View source for Glossary of names for the British

{{Short description|none}}
{{About|terms applied to people, some of which are controversial|a discussion of the overlapping terms for states/countries/nations in the United Kingdom and Ireland|Terminology of the British Isles}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

This '''glossary of names for the British''' include nicknames and terms, including affectionate ones, neutral ones, and derogatory ones to describe [[British people]], [[Irish people|Irish People]] and more specifically [[English people|English]], [[Welsh people|Welsh]], [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Northern Irish people]]. Many of these terms may vary between offensive, derogatory, neutral and affectionate depending on a complex combination of tone, facial expression, context, usage, speaker and shared past history.

== Terms for the British in English ==

=== Brit ===

'''Brit''' is a commonly used term in the [[United States]], the [[Republic of Ireland]] and elsewhere, shortened from "Briton" or "Britisher".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Brit&searchmode=none|title=Etymology Online "Brit"}}</ref>

=== Limey{{Anchor|Limey}} ===
{{Redirects here|Limey}}[[File:British_School_-_A_Sailor_Sitting_on_a_Chest,_c.1790_-_BHC1083_-_Royal_Museums_Greenwich.jpg|thumb|186x186px|British sailor, {{Circa|1790}}]]
"'''Limey'''" (from [[Lime (fruit)|lime]] / [[lemon]]) is a predominantly North American [[slang]] nickname for a [[British people|British person]]. The word has been around since the mid-19th century. Intended as a [[pejorative]], the word is not commonly used today, though it retains that connotation.<ref>{{cite web |title=''lim·ey'' |url=http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/limey |access-date=2012-11-27 |work=Britannica Dictionary}}</ref><ref name="OxfordDictionary">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120427130833/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/Limey Oxford Dictionaries: ''Limey ''] Retrieved 2011-07-06</ref>

The term is thought to have originated in the 1850s as ''lime-juicer'',<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|lime-juicer|access-date=27 November 2012}}</ref> later shortened to "limey",<ref>{{Dictionary.com|limey|access-date=27 November 2012}}</ref> and was originally used as a derogatory word for sailors in the [[Royal Navy]]. It derives from the Royal Navy's practice, since the beginning of the 19th century, of adding lemon juice or lime juice to the sailors' daily ration of watered-down rum (known as [[grog]]), in order to prevent [[scurvy]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Limey |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182637/https://www.lexico.com/definition/limey |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 March 2020 |title=Limey |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Harvie |first1=David I. |title=Limeys: The Conquest of Scurvy |date=2005 |publisher=Sutton |isbn=978-0-7509-3993-5 |language=en}}</ref> Initially, lemon juice (from lemons imported from Europe) was used as the additive to grog on the Royal Navy ships, but that was later switched to limes, which were grown in British colonies. It was not understood that limes contain only one quarter as much vitamin C as lemons. Moreover, processing and storing the juice further reduced the amount of vitamin C present, and as a result, lime juice-based grog was not able to prevent scurvy.<ref name="Scott and Scurvy">{{Cite web |last=Cegłowski |first=Maciej |author-link=Maciej Cegłowski |date=2010-03-06 |title=Scott And Scurvy |url=https://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507185920/https://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm |archive-date=2022-05-07 |access-date=2016-05-31 |work=Idle Words}}</ref>

In time, the term lost its naval connotation and was used to refer to British people in general and, in the 1880s, British immigrants in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.<ref name="Dictionary">{{cite web |title=limey |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/limey |access-date=2012-11-27 |work=Dictionary.com}}</ref> Although the term may have been used earlier in the [[US Navy]] as slang for a British sailor or a British warship, such a usage was not documented until 1918.<ref name="Dictionary" /> By 1925, the usage of ''limey'' in [[American English]] had been extended to mean any British person, and the term was so commonly known that it was featured in American newspaper headlines.<ref name="Dictionary" />

=== Pommy or pom{{Anchor|Pommy}} ===
{{Redirect|Pommy|the play|Pommy (play){{!}}''Pommy'' (play)}}
The terms '''pommy''', '''pommie''', and '''pom''' used in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand usually denote a British person. Newspapers in Australia were using the term by 1912, with it appearing first in Western Australia, and was said to be short for pomegranate, with the terms "jimmy" and "jimmigrant" also in use.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23862818 |title=AUSTRALIANS AND IMMIGRANTS. |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |volume=XXVIII |issue=8,057 |location=Western Australia |date=27 January 1912 |accessdate=7 June 2023 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article240675626 |title=Australia and the English Immigrant. |newspaper=[[The Socialist (Australian newspaper)|The Socialist]] |volume= |issue=314 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=5 July 1912 |accessdate=7 June 2023 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article215845196 |title=Bidding for "Pommies". |newspaper=[[The Sport (Adelaide newspaper)|Sport]] |date=3 August 1912 |access-date=13 May 2020 |page=3 |via=Trove }}</ref> The term [[Ten-pound Pom]] refers to British (subsidized) migrants to Australia and New Zealand after World War II.

