Meanings
plural endonyms
- A name used by a group or category of people (an ingroup) to refer to themselves, their nation or their language, as opposed to a name given to them by other groups (outgroups).
1 more example
The endonym is the basic toponymic exemplar and as such it needs to be understood properly. To do so we need to appreciate the context of space and place that produces it. Most endonyms arise from the elemental human relationship with space and place, and possess an intrinsic and enduring value which cannot normally be either bestowed or removed by political arbitrariness.
2009 May 28, Paul Woodman, “The Nature of the Endonym”, in UN, page 2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA name used by a group or category of people (an ingroup) to refer to themselves, their nation or their language, as opposed to a name given to them by other groups (outgroups).
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥dóm
- Proto-Hellenic*éndon
- Ancient Greekἔνδον (éndon)
- Englishendo-
- Ancient Greekὄνυμα (ónuma)
- Englishendonym
From endo- (“inside”) + -onym (“name”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan endònim
- endònima name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Chinese Mandarin 當地地名 /当地地名
- 當地地名 /当地地名 (dāngdì dìmíng)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Czech endonymum
- endonymuma name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Dutch endoniem
- endoniema name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Esperanto endonimo
- endonimoa name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Estonian endonüüm
- endonüüma name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Finnish endonyymi
- endonyymia name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
French endonyme
- endonymea name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
German Eigenbezeichnung, Endonym
- Eigenbezeichnunga name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
- Endonyma name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Hungarian endonima
- endonimaa name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Italian endonimo
- endonimoa name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Japanese 内名, エンドニム
- 内名 (naimei)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
- エンドニム (endonimu)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Persian نام داخلی
- نام داخلی (nâm-e dâxeli)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Polish endonim
- endonima name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Portuguese endônimo, endónimo
- endônimoa name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
- endónimoa name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Romanian endonim
- endonima name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Russian эндо́ним, самоназва́ние
- эндо́ним (endónim)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
- самоназва́ние (samonazvánije)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
- автоэтно́ним (avtoetnónim)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Spanish endónimo
- endónimoa name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Swedish endonym, autonym
- endonyma name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
- autonyma name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Ukrainian самона́зва, ендо́нім
- самона́зва (samonázva)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
- ендо́нім (endónim)a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Vietnamese nội danh
- nội danha name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language
Cite this entry
endonym. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endonym
“endonym.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endonym. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “endonym,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endonym.
Source: endonym on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.