Suffixation
The English language uses several models to create demonyms. The most common is to add a suffix to the end of the location's name, slightly modified in some instances. These may be modeled after Late Latin, Semitic, Celtic or Germanic suffixes, such as:
- -(a)n (countries / continents: Africa → African, Albania → Albanian, Algeria → Algerian, America → American, Andorra → Andorran, Angola → Angolan, Antigua → Antiguan, Armenia → Armenian, Asia → Asian, Australia → Australian, Austria → Austrian, Barbados → Bajan, Bolivia → Bolivian, Bosnia → Bosnian, Brunei → Bruneian, Bulgaria → Bulgarian, Cambodia → Cambodian, Chile → Chilean, Colombia → Colombian, Costa Rica → Costa Rican, Croatia → Croatian (also "Croat"), Cuba → Cuban, Dalmatia → Dalmatian, El Salvador → Salvadoran, Eritrea → Eritrean, Estonia → Estonian, Ethiopia → Ethiopian, Europe → European, Equestria → Equestrian, Fiji → Fijian, Gambia → Gambian, Georgia → Georgian, Germany → German, Guatemala → Guatemalan, Guinea → Guinean, Haiti → Haitian, Honduras → Honduran, Hungary → Hungarian, India → Indian, Indonesia → Indonesian, Italy → Italian, Jamaica → Jamaican, Kenya → Kenyan, Korea → Korean, Latvia → Latvian, Liberia → Liberian, Libya → Libyan, Lithuania → Lithuanian, Macedonia → Macedonian, Malawi → Malawian, Malaysia → Malaysian, Mali → Malian, Mauritania → Mauritanian, Mauritius → Mauritian, Mexico → Mexican, Micronesia → Micronesian, Moldova → Moldovan, Mongolia → Mongolian, Morocco → Moroccan, Mozambique → Mozambican, Namibia → Namibian, Nauru → Nauruan, Nicaragua → Nicaraguan, Nigeria → Nigerian, Palau → Palauan, Paraguay → Paraguayan, Puerto Rico → Puerto Rican, Romania → Romanian, Russia → Russian, Saint Lucia → Saint Lucian, Samoa → Samoan, Saudi Arabia → Saudi Arabian, Serbia→ Serbian (also "Serb"), Singapore → Singaporean, Slovakia → Slovakian, Slovenia → Slovenian (also "Slovene"), South Africa → South African, Sri Lanka → Sri Lankan, Syria → Syrian, Tanzania → Tanzanian, Tonga → Tongan, Tunisia → Tunisian, Tuvalu → Tuvaluan, Uganda → Ugandan, United States of America → American, Uruguay → Uruguayan, Venezuela → Venezuelan, Zambia → Zambian, Zimbabwe → Zimbabwean; cities / states: Alaska → Alaskan, Alexandria → Alexandrian, Andalusia → Andalusian, Arizona → Arizonan, Atlanta → Atlantan, Baltimore → Baltimorean, Bavaria → Bavarian, Bohemia → Bohemian, California → Californian, Catalonia → Catalan, Chicago → Chicagoan, Cincinnati → Cincinnatian, Corsica → Corsican, Crete → Cretan, El Paso → El Pasoan, Galicia → Galician, Hanoi (Vietnam) → Hanoian, Hawaii → Hawaiian, Iowa → Iowan, Karelia → Karelian, Kiev → Kievan, Madeira → Madeiran, Miami → Miamian, Minneapolis → Minneapolitan, Minnesota → Minnesotan, Moravia → Moravian, Nebraska → Nebraskan, Nova Scotia → Nova Scotian, Ottawa → Ottawan, Pennsylvania → Pennsylvanian, Philadelphia → Philadelphian, Pomerania → Pomeranian, Regina → Reginan, Riga → Rigan, Rome → Roman, San Antonio → San Antonian, San Diego → San Diegan, San Francisco → San Franciscan, San Jose → San Josean, Sardinia → Sardinian, Silesia → Silesian, Sicily → Sicilian, Sofia → Sofian, Sumatra → Sumatran, Tahiti → Tahitian, Tasmania → Tasmanian, Transylvania → Transylvanian, Tucson → Tucsonan, Tulsa → Tulsan, Utah → Utahn, Victoria → Victorian, Wallachia → Wallachian)