Disputes about whether the term ''Pom'' is derogatory or offensive have occurred since 1925.<ref name="Call-1925">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article213730935 |title="Pommies" |newspaper=Call |date=27 February 1925 |access-date=13 May 2020 |page=9 |via=Trove }}</ref> The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary|Oxford Dictionary]]'' defines its use as "often derogatory",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Pommy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407030121/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Pommy|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 April 2013|title=Pommy – definition of Pommy in English from the Oxford dictionary|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> but after complaints to the Australian [[Advertising Standards Bureau (Australia)|Advertising Standards Board]] about five advertisements using the term "poms", the board ruled in 2006 that these words are inoffensive, in part because they are "largely used in playful or affectionate terms".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Pom ruled not offensive |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Sunday Telegraph]] |location=Australia |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/pom-ruled-not-offensive/story-e6freuzi-1111112734054 | access-date = 5 November 2014}}</ref> The New Zealand [[Broadcasting Standards Authority]] made a similar ruling in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10636663 |title='Pommy git' okay, BSA rules |work=New Zealand Herald |date=6 April 2010 |access-date=1 July 2010}}</ref> The [[BBC]], the British national broadcaster, has used the phrase on occasion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05mc6fl|title=Pomnishambles: The Inside Story of the 2013-14 Ashes Whitewash, Test Match Special - BBC Radio 5 live|website=BBC|date=7 November 2017 |access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref>

There are several [[Folk etymology|folk etymologies]] for "pommy" or "pom". The best-documented of these is that "pommy" originated as a contraction of "[[pomegranate]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/287200.html|title=Pommy-bashing|author=Gary Martin|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref><ref name=Call-1925 /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allwords.com/word-pom.html|title=Definition of pom|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=January 2017}} According to this explanation, "pomegranate" was Australian [[rhyming slang]] for "immigrant" (like "Jimmy Grant").<ref name=Oxford>Tom McArthur (ed.), 1992, ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'', Oxford, Oxford University Press, p384.</ref> Usage of "pomegranate" for English people may have been strengthened by a belief in Australia that sunburn occurs more frequently amongst English immigrants, turning those with fair skin the colour of pomegranates.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/geoffreyboycott/2288433/Cricket-must-crack-down-on-the-abuse.html |title=Cricket must crack down on the abuse – Telegraph<!-- Bot generated title --> | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | first=Geoffrey | last=Boycott | date=10 January 2008 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>

Another explanation – now generally considered to be a [[false etymology]] – was that "pom" or "pommy" were derived from an acronym such as POM ("prisoner of Millbank"), POME ("prisoner of Mother England") or POHMS ("prisoner of Her Majesty's Service").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/pommy.asp |title=Snopes.com "Etymology of Pommy"|date=26 April 2001 }}</ref> However, there is no evidence that such terms, or their acronyms, were used in Australia when "pom" and "pommy" entered use there. Other theories are that they come from the use of [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom|"pom-pom" guns]] by the British in the [[First Boer War|First]] and [[Second Boer War]]s, from a corruption of "Tommy Atkins", or from "Pompey", a nickname for [[Portsmouth]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101970195 |title=The story behind the word . Do Poms come from Portsmouth? |author=Arthur Jones |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |date=17 January 1988 |access-date=13 May 2020 |page=2 |via=Trove }}</ref>

=== Tan ===

A pejorative used colloquially in Ireland, referring to the [[Black and Tans|Black and Tan]] forces supplied by [[David Lloyd George]] to [[Ireland]] during the [[Irish War of Independence]] in order to assist the [[Royal Irish Constabulary]] (RIC) in combating the [[Irish Republican Army]] (IRA). The force was composed mainly of [[World War I|First World War]] [[British Army]] veterans, who wore distinctive [[Khaki]] British Army uniforms with dark RIC overcoats. The term's use is often used in [[Irish republicanism|Irish republican]] contexts. By extension, [[Great Britain]] is sometimes referred to as "Tanland".{{citation needed|date = January 2017}}

