Diegueño
/diːˈɡeɪnjoʊ/noun
A historical Spanish-derived term for the Kumeyaay Indigenous people of southern California and northern Baja California, or their language.
Did you know?Diegueño is an exonym derived from San Diego, while Kumeyaay is a preferred modern name for the people historically labeled by this term.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
Yaʿăqōḇ
“The personal name Jacob, traditionally associated with the biblical patriarch.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Iakṓb
“Greek rendering of the Hebrew name.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Iacobus
“Latin form of Jacob, source of several later European names.”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
Diego
“A Spanish given name that developed through complex medieval forms associated with the Jacob/James name family.”
18th Century
Spanish
Diegueño
“A Spanish adjective and ethnonym meaning associated with San Diego, especially the Indigenous people connected with Mission San Diego de Alcalá.”
Modern English
English
Diegueño
“An English historical ethnonym for the Kumeyaay people or their language; Kumeyaay is generally preferred today.”