- -ian (countries: Bahamas → Bahamian, Belarus → Belarusian, Belgium → Belgian, Bermuda → Bermudian, Brazil → Brazilian, Cameroon → Cameroonian, Canada → Canadian, Chad → Chadian, Egypt → Egyptian, Ecuador → Ecuadorian, Ghana → Ghanaian, Grenada → Grenadian, Iran → Iranian (also "Irani" or "Persian"), Jordan → Jordanian, Laos → Laotian, Louisiana → Louisianian, Maldives → Maldivian, Palestine → Palestinian, Saint Vincent → Vincentian, Trinidad → Trinidadian, Ukraine → Ukrainian; cities / states: Adelaide → Adelaidian, Athens → Athenian, Ballarat → Ballaratian, Boston → Bostonian, Brisbane → Brisbanian (also "Brisbanite"), Calgary → Calgarian, Canary Islands → Canarian, Cardiff → Cardiffian, Castile → Castilian, Coventry → Coventrian, Edmonton → Edmontonian, Florida → Floridian, Fort Worth → Fort Worthian, Gibraltar → Gibraltarian, Hesse → Hessian, Houston → Houstonian, Isles of Scilly → Scillonian, Lethbridge → Lethbridgian, Liverpool → Liverpudlian, Louisville → Louisvillian, Madrid → Madrilenian, Manchester → Mancunian, McKinney → McKinnian, Melbourne → Melburnian, New Guinea → New Guinian, New Orleans → New Orleanian, Oregon → Oregonian, Paris → Parisian, Peterborough → Peterborian, Phoenix → Phoenician, Saskatoon → Saskatonian (Saskabusher), Thrace → Thracian, Washington → Washingtonian, Wellington → Wellingtonian)
- -nian (Bendigo → Bendigonian, Panama → Panamanian, Tobago → Tobagonian, Toronto → Torontonian)
- -in(e) ( Argentina → Argentine cf. above) Florence → Florentine (also Latin "Florentia"), Montenegro → Montenegrin, Philistia → Philistine)
- -ite (Ann Arbor → Ann Arborite, Austin → Austinite, Brisbane → Brisbanite (also "Brisbanian"), Chennai → Chennaite, Dallas → Dallasite, Delhi → Delhite, Denver → Denverite, Dunedin → Dunedinite, Irmo → Irmite, Israel → Israelite (also "Israeli", depending on the usage; see below), Karachi → Karachiite, Moscow → Muscovite (also Latin "Muscovia"), New Hampshire → New Hampshirite, Perth → Perthite, Ruskin → Ruskinite, Seattle → Seattleite, Seoul → Seoulite, Springfield → Springfieldianite, Spokane → Spokanite, Tokyo → Tokyoite, Vancouver → Vancouverite, Wisconsin → Wisconsinite, Wyoming → Wyomingite), Wenham → Wenhamite mostly for cities.
- -(e)r (Amsterdam → Amsterdammer, Arkansas → Arkansawyer, Auckland → Aucklander, Beijing → Beijinger, Belgrade → Belgrader, Berlin → Berliner, Budapest → Budapester, Cleveland → Clevelander, Copenhagen → Copenhagener, Detroit → Detroiter, Dublin → Dubliner, Frankfurt → Frankfurter, Hamburg → Hamburger, Hong Kong → HongKonger, Iceland → Icelander, Leeds → Loiner, Liechtenstein → Liechtensteiner, London → Londoner, Luxembourg → Luxembourger, Michigan → Michigander, Montreal → Montrealer, Netherlands → Netherlander (though see below; Irregular forms), New England → New Englander, New York → New Yorker, New Zealand → New Zealander (Kiwi), Pittsburgh → Pittsburgher, Prague → Praguer, Quebec → Quebecker or Quebecer (though see below; Irregular forms), Queensland → Queenslander, Saigon (Vietnam) → Saigoner, Solomon Islands → Solomon Islander, Somaliland → Somalilander, Stockholm → Stockholmer, Tallinn → Tallinner, Winnipeg → Winnipegger, Zurich → Zuricher)
- -(en)o (Los Angeles → Angeleno or Los Angeleno, Philippines → Filipino cf. above), adapted from a standard Spanish suffix -(eñ/n)o, as in salvadoreño, madrileño, malagüeño, Zamboanga City → Zamboangueño, andorrano, or chino
- -ish (Åland → Ålandish, Britain → British, Cornwall → Cornish, Denmark → Danish, England → English, Finland → Finnish, Ireland → Irish, Kurdistan → Kurdish, Poland → Polish, Scotland → Scottish, Spain → Spanish, Sweden → Swedish, Turkey → Turkish), mostly for countries
- "-ish" is usually only proper as an adjective. Thus many common "-ish" forms have irregular demonyms, e.g. Britain/British/Briton; Denmark/Danish/Dane; England/English/Englishman; Finland/Finnish/Finn; Flanders/Flemish/Fleming; Ireland/Irish/Irishman; Kurdistan/Kurdish/Kurd; Poland/Polish/Pole; Scotland/Scottish/Scot; Spain/Spanish/Spaniard; Sweden/Swedish/Swede; Turkey/Turkish/Turk.