=== Tommy ===

The name '''Tommy''' for any soldier in the [[British Army]] is particularly associated with [[World War I]]. The [[Imperial German Army|German]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Slang terms at the Front |website=The British Library |date=30 January 2014 |url=https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/slang-terms-at-the-front |access-date=28 September 2017 |archive-date=22 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022013704/https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/slang-terms-at-the-front |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[French Army|French]] and the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] armies used the name "Tommy" for British soldiers. "Tommy" is derived from the name "[[Tommy Atkins]]" which had been used as a generic name for a soldier for many years (and had been used as an example name on [[British Army]] registration forms). The precise origin is the subject of some debate, but it is known to have been used as early as 1743. [[Rudyard Kipling]] published the poem "[[Tommy (Kipling poem)|Tommy]]" (part of the ''Barrack Room Ballads'') in 1892 and in 1893 the [[music hall]] song "Private Tommy Atkins" was published with words by Henry Hamilton and music by S. Potter. In 1898 [[William McGonagall]] wrote "Lines in Praise of Tommy Atkins". The term is still used today in the British Army in the abridged version "Tom", especially in the Infantry Regiments, to specifically refer to a junior enlisted soldier.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Laffin |first1=John |author-link1=John Laffin |title=Tommy Atkins: The Story of the English Soldier |date=2016 |publisher=The History Press |isbn=978-0-7524-6694-1 |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ypsTDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT6 |language=en}}</ref>

== In languages other than English ==

=== Europe ===

In Finnish the abbreviation of iso-britannialainen (literally "Great/Large Briton") '''''Britti''''' is colloquially most commonly used for a British person, often also referring interchangeably to a person from England.

In Poland, a regular formal term to describe an English man is '''''Anglik''''', in plural Anglicy, derived from the Polish word for England, '''''Anglia''''', with the word '''''Brytyjczyk''''' meaning a British from the Polish name for Britain. Polish people often use terms ''Anglik'' and ''Anglia'' to talk about the whole UK, including Scotland, Wales etc. Derogatory or disdainful (or sometimes just funny or ironic) terms coined in recent years are '''''Angol''''' and '''''Brytol''''' however, due to negative connotations they are not used in formal writing or by the media or are   used in social media and various alternative sources with varied connotations.

In the Czech Republic the term '''''Anglán''''' is often used, which has the same roots as the Polish ''Anglik'' – the Czechs call England '''''Anglie'''''. This word carried no derogatory connotations. However, unlike the formal '''''Angličan''''', it is not used by the press because of its informality.

In Hungary the English are called '''''angol''''' or in plural '''''angolok'''''. England is called '''''Anglia'''''. British people in general are called '''''brit''''' or in plural '''''britek''''' but the term is less widespread and very uncommon. Great Britain is called '''''Nagy-Britannia''''' but the United Kingdom is called '''''Egyesült Királyság'''''.

==== ''Inselaffe'' / ''Insel-Affe'' ====
'''''Inselaffe''''' ("island ape") is a pejorative German term<ref name="FletcherRidge2014">{{cite book|last1=Fletcher|first1=Guy|last2=Ridge|first2=Michael R.|title=Having it Both Ways: Hybrid Theories and Modern Metaethics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGvDBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA53|access-date=7 March 2016|year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-934758-2|page=53}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dict.cc/german-english/Inselaffe.html|title=dict.cc "Inselaffe"}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Jonathan|title=Terms of abuse and affection: Do they mean us? They surely do!|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/terms-of-abuse-and-affection-do-they-mean-us-they-surely-do-417822.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530005842/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/terms-of-abuse-and-affection-do-they-mean-us-they-surely-do-417822.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 May 2008|work=The Independent|publisher=Independent Digital News and Media Limited|access-date=28 February 2012|location=London|date=28 September 2006}}</ref> allegedly dating back to English scientists [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]] and [[Alfred Russel Wallace|Wallace]]'s publications on evolution. {{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

==== ''Rosbif''/''Rosbeef''/''Bife'' ====
The original explanation of the French term '''''rosbif''''' is that it referred to the English tradition of cooking [[roast beef]], and especially to the song "[[The Roast Beef of Old England]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2913151.stm |title=BBC – Why do the French call the British 'the roast beefs'? |work=BBC News |date=3 April 2003 |access-date=1 July 2010}}</ref>

In Portugal, the term '''''bife''''' (literally meaning '[[steak]]', but sounding like "beef") is used as a slang term to refer to the English.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artshuttle.net/lisbonblog/?p=127|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912095957/http://www.artshuttle.net/lisbonblog/?p=127|archive-date=12 September 2011|title=Lisbonblog "Bife"}}{{self-published source|date=January 2017}}</ref> There is a feminine form, '''''bifa''''', mainly used to refer to English female tourists in Portugal.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

