovian for those of Jupiter or its moons, Earthling (from the diminutive -ling, ultimately from Old English -ing meaning "descendant") as a possible name for the people of Earth (as also "Terran", "Terrene", "Tellurian", "Earther", "Earthican", "terrestrial", and "Solarian" – from Sol, the sun), and Lilliputians and Brobdingnagians from the islands of Lilliput and Brobdingnag in the satire Gulliver's Travels. Putative residents of Venus are often referred to as Venusians, although Venerians would be more consistent with the Latin etymon. Said demonyms of planets are often used astronomically to describe characteristics, such as surface, satellites, and weather, of the same planets: e.g., a Jovian storm.

Cultural problems[link]

There will often be differences between endonyms (terms used by groups themselves) and exonyms (terms used by outsiders to describe a group). Exonyms often lack the internal variety of endonyms: they often lump together groups who see themselves as distinct. For example, terms like Iroquois, Aztec, Māori, and Eskimo might be used by outsiders to refer to groups as a whole, whereas members of each of these groups will favor more differentiated endonyms. In extreme cases, groups may take an exonym as being pejorative; one prominent example is the case of the Inuit of Canada, who are often grouped together with the linguistically related but distinct Yupik people by the exonym Eskimo. Languages also might make use of grammatical differences that are lost when translated: in Czech, for example, the language is Čeština, the nation is Česká republika, and the people are Češi.

The governments of both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China officially adhere to the One-China policy, use "Chinese" to describe their nationals, and refuse to have diplomatic relations with states that recognize the other. However, in the Republic of China, consisting mostly of Taiwan, some inhabitants do not consider themselves Chinese, while others consider themselves both Chinese and Taiwanese.^[10]

Both North Korea and South Korea officially refer to their nationals simply as Koreans, since they recognize a single nationhood even if they refuse to recognize each other. They have diplomatic relations with states that recognize their rival.

The demonym for citizens of the United States of America suffers a similar problem albeit non-politically, because "American" may ambiguously refer to both the nation, the USA, and the conjoined continent pair, North and South America. The word "American" in English may to most English speakers refer exclusively to a person, place or object from the USA, but the word "americano" in Spanish would usually refer to anyone from the entire Americas, including Latin Americans, and Latin Americans speaking English might also use the word "American" in the same way. Until the United States rose to world prominence in the 20th century, many Europeans would also use the word "American" in their own languages to refer to anyone from the entire Americas (more often to those of native American descent), and not just to people from the United States.

To give a more specific English-language demonym for US citizens other than "American" however would be somewhat challenging: United Statian is awkward in English, but it exists in Spanish (estadounidense), French (étatsunien(ne), although americain(e) is preferred), Portuguese (estado-unidense or estadunidense), Italian (statunitense), and also in Interlingua (statounitese). US American (for the noun) and US-American (when used as a compound modifier preceding a noun) is another option, and is a common demonym in German (US-Amerikaner). Latin Americans (who are the most affected by this use of American) also have yanqui (Yankee) and the euphemism norteamericano/norte-americano "North American", which technically includes the USA, Mexico and Canada, but is frequently used in Spanish to refer to the United States only. Frank Lloyd Wright popularized Usonian, from the abbreviation for United States of North America, and which is used in Esperanto (country Usono, demonym Usonano, adjective usona). In the spirit of Sydneysider, Statesider is also sometimes seen. See main article: Names for Americans.

Sharing a demonym does not necessarily bring conflict. During the 1996 Olympics, the residents of Atlanta, Georgia gave a rousing applause to the Eurasian state of Georgia during the opening ceremony. Many cities that share the same name have sister city relations, such as Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain. The demonyms for the Caribbean nations Dominican Republic and Dominica, though pronounced differently, are spelled the same way, Dominican. The former country's demonym is the ordinary English adjective "Dominican", stressed on the second syllable. The demonym for Dominica, like the name of the country, is stressed on the third syllable: /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkən/. Another example is the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their nationals are both known as Congolese. Another is that of Washington D.C. and Washington State; their inhabitants are both known as Washingtonians.

A few residents of the island of Lesbos tried to ban homosexual women from being called lesbians but it was rejected by a court in Athens.^[11]

See also[link]

• List of adjectival and demonymic forms of place names
• List of regional nicknames
• Macedonia naming dispute
• Nationality
• -onym, especially ethnonym and Exonym and endonym

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up demonym or gentilic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• www.geography-site.co.uk Alphabetical list of world demonyms.
• www.everything2.com Demonyms of the World.
• www.peoplefrom.co.uk Demonyms of the United Kingdom.

