Cherokee
/ˈtʃɛr.ə.ki/noun
A member of a Native American people originally from the southeastern United States, or the Iroquoian language they speak.
Did you know?The name Cherokee is an exonym, not the people’s original self-name; the nation’s own name is Tsalagi (or Aniyvwiyaʔi in another form), while “Cherokee” likely came through several languages before English adopted it.
Etymological Timeline
Before 1700
Cherokee
Tsalagi / Aniyvwiyaʔi
“The people’s own names for themselves, used within their language and community.”
17th–18th Century
Spanish/French
Chalaque / Tchalaque
“Early European spellings recording an Indigenous name heard in the Southeast.”
18th Century
English
Cherokee
“English form used for the people and their language.”
Modern English
English
Cherokee
“The standard English name for the nation and its language.”