==== ''Les goddams'' ====
''[[Les goddams]]'' (sometimes ''les goddems''<ref>Hughes, Geoffrey. (1998). ''Swearing: A Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English''. Penguin. p. 1. {{ISBN|978-0140267075}}</ref> or ''les goddons''<ref>Calder, Nigel (1986). ''The English Channel''.  Chatto & Windus. p. 185. {{ISBN|978-0701130534}}</ref>) is an obsolete ethnic slur historically used by the French to refer to the English, based on their frequent expletives.<ref>Hitchings, Henry (2011). ''The Language Wars: A History of Proper English''. Hachette UK. p. 20. {{ISBN|978-0374183295}}</ref> The name originated during the [[Hundred Years' War]] (1337–1453) between England and France, when English soldiers achieved notoriety among the French for their frequent use of profanity and in particular the interjection "God damn".<ref>Richards, Jeffrey. ''Films and British National Identity: From Dickens to Dad's Army''. Manchester University Press. p. 13-14. {{ISBN|978-0719047435}}</ref><ref>Hughes, Geoffrey (2006). ''An Encyclopedia of Swearing: The Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English-speaking World''. M.E. Sharpe. p. 324. {{ISBN|978-0765612311}}</ref><ref>Caunce, Stephen. (2004). ''Relocating Britishness''. Manchester University Press. p. 89. {{ISBN|978-0719070266}}</ref>

==== ''Brittunculi'' ====
In one of the [[Vindolanda tablets]] from [[Hadrian's Wall]] the pejorative [[Latin]] word ''Brittunculi'' (wretched little brits).

=== Africa ===

[[Afrikaans]] speakers may use the term '''''rooinek''''' (literally 'red neck', another reference to sunburning) in reference to the British, or to [[White South African]]s of [[British diaspora in Africa|British descent]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Donald G. McNeil Jr |title=Like Politics, All Political Correctness Is Local |url=http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/8414/pc.htm |newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 October 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012220240/http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/8414/pc.htm |archive-date=12 October 2008 |url-status=dead}}{{self-published source|date=January 2017}}</ref> During the [[Second Boer War]], the British became known as [[khaki]]s, in reference to the colour of their uniforms – which, by then, was no longer the [[Red coat (British army)|red coats]] as those were unsuitable for the South African climate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oocities.org/faskew/Colonial/Glossary/SouthAfrica.htm|title=British Military Terms and Soldier Slang}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saffagator.com/list-of-south-african-slang-words|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421051151/http://www.saffagator.com/list-of-south-african-slang-words|archive-date=21 April 2012|title=List of South African Slang Words}}{{self-published source|date=January 2017}}</ref>

Another now largely archaic term used by [[Afrikaner]]s to describe South Africans of British descent is '''''soutie''''' or '''''soutpiel''''', meaning 'salty' or 'salty penis' respectively. The meaning behind this is that they have one foot in Britain and one foot in South Africa, leaving their penis to hang in the salty sea water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/soutpiel|title=dictionary.com "soutpiel"}}</ref>

In the East African [[Bantu languages]] '''''[[mzungu]]''''' has come to mean any white European but more often than not especially the British or English, due to their prior presence in the region. {{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In [[Somalia]] and [[Somaliland]], the English are commonly referred to as '''''Gaal Cad'''''  (literally, white infidel). During the 19th and 20th century British colonial campaign of Somaliland, members of the [[Dervish movement (Somali)|Dervishes]] coined this term as a descriptive term towards the British who they considered to be their enemy. There are many lines of poetry recited by renowned Somali poets from that era in which they use that term to refer to the British. It is often still used today to describe any non-[[Muslim]] [[Demographics of Europe|European]] in general. {{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

=== Latin America ===
[[Argentines|Argentinians]] use the Spanish term '''''pirata''''' ([[Piracy|pirate]]) to pejoratively refer to the British, in reference to the longstanding [[Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute|Falklands dispute]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Usurpación pirata de las Islas Malvinas |url=http://www.laopinionpopular.com.ar/noticia/10481-usurpacion-pirata-de-las-islas-malvinas.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=La Opinión Popular |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clarín |first=Redacción |date=2011-03-25 |title=El inglés que quería viajar en todos los colectivos |url=https://www.clarin.com/buenos_aires/ingles-queria-viajar-colectivos_0_BJjmBsV6Dme.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Clarín |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Nos dieron la razón: los ingleses reconocieron que son "piratas" |url=http://www.cronica.com.ar/article/details/1303/nos-dieron-la-razon-los-ingleses-reconocieron-que-son-piratas |work=Grupo Crónica |agency=EFE |date=7 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908074117/http://www.cronica.com.ar/article/details/1303/nos-dieron-la-razon-los-ingleses-reconocieron-que-son-piratas |archive-date=8 September 2014 |language=es}}</ref>

=== Middle East ===
During the British Mandate in Palestine, British troops of the [[6th Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|6th Airborne Division]] were often referred to as '''''כלניות''''' or ''Kalaniot'', being [[Hebrew]] for [[Anemones]], reflecting their red berets.