Medal record
Tommie Smith (center) and John Carlos (right) showing the Black Power salute in the 1968 Summer Olympics while Silver medalist Peter Norman (left) wears an OPHR badge to show his support for the two Americans. Tommie Smith (center) and John Carlos (right) showing the Black Power salute in the 1968 Summer Olympics while Silver medalist Peter Norman (left) wears an OPHR badge to show his support for the two Americans.
Men's Athletics
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze	1968 Mexico City	200 metres
Pan American Games
Gold	1967 Winnipeg	200 metres

John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945 in Harlem, New York) is a former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics and his Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. He went on to tie the world record in the 100 yard dash and beat the 200 meters world record (although the latter achievement was never ratified). After his track career, he enjoyed brief stints in the National Football League and Canadian Football League but retired due to injury.

He became involved with the United States Olympic Committee and helped to organize the 1984 Summer Olympics. Following this he became a track coach at Palm Springs High School. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2003.

He is the author, with sportswriter Dave Zirin, of The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World, published in 2011 by Haymarket Books.

Early life[link]

Born in Harlem, New York, of Cuban^[1] descent, John Carlos was a gifted high school athlete and outstanding student who went on to study at East Texas State University on a full track-and-field scholarship. His victories in the 100 and 200-meter dash and as a member of the 4x400-meter relay helped lead ETSU to the 1967 Lone Star Conference Championship. After his first year, Carlos matriculated to San Jose State University where he was trained by future National Track & Field Hall of Fame coach, Lloyd (Bud) Winter.

Career[link]

Carlos became a founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), initially created to organize a boycott of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. At the 1968 Olympic Trials, Carlos stunned the track world when he won the 200-meter dash in 19.92 seconds, beating world-record holder Tommie Smith and surpassing his record by 0.3 seconds. Though the record was never ratified because the spike formation on Carlos' shoes ("brush spikes") was not accepted at the time, the race reinforced his status as a world-class sprinter.

Following his third-place finish behind fellow American Smith and Australian Peter Norman in the 200 at the Mexico Olympics, Carlos and Smith made headlines around the world by raising their black-gloved fists at the medal award ceremony. Both athletes wore black socks and no shoes on the podium to represent African-American poverty in the United States. In support, Peter Norman, the silver medalist who was a white athlete from Australia, participated in the protest by wearing an OPHR badge.

IOC president Avery Brundage deemed a political statement unfit for the apolitical, international forum the Olympic Games was supposed to be. In an immediate response to their actions, he ordered Smith and Carlos suspended from the U.S. team and banned from the Olympic Village. Many supporters, however, praised the men for their bravery. The men's gesture had lingering effects for all three athletes, the most serious of which were death threats against Carlos, Smith, and their families. Although it has been reported that Carlos and Smith were stripped of their medals, Carlos has indicated this is not true and his medal is with his mother.^[2]

Carlos had his greatest year in track and field in 1969, equaling the world 100-yard record of 9.1, winning the AAU 220-yard run, and leading San Jose State to its first NCAA championship with victories in the 100 and 220 and as a member of the 4x110-yard relay. He was also the gold medalist at 200 meters at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and set indoor world bests in the 60-yard dash (5.9) and 220-yard dash (20.2).

Following his track career, Carlos tried professional football, a 15th round selection in the 1970 NFL Draft, but a knee injury curtailed his one-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He then went on to the Canadian Football League where he played one season each for the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts. Following his retirement from football, Carlos worked for Puma, the United States Olympic Committee, the Organising Committee of the 1984 Summer Olympics and the City of Los Angeles.

John Carlos, 2011

In 1985, Carlos became a counselor and in-school suspension supervisor, as well as the track and field coach, at Palm Springs High School in California. In 2003, he was elected to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.

In 2005, a statue showing Carlos and Smith on the medal stand was constructed by political artist Rigo 23 and dedicated on the campus of San Jose State University.^[3]

In 2007, John Carlos was honored at the Trumpet Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Carlos is the godfather of Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams. Carlos and Williams' father ran track together in college.

In April 2008, Carlos was a torch-bearer for the Human Rights Torch, [1], which ran in parallel to the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay and focusing attention on China's human rights record.^[4][5]

On July 16, 2008, John Carlos and Tommie Smith accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for their salute, at the 2008 ESPY Awards held at NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, California.

On October 10, 2011, Carlos spoke and raised his fist at Occupy Wall Street. He said "Today I am here for you. Why? Because I am you. We’re here forty-three years later because there’s a fight still to be won. This day is not for us but for our children to come.” The following day he appeared on MSNBC and on Current TV's Countdown with Keith Olbermann.^[6]

Cultural references[link]

The best-selling 1974 album Livet är en fest by Swedish progg band Nationalteatern includes a song titled "Mr. John Carlos", which depicts the events at the medal award ceremony and the subsequent hardships of Carlos.

See also[link]

• 1968 Olympics Black Power salute
• Peter Norman

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Carlos

• Official website
• John Carlos at the Internet Movie Database
• IAAF profile for John Carlos
• 1968 Olympic 200 Meters