A demonym, also referred to as a gentilic, is a name for a resident of a locality which is derived from the name of the particular locality. The word demonym comes from the Greek word for "populace" (δῆμος demos) with the suffix for "name" (-onym). In English, the demonym is often the same as the name of the people's native language: the people of Korea are called Korean, which is also the name of their language. National Geographic Magazine attr...
more
A demonym, also referred to as a gentilic, is a name for a resident of a locality which is derived from the name of the particular locality. The word demonym comes from the Greek word for "populace" (δῆμος demos) with the suffix for "name" (-onym). In English, the demonym is often the same as the name of the people's native language: the people of Korea are called Korean, which is also the name of their language. National Geographic Magazine attributes this term to Merriam-Webster editor Paul Dickson. It was subsequently popularized in this sense in 1997 by Dickson in his book Labels for Locals.
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). The term first appeared in Names' Names: A Descriptive and Prescriptive Onymicon by George H. Scheetz.
The term is foreshadowed in demonymic, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as the name of an Athenian citizen...
less