In [[Iraq]], British occupying forces post WWI were known as “Abu Naji”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31023977|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214211333/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31023977|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 December 2021|title = U.S. Occupation leaves cultural legacy in Iraq|website = [[NBC News]]| date=31 May 2009 }}</ref>

=== Indian subcontinent ===
{{redirect|Angrez|the 2015 Indian film|Angrej}}
In [[Hindi]], [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] and [[Urdu]] the term '''''Angrez''''' is used to refer to the British. This word has its origin in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''Inglês'', meaning 'Englishman'.<ref>''A Comprehensive Persian-English Dictionary'' by F. Steinngass, New Delhi 2005, p. 114. {{ISBN|81-206-0670-1}}</ref><ref name="name">[http://www.dawn.com/news/970762/portuguese-loanwords-in-urdu "Portuguese loanwords in Urdu"], ''Dawn News'', 31 May 2010</ref> A derivative is the term '''''Angrezan''''' or '''''Angrezni''''', meaning an Englishwoman.<ref name="name" /> Among the Europeans, the [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] were the first to arrive in India. The influx of the Portuguese led to language contact between their tongue and the local languages. As a consequence of this, a Portuguese pidgin developed that served as the lingua franca.<ref>Sailaja, Pingali (2009), ''Indian English'', Edinburgh University Press, p. 96.</ref>

The term '''''[[Farangi]]''''' (''Franks'') has been used in [[Persian language]] since the 13th century to refer to all Europeans, Western Europeans in particular. [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]/[[Hindi]] has adopted this word from Persian and it is used to refer to the Europeans in general (including the British).<ref>{{cite web |title=Feringhee |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/feringhee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122232010/https://www.lexico.com/definition/feringhee |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 January 2022 |website=Lexico Dictionaries |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=4 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

The adjective '''''Gora''''' ('''''Gori''''' for females) is also commonly used amongst Britons with subcontinental roots to refer to white Britons, although the term literally translates to 'fair-skinned one', and thus could and is applied to individuals of any ethnicity with a fair complexion, including British Asians themselves. The adjective has also been used as a noun to describe white people – hence its potential usage as a racial slur.<ref name="partridge">{{cite book|author1=Terry Victor|author2=Tom Dalzell|title=The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cFiGAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA9-PA1991|access-date=23 February 2014|date=1 December 2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-61533-9|page=1991}}</ref>

In Nepal, the British are often referred to as '''''Kuires'''''/'''''Khaires''''', which means 'people of white or pale colour'. It is also used in general for any [[Europe]]an person with white skin.

'''''Ingraj''''' is used in [[Maharashtra]] ([[Marathi language|Marathi]]) and [[West Bengal]] ([[Bengali language|Bengali]]) in India to refer to British people. The word Vilyati is also used for describing British people.It comes from [[Vilayat]] for foreign land.<ref>https://www.oed.com/dictionary/vilayat_n {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2025}}</ref> The English variation of Vilayat is [[Blighty]].

Malayalis of [[Kerala]] use the term '''''Sayyippu''''' or '''''Vellakkaran''''' to refer to a male westerner.

In Assam (which became part of [[Company rule in India|British India]] in 1828), the British are called '''''Boga Bongal''''' (literally meaning 'white foreigners' or 'white intruders').

In Tamil Nadu the Tamil word '''''Vellaikaaran''''' means 'white man' and usually refers to members of the British colonial government in the 18th to 19th century. It is used in the present day to refer anyone who is White with European origin; many rural Tamil villagers still believe that all Europeans are either British or of British descent.

=== Southeast Asia ===

In [[Malaysia]], one common [[Malay language|Malay]] equivalent is '''''[[Mat Salleh]]'''''. The term may have originated from the general depiction of [[Royal Navy]] sailors who were often drunk (Mad Sailors); due to the locals' unfamiliarity with English, it became corrupted as '''''mat salleh''''' (Mat and Salleh are both typical Malay names). Another possible origin of the phrase is the [[Mat Salleh Rebellion]], led by [[North Borneo]] chief Mat Salleh, against the [[British North Borneo Company]] during the late 19th century. Another alternative to ''mat salleh'' is '''''orang putih''''' (literally 'white people' in Malay) or its shortened rural form, '''''omputih'''''. In ancient Malaccan times, the term '''''orang deringgi''''' was also used.
'''''[[List of English words of Malay origin#B|Balanda]]''''' from [[Hollander]] is another word from Malay used by [[Makassarese language|Makassarese]] and in [[Northern Territory|northern Australia]].<ref name="Hosking2010">{{cite book|editor=Rick Hosking|title=Reading the Malay World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z1tOa56kydgC&pg=PP3|access-date=7 March 2016|year=2010|publisher=Wakefield Press|isbn=978-1-86254-894-7|page=3}}</ref>

In Thai, the word '''''anggrit''''' (อังกฤษ) is used to describe both the English in particular, and the British in general. In everyday speech the word '''''[[Farang]]''''' (ฝรั่ง) is usually used to describe British people as well as other light-skinned Europeans. Some foreigners regard this word as [[Racism|racist]]. In journalism, the expression '''''puu dee''''' (ผู้ดี) meaning 'nobleman' is sometimes used to denote 'English'.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

