Norman French Period
The Latin name Britannia (earlier Brittannia), re-entered the language via Old French Bretaigne (whence also Modern French Bretagne) and Middle English Bretayne, Breteyne.
The name Britons for the inhabitants of Great Britain is a loan from Old French bretun, the term for the people and language of Brittany, ultimately via Latin from the Βρίττωνες of Procopius, introduced in Middle English as brutons in the late 13th century. Brittia appears as a name for Great Britain in Procopius, reportedly used by the 6th-century population of what is now the Netherlands.
Read more about this topic: Britain (placename)
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