Vogul
/ˈvoʊɡəl/noun
An older English name for the Mansi people or their language of western Siberia.
Did you know?Vogul is now generally avoided in favor of Mansi, because Vogul was an exonym rather than the people’s preferred self-designation.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval period
Mansi
мāньси (māńsi)
“A Mansi self-designation, commonly interpreted as meaning “person” or “human,” though details of its historical formation are debated.”
17th–18th Century
Russian
вогулы (voguly)
“The Russian plural name used for the Mansi people; its deeper origin is uncertain and has been connected with neighboring Uralic languages.”
18th Century
German
Wogulen
“A German scholarly and geographic form referring to the Mansi people.”
18th–19th Century
English
Vogul
“An English exonym for the Mansi people and, by extension, their language.”
Modern English
English
Vogul
“A historical or obsolete term, largely replaced by Mansi in contemporary scholarship and respectful usage.”