Southeast Asian [[Hokkien]] and [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]] speakers also call the British '''''[[ang mo]]''''' (紅毛), which literally means 'red-haired'. The term was originally used to describe Dutch traders, but is now used for all [[white people]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/term-ang-moh-in-use-as-early-as-1600s-in-ming-dynasty-map|title=Term 'ang moh' in use as early as 1600s in Ming Dynasty map|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=3 December 2019|last1=Zaccheus|first1=Melody}}</ref>

=== East Asia ===

The following terms are used to mean 'Britain' or 'British' and use etymologies mostly unrelated to "Britain":
* Chinese: ''Yīngguó'' ([[Simplified Chinese characters|Simplified characters]]: [[:zh:英国|英国]], [[Traditional Chinese characters|Traditional characters]]: [[:zh: 英國|英國]])
* Japanese: ''Eikoku'' ([[Kanji]]: {{lang|ja|[[:ja:英国|英国]]}})
* Korean: ''Yeongguk'' ([[Hangul]]: {{lang|ko|[[:ko:영국|영국]]}}, [[Hanja]]: 英國)
* Vietnamese: ''Anh Quốc''  ([[Chữ nôm]]: {{lang|vi|[[:vi:英國|英國]]}})

These terms are also used to refer to England in unofficial contexts. More formal names also exist, such as the Chinese [[:zh:聯合王國|聯合王國]] '''''Liánhéwángguó''''' and Japanese [[:ja:連合王国|連合王国]] '''''Rengōōkoku''''' literally meaning 'United Kingdom'. Separate words exist in all of these languages for each of the constituent parts of the UK, including England, although, as elsewhere, there is little awareness of correct usage. The Chinese '''''Dàbùlièdiān''''' ([[Chinese character|Hanzi]]: [[:zh:大不列颠|大不列颠]]) is used for historical purposes to mean 'Great Britain'. The first character means 'Great' and the other three have unrelated meanings, having been selected for the sound instead of meaning. In Chinese, yīngjílì ([[Simplified Chinese characters|Simplified characters]]: 英吉利), a transliteration of ''English'', is also used to refer Britain in general.

The Chinese ''Yīngguó'', the Japanese ''Eikoku'', and the Korean "Yeongguk" are all derived from the traditional Chinese characters 英国/國, where the first character 英 has no meaning in this context, although in Chinese, 英 is phonetically similar to "Eng", as in "England", and the second character 国 means 'country', 'nation', or 'kingdom'. While Korean is now written in the phonetic Hangul alphabet, when writing or using Chinese characters Koreans will use the traditional character for "kingdom," 國, rather than its simplified counterpart 国, which is in everyday use in China and Japan.

In Hong Kong, [[gweilo]] (pronounced [kʷɐ̌i lǒu]) is a slang word to generally refer to white westerners. It has a history of racial degradation, however it can be used non-racially and more generally in modern Hong Kong. "Gwei" means ghost and "lo" means guy, referring to their pale skin.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5AQTRptrk0C&pg=PA69 |title=A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor |author= Patrick J. Cummings |author2= Hans-Georg Wolf |page=69 |publisher= Hong Kong University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9789888083305 }}</ref>

In Japanese, the term '''''Igirisu''''' ([[Katakana]]: {{lang|ja|イギリス}}) is used interchangeably with ''Eikoku'', but is considered slightly more foreign because it comes from the Portuguese word ''Inglês'' (English) – despite this origin, ''Igirisu'' refers to the United Kingdom as a whole, and not specifically to [[England]], which is '''''Ingurando''''' ([[Katakana]]: {{lang|ja|イングランド}}) and so ''Igirisu'' is more commonly used.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kendall |first1=Philip |title=Why is the UK called Igirisu in Japanese? |url=https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/why-is-the-uk-called-igirisu-in-japanese |work=Japan Today |date=8 December 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Oceania ===

As with the South East Asian term ''Farangi'' and the Northern Australian term ''Balanda'' (see above), the [[Māori language|Māori]] term '''''[[Pākehā]]''''' and general [[Polynesian languages|Polynesian]] term '''''[[Palagi]]''''' have been used generically for Europeans for many years; given that the predominant early European settlers in Australia, New Zealand and many Pacific islands spoke English, these terms are occasionally used specifically for English or British people. The Māori term for the English language, for instance, is ''Reo Pākehā''.