- -ene (Cairo → Cairene, Damascus → Damascene, Nazareth → Nazarene, Slovenia → Slovene (also "Slovenian") )
- -ensian (Kingston-upon-Hull (UK) → Hullensian)
- -ard (Spain → Spaniard, Savoy → Savoyard)
- -(l)ese (Aragon → Aragonese, Assam → Assamese, Benin → Beninese, Bhutan → Bhutanese, Burma → Burmese (though see below; Irregular forms), Calabria → Calabrese, China → Chinese, Congo → Congolese, Da Lat (Vietnam) → Dalatese, East Timor → East Timorese, The Faroe Islands → Faroese, Gabon → Gabonese, Genoa → Genovese, Guangdong → Cantonese, Guyana → Guyanese, Japan → Japanese, Lebanon → Lebanese, Macao → Macanese/Chinese, Malta → Maltese, Marshall Islands → Marshallese, Milan → Milanese, Nepal → Nepalese, Piedmont → Piedmontese, Portugal → Portuguese, San Marino → Sammarinese, Sark → Sarkese, Senegal → Senegalese, Shanghai → Shanghainese, Sikkim → Sikkimese, (South) Sudan → (South) Sudanese, Suriname → Surinamese, Republic of China → Taiwanese, Togo → Togolese, Turin → Torinese, the Tyrol → Tyrolese, Vienna → Viennese, Vietnam → Vietnamese)
- "-ese" is usually considered proper only as an adjective, or to refer to the entirety. Thus, "a Chinese person" is used rather than "a Chinese".
- Often used for East Asian and Francophone locations, from the similar-sounding French suffix -ais(e), which is originally from the Latin adjectival ending -ensis, designating origin from a place: thus Hispaniensis (Spanish), Danensis (Danish), etc.
- -i (Afghanistan → Afghanistani (also Afghan), Azawad → Azawadi, Azerbaijan → Azerbaijani, Bahrain → Bahraini, Bangladesh → Bangladeshi, Bengal → Bengali, Bihar → Bihari, Dagestan → Dagestani, Desh → Desi, Gujarat → Gujarati, Hyderabad → Hyderabadi, Iraq → Iraqi, Israel → Israeli (in the Modern State of Israel), Kashmir → Kashmiri, Kazakhstan → Kazakhstani (also "Kazakh"), Kuwait → Kuwaiti, Nepal → Nepali, Oman → Omani, Pakistan → Pakistani, Punjab → Punjabi, Qatar → Qatari, Rajasthan → Rajasthani, Sindh → Sindhi, Somalia → Somali (not Somalian), Tajikistan → Tajikistani (also "Tajik"), United Arab Emirates → United Arab Emirati, Uzbekistan → Uzbekistani (also "Uzbek"), Yemen → Yemeni, Yerevan → Yerevani), mostly for Middle Eastern and South Asian locales and in Latinate names for the various people that ancient Romans encountered (e.g. Allemanni, Helvetii)
- -ic (Hispania → Hispanic, Turk → Turkic) derives from a Latinate suffix widely used outside ethnonyms (e.g., chemical compounds), which with regard to people is mostly used adjectivally (Semite vs. Semitic, Arab/Arabian vs. Arabic) to refer to a wider ethnic or linguistic group (Turkic vs. Turkish, Finnic vs. Finnish).
- -iot(e) (Corfu → Corfiot, Cyprus → Cypriot, Phanar → Phanariote), especially for Greek locations.
- -asque (Menton → Mentonasque, Monaco → Monégasque)
- -gian (Galloway → Galwegian, Galway → Galwegian, Glasgow → Glaswegian, Norway → Norwegian)
- -onian (Aberdeen → Aberdonian, Bath → Bathonian, Dundee → Dundonian, Newport → Newportonian)
- -vian (Kraków → Krakovian, Oamaru → Oamaruvian, Oslo → Oslovian, Peru → Peruvian, Warsaw → Varsovian, Waterloo → Waterluvian)
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