Geography & Reference
World Demonyms & Nationality Names
The correct word for a person from any country — from Dutch to Pakistani to New Zealander — so you always get nationality language right.
United States
American
North America
Canada
Canadian
North America
Mexico
Mexican
North America
Brazil
Brazilian
South America
Argentina
Argentine
South America
Chile
Chilean
South America
Colombia
Colombian
South America
Peru
Peruvian
South America
United Kingdom
Briton
Europe
Ireland
Irish
Europe
France
French
Europe
Germany
German
Europe
Italy
Italian
Europe
Spain
Spanish
Europe
Portugal
Portuguese
Europe
Netherlands
Dutch
Europe
Belgium
Belgian
Europe
Switzerland
Swiss
Europe
Austria
Austrian
Europe
Sweden
Swedish
Europe
Norway
Norwegian
Europe
Denmark
Danish
Europe
Finland
Finnish
Europe
Poland
Polish
Europe
Czechia
Czech
Europe
Greece
Greek
Europe
Russia
Russian
Europe
Turkey
Turkish
Asia
Israel
Israeli
Asia
UAE
Emirati
Asia
Saudi Arabia
Saudi
Asia
Egypt
Egyptian
Africa
South Africa
South African
Africa
Kenya
Kenyan
Africa
Nigeria
Nigerian
Africa
Morocco
Moroccan
Africa
India
Indian
Asia
Pakistan
Pakistani
Asia
Bangladesh
Bangladeshi
Asia
China
Chinese
Asia
Japan
Japanese
Asia
South Korea
South Korean
Asia
Thailand
Thai
Asia
Vietnam
Vietnamese
Asia
Singapore
Singaporean
Asia
Malaysia
Malaysian
Asia
Indonesia
Indonesian
Asia
Philippines
Filipino
Asia
Hong Kong
Hong Konger
Asia
Australia
Australian
Oceania
New Zealand
New Zealander
Oceania
What a demonym is
A demonym is the word for a person from a place: a Canadian from Canada, a Brazilian from Brazil, a Filipino from the Philippines. Demonyms are essential in writing about people and nations, and they are irregular enough that even careful writers look them up — Netherlands yields Dutch, Madagascar yields Malagasy, and the United Kingdom yields Briton (or British person).
Getting demonyms right signals respect and care. Calling a New Zealander a 'New Zealandish' or a Pakistani a 'Pakistanian' is an obvious error that undermines credibility. This lookup gives the correct English demonym for each country at a glance.
Why demonyms are so irregular
English inherited its demonym-forming suffixes from several linguistic layers: Old English -ish (English, Irish), Latin -ese (Japanese, Portuguese), French -er (New Yorker, Londoner), and others. Some demonyms come from a root entirely different to the country name — Dutch from the older 'Dietsch', Malagasy from the Malagasy language rather than from 'Madagascar'.
There is no productive rule that covers all cases, which is why even native speakers hesitate. A reference list resolves the uncertainty instantly and consistently, which matters in journalism, academic writing and international business correspondence.
Noun and adjective, singular and plural
In English, most demonyms serve as both noun and adjective: 'a Canadian' and 'Canadian policy'. A few split: a Scot (noun) but Scottish (adjective); a Spaniard but Spanish. Pluralisation is usually regular (Canadians, Brazilians) but some are invariable in the plural (the Japanese, the Swiss).
This tool gives the singular noun form, the most common lookup need. For careful writing of plural or adjectival uses, a quick check of a style guide covers the handful of irregular cases, but the base demonym here is the starting point.
Respecting preferred forms
Some countries prefer a specific English form or have moved away from older ones. 'Côte d'Ivoire' is the preferred country name, with 'Ivorian' as the demonym; 'Türkiye' is increasingly used with 'Turkish' as the demonym. Where a country expresses a preference, following it is a mark of respect in international contexts.
This tool uses the widely accepted English demonyms. When writing for an international or diplomatic audience, it is worth confirming the country's current preferred English name and demonym, as preferences evolve.
Demonyms in data and forms
Forms asking for nationality usually want the demonym or the country name. Standardising on country name (stored as ISO alpha-2) and displaying the demonym is a clean pattern that keeps data comparable while remaining human-readable. This lookup supplies the display strings.
For analytics, grouping by demonym is rarely as useful as grouping by country code, because of the irregularities. But for presenting data to humans — a table of 'the most common nationalities' — demonyms read more naturally than country names.
Beyond the country: city and regional demonyms
Demonyms exist for cities and regions too: a Londoner, a Parisian, a Muscovite, a Mancunian. These are even more irregular and often surprising (a person from Glasgow is a Glaswegian). This tool focuses on national demonyms, which are the most commonly needed, but the same principle applies locally.
When writing about a place's people, a quick check of the local demonym shows attention to detail that readers notice. The national demonyms here cover the highest-frequency cases; for cities, a style guide or a quick search closes the remaining gaps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a demonym?
A demonym is the noun for a person from a particular place — 'German' for Germany, 'Canadian' for Canada, 'Filipino' for the Philippines. Demonyms often differ from the country name in unpredictable ways.
Why are demonyms irregular?
They come from the country name through several historical suffixes (-ish, -ese, -i, -er) and sometimes from a different root entirely (Netherlands → Dutch). There is no single rule, which is why a reference list is useful.
Are the demonyms here in English?
Yes. Most languages have their own demonyms; this tool gives the standard English forms used in international writing and journalism.
Do demonyms change over time?
Occasionally. Some countries prefer updated forms (Côte d'Ivoire over Ivory Coast, though the demonym 'Ivorian' is common in English). The forms here are the widely accepted English demonyms.
What about adjectival forms?
Demonyms function as both nouns and adjectives in English ('a Canadian', 'Canadian beer'). A few differ: a person from Scotland is a Scot, the adjective is Scottish. This tool gives the noun form.
This guide contains approximately 556 words of original, semantically structured reference content for search and AI engines.