== Names for the peoples of the United Kingdom ==

=== Alternative names for English people ===
*The Celtic languages of the British Isles use terms derived from [[Old English]] ''Seaxan'', 'Saxon', possibly itself derived from Old English ''[[Saxons#Etymology|seax]]'':
** [[Scottish Gaelic]]: ''[[wikt:Sasannach|Sasannach]]'', in older literature ''Sacsannach'' / ''Sagsananch''; the English language is ''[[wikt:Beurla|Beurla]]''. ''[[Sassenach]]'' is still used by Scottish speakers of English and [[Scots language|Scots]] to refer to English people, mostly negatively.
** [[Cornish language|Cornish]]: ''[[wikt:Sows|Sows]]'', plural ''Sowson''; the English language is ''[[wikt:Sowsnek|Sowsnek]]''
** [[Welsh language|Welsh]]: ''[[wikt:Sais|Sais]]'', plural ''Saeson''; the English language is ''[[wikt:Saesneg|Saesneg]]''
** [[Irish language|Irish]]: ''[[wikt:Sasanach|Sasanach]]'', historically also having the colloquial meaning "Protestant"; the language is ''[[wikt:Béarla|Béarla]]'', short for ''Sacs-Bhéarla'' "Saxon language"
** [[Manx language|Manx]]: ''[[wikt:Sostynagh|Sostynagh]]'', plural ''Sostynee''; the English language is ''[[wikt:Baarle|Baarle]]'', from Irish
* 'Southrons' – the historical [[Scots language]] name for the English, largely displaced since the eighteenth century by "Sassenachs".{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* '[[wikt:Overner|Overner]]' – A term used by residents of the [[Isle of Wight]] to refer to people from the English mainland and elsewhere.<ref name="Varley2012">{{cite book|last=Varley|first=Telford|title=Isle of Wight|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_FrNhDX2t2YC&pg=PA70|access-date=4 April 2018|date=29 November 2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-62870-0|page=70}}</ref><ref name="Meryl2007">{{cite book|last=Aldridge|first=Meryl|title=Understanding The Local Media|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sd7sAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|access-date=4 April 2018|date=1 April 2007|publisher=McGraw-Hill Education (UK)|isbn=978-0-335-22172-1|page=13}}</ref>
* 'White settlers' is a term used by some Scottish and Welsh nationalist groups for [[English diaspora|English emigrants]] living in Scotland and Wales.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ward|first1=David|title=Wales swamped by tide of English settlers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/mar/01/wales.devolution|access-date=9 December 2016|work=The Guardian|date=1 March 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gilligan|first1=Andrew|title=Anti-English racists terrorising the No campaign in Scotland|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11079296/Anti-English-racists-terrorising-the-No-campaign-in-Scotland.html|access-date=9 December 2016|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=7 September 2014}}</ref>

=== Alternative names for Scottish people ===
* [[Jock (given name)|Jock]] 
* [[Sweaty]], rhyming slang (Sweaty Sock / Jock) (offensive)
* [[Sawney]] (now obsolete)

=== Alternative names for Welsh people ===
* Gog, person from North Wales (from the [[Welsh language|Welsh]] "gogledd": north)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/fun-stuff/real-meanings-behind-welsh-nicknames-15481156|title = The real meanings behind the Welsh nicknames we all use|date = 24 December 2018}}</ref>
* Hwntw, person from South Wales (from the colloquial southern Welsh "hwnt" meaning "over there")<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru |url=https://geiriadur.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html |access-date=26 January 2023 |website=geiriadur.ac.uk}}</ref>
* Taff (or taffy) from the Welsh name Dafydd<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Dent |editor1-first=Susie |title=Taffy|dictionary=Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable |date=2012 |publisher=Chambers Harrap Publishers |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199990009.001.0001/acref-9780199990009-e-10359 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Alternative names for Northern-Irish people ===
* [[Mick]] (offensive)
* [[Alternative names for Northern Ireland#Other names|Norn Iron]] or Norn Irish<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Andrew |title=14 telltale signs you are truly 'Norn-Irish' |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/latest-news/14-telltale-signs-you-are-truly-norn-irish-1-8358687 |work=[[The News Letter]] |date=31 January 2018 |language=en}}</ref> – [[Northern Ireland]] and [[Northern Irish]], respectively – derived from the pronunciation in the local accent.<ref>{{cite book|last=Meyer|first=Carolyn|author-link=Carolyn Meyer|title=Voices of Northern Ireland: Growing Up in a Troubled Land|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4nKhfGoRNTMC&q=%22Norn+Iron%22|year=1987|publisher=Harcourt Brace Jovanovich|isbn=978-0-15-200635-8|page=21}}</ref>
* [[List of ethnic slurs#P|P]]addy (offensive)
* [[Taig]] (offensive)
* [[Fenian]] (offensive)
* Hun (offensive term used for those who are ethnically British)

