Romani people
The Romani, also spelled Romany or Rromani (/ˈroʊməni/ ROH-mə-nee or /ˈrɒməni/ ROM-ə-nee), colloquially known as the Roma (SG: Rom), are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who traditionally lived a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle. Linguistic and genetic evidence suggests that the Romani originated in the Indian subcontinent; in particular, the region of present-day Rajasthan. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is now believed by historians to have occurred around 1000 CE. Their original name is from the Sanskrit word डोम (doma) and means a member of the Dom caste of travelling musicians and dancers. The Roma population moved west into the Persian Ghaznavid Empire and later into the Byzantine Empire. The Roma arrived in Europe around the 13th to 14th century. Although they are dispersed, their most concentrated populations are located in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Turkey and Spain.
Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2–12 million | |
| United States | 1,000,000 estimated with Romani ancestry |
| Brazil | 800,000 (0.4%) |
| Spain | 750,000–1,500,000 (1.9–3.7%) |
| Romania | 569,500–1,850,000 (3.4–8.32%) |
| Turkey | 500,000–2,750,000 (3.8%) |
| Bulgaria | 325,343–750,000 (4.9–10.3%) |
| Hungary | 309,632–870,000 (3.21–8.8%) |
| France | 300,000–1,200,000 (0.21%) |
| Argentina | 300,000 |
| United Kingdom | 225,000 (0.4%) |
| Russia | 205,007–825,000 (0.6%) |
| Serbia | 147,604–600,000 (2.1–8.2%) |
| Italy | 120,000–180,000 (0.3%) |
| Greece | 111,000–300,000 (2.7%) |
| Germany | 105,000 (0.1%) |
| Slovakia | 105,738–490,000 (2.1–9.0%) |
| Albania | 100,000-140,000 (3.62%-5.06%) |
| Iran | 2,000–110,000 |
| North Macedonia | 46,433 (2.53%) |
| Sweden | 50,000–100,000 |
| Ukraine | 47,587–260,000 (0.6%) |
| Portugal | 52,000 (0.5%) |
| Austria | 40,000–50,000 (0.6%) |
| Kosovo | 36,000 (2%) |
| Netherlands | 32,000–40,000 (0.2%) |
| Poland | 17,049–32,500 (0.1%) |
| Croatia | 16,975–35,000 (0.8%) |
| Mexico | 15,850 |
| Chile | 15,000–20,000 |
| Moldova | 12,778–107,100 (3.0%) |
| Finland | 10,000–12,000 est. (0.2%) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8,864–58,000 (1.5%) |
| Colombia | 2,649–8,000 |
| Belarus | 7,316–47,500 (0.5%) |
| Latvia | 7,193–12,500 (0.6%) |
| Canada | 5,255–80,000 |
| Montenegro | 5,251–20,000 (3.7%) |
| Czech Republic | 5,199–40,370 (Romani speakers)–250,000 (1.9%) |
| Australia | 5,000–25,000 |
| Slovenia | 3,246 |
| Lithuania | 2,571 |
| Denmark | 5,500 |
| Ireland | 22,435 |
| Georgia | 1,200 |
| Belgium | 30,000 |
| Cyprus | 1,250 |
| Languages | |
| Romani, Para-Romani varieties, languages of native regions | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Christianity Islam Shaktism tradition of Hinduism Romani mythology Buddhism (minority) Judaism (conversion through marriage to Jewish spouses) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ghorbati, Doms, Lom, Ḍoma, Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians; other Indo-Aryans | |
In English, Romani are known by the exonym Gypsies or Gipsies, which some Roma consider a racial slur. In the United Kingdom, the term Gypsies is preferred by most English and Welsh Romanies, and is used to refer to them in official documentation. The attendees of the first World Romani Congress in 1971 unanimously voted to reject the use of all exonyms for the Romani, including "Gypsy".
Since the 19th century, some Romani have also migrated to the Americas. There are an estimated one million Roma in the United States and between 800,000 and 1 million in Brazil, most of whose ancestors emigrated in the 19th century from eastern Europe. Brazilian Romani are mostly descendant from German/Italian Sinti (in the South/Southeast regions), and Roma and Calon people. Brazil also includes a notable Romani community descended from Sinti and Roma deportees from the Portuguese Empire during the Portuguese Inquisition. In migrations since the late 19th century, Romani have also moved to other countries in South America and Canada. Though often confused with Irish Travellers and the Yenish people in western Europe, the Romani are culturally different.
The Romani language is an Indo-Aryan language with strong Balkan and Greek influence. It is divided into several dialects, which together are estimated to have more than two million speakers. Because the language has traditionally been oral, many Romani are native speakers of the dominant language in their country of residence, or else of mixed languages combining the dominant language with a dialect of Romani in varieties sometimes called para-Romani.