Wyandot
/ˈwaɪ.ən.dɒt/noun
A member of a Native American people also known as the Huron, or the Iroquoian language they traditionally spoke.
Did you know?Wyandot is the French-recorded form of a name tied to the Wendat self-designation, and its history is a reminder that colonial spellings can preserve a people’s voice even while trying to overwrite it.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Contact
Wyandot/Wendat
Wendat
“The self-name used by the people later known in English as Wyandot/Huron.”
16th Century
French
Ouendat / Ouyandot
“Early French spellings approximating the native name as heard by French speakers.”
17th Century
French
Huron
“A French exonym applied to the people, possibly from a word meaning 'boar' or from a rough-haired comparison.”
18th Century
English
Wyandot
“English form adopted from French usage for the people and their language.”
Modern English
English
Wyandot
“The established English ethnonym for the people and their Iroquoian language.”