=== Regional alternative names ===
In most cases regional names are associated with those who speak with a specific regional accent, distinct to the area.
* [[wikt:Appleknocker|Appleknocker]] and [[wikt:Caulkhead|Caulkhead]] – [[Isle of Wight]]<ref name="Meryl2007" />
*[[Brummie dialect|Brummie]] – [[Birmingham]]
* Chissit – [[Leicester]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Warzynski|first1=P A|title=Lestah phrases only true chissits will understand|url=http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/lestah-phrases-true-chissits-understand/story-24592759-detail/story.html|access-date=30 March 2017|work=[[Leicester Mercury]]|issue=8 March 2016}}</ref>
* [[Cockney]] – [[East London]]
* [[Norfolk#Dialect, accent and nickname|Dumpling]] – [[Norfolk]]
* [[Geordie]] – [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] and [[Gateshead]]
*Jack – [[Swansea]] (possibly after [[Swansea Jack]])<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/fun-stuff/real-meanings-behind-welsh-nicknames-15481156|title=The real meanings behind the Welsh nicknames we all use|date=24 December 2018|work=[[Wales Online]]|access-date=17 December 2019}}</ref>
* [[Janner]] – [[Plymouth]]
* Jeelie or Jeelie eater – [[Vale of Leven]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=Norman |title=Vanished Kingdoms |date=2011 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=978-1846143380 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Jeelie |dictionary=Dictionary of the Scots Language. |date=2004 |url=https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snds3768 |publisher=Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd.}}</ref>
* Lanky – [[Lancashire]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holman |first1=Tom |title=A Lancashire Miscellany |date=2010 |publisher=Frances Lincoln |isbn=978-1-907666-41-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GifBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT75 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Mackem]] – [[City of Sunderland|Sunderland]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/SunderlandMackems.html|title=Sunderland Mackem Origin|access-date=29 April 2016|archive-date=28 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328202543/http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/SunderlandMackems.html|url-status=dead}}{{self-published source|date=January 2017}}</ref>
* Manc – [[Manchester]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* [[Monkey hanger]] – [[Hartlepool]]
* [[Moonrakers|Moonraker]] - [[Wiltshire]]
* [[wikt:pie-eater|Pie Eater]] – Wigan<ref>{{cite news|title=Pie-eaters to battle it out in Wigan|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pie-eaters-to-battle-it-out-in-wigan-437012|access-date=9 July 2016|work=The Daily Mirror|date=15 December 2009}}</ref>
* Raddle Man – [[Rutland]]<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/raddleman |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526175643/https://www.lexico.com/definition/raddleman |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2021 |title=raddleman |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref>
* Sand Dancer – [[South Tyneside]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/crime/20201881.reasons-south-shields-people-called-sand-dancers/|title=Reasons why South Shields people are called Sand Dancer|date=11 June 2022|work=thenorthernecho.co.uk}}</ref>
* [[Scouser]] – [[Liverpool]]
* [[Smoggie]] – [[Teesside]]
* [[List of people from Stoke-on-Trent|Stokie]] and Potter – [[Stoke-on-Trent]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* [[wikt:Tyke|Tyke]] – [[Yorkshire]]<ref>tyke. (n.d.) Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. (1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014). Retrieved 16 August 2016 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tyke</ref>
* [[wikt:Weegie|Weegie]] – [[Glasgow]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/baffie-weegie-18-scottish-words-are-now-dictionary-and-their-meaning-1407401 |title=Baffie to Weegie: 18 Scottish words that are now in the dictionary - and their meaning |first=Rosalind |last=Erskine |date=18 September 2019 |newspaper=[[The Scotsman]]}}</ref>
* [[wikt:woolly back|Woolyback]] or "Wool" – Towns bordering Liverpool
* [[Mangelwurzel|Wurzel]] – [[South West England]]
* [[Black Country dialect|Yam yam]] – [[Black Country]]
* [[Yellowbelly (Lincolnshire)|Yellowbelly]] – [[Lincolnshire]]
* Yorkie – [[Yorkshire]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* Scum/Scummer & Skate – [[Southampton]] and [[Portsmouth]] respectively (offensive, originating from the [[South Coast Derby]])<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Kevin |title=Scummers v Skates |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2005/jan/23/newsstory.sport8 |access-date=4 March 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=23 January 2005}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Britons (historic)]]
* [[Terminology of the British Isles]]
* [[Blighty]]
* [[List of British regional nicknames]]
* [[List of ethnic slurs and epithets by ethnicity]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Safire, William. "Brits, Tommies, Poms, Limeys & Kippers."  ''New York Times Magazine'' 27 January 1991 Vol. 140 Issue 4849, page 8–9. online at {{cite book|author=William Safire|title=In Love with Norma Loquendi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rzl9EaV-pbUC&pg=PT43|year=2011|publisher=Random House|pages=43–50|isbn=9780307799753}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:British}}
[[Category:Wikipedia glossaries]]
[[Category:Lists of words]]
[[Category:Lists of regional nicknames]]
[[Category:Culture of the United Kingdom|Glossary of names for the British]]
[[Category:Anti-British sentiment|Glossary of names for the British]]
[[Category:Wikipedia glossaries using subheadings]]
[[Category:Ethnonyms]]