What Do You Call Someone From Australia? (Answered!)

Someone from Australia is usually just called Australian, or sometimes an Aussie or Ozzy for short. This is the term for anyone with Australian citizenship or ancestry, though there are also indigenous populations that may prefer different names: the Aboriginal people and al the Torres Strait Islander people. Legally, though, they are Australian citizens.

So, for anyone who comes from Australia, the term is just Australian.

Few people are going to take issue with being called this, though of course, you should always respect the way a person wishes to be addressed.

Some Aboriginals may prefer not to be called Australian.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do you call people from Australia?

The simple answer to this question is that someone from Australia is called an Australian.

Everyone born in Australia is an Australian citizen legally speaking, and so people from Australia are simply called Australians.

In some places, Australians are called “Ozzies” or “Aussies” for short.

Anyone who comes from Australia is, in one sense or another, Australian.

However, of course, the reality is a lot more complicated than that.

The population of present-day Australia is made up of many different ethnic groups, and some may find the term “Australian” less appropriate for them than a different term.

The other most widely used term you’ll hear for people in Australia is Aboriginal.

This, though, still encompasses a fairly wide range of ethnic identities.

Aboriginal in general simply refers to one of many indigenous populations in Australia.

Nunga is among the most common of these, for people in the far south of Australia.

You will also find the Anangu group, the Goorie, the Koori, the Tiwi and the Noongar.

These names are generally based on the geographical distribution of a given group.

These peoples all belong to the Aboriginal umbrella, though it’s important to recognize that not all such people will be comfortable with the term Aboriginal.

Many specifically consider the noun form Aborigine to be insulting.

There is, though, another group of indigenous people in Australia called the Torres Strait Islander peoples.

As the name suggests, these people are indigenous to the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of Queensland.

This group contains still more groups, with five different ethnic groups under this broader umbrella.

Then, of course, you have the descendants of European settlers or immigrants, for whom the term Australian is perfectly fine.

Ethnic identity can be a complex question in a colonized nation, but legally speaking all of these people are Australian.

Where do Australians live?

It’s also worth noting that “Australians”, whatever precisely we may mean by this term, are also spread far and wide across the world.

There are around 26 million Australians living in Australia, but the Australian diaspora represents around a further 600,000 people.

The largest population of Australians outside of Australia can be found in the United Kingdom, where there are around 165,000 Australians living.

This is not surprising given that Australia was a British colony and indeed is still a member of the British Commonwealth.

Other than that, you also have around 98,000 Australians living in the United States, and 75,000 in New Zealand.

There are also Australians living in countries like Canada, South Korea, Germany and Japan.

Any of these people may feel something different about their ethnic identity.

They may have inherited some identity from the country they live in, and wish no longer simply to be called an Australian.

The point is that ethnic identity is often a very personal and individual matter, so it’s always worth being clear with the individual you’re dealing with.

Why are Australians called Aussie?

Australians are called Aussies simply as a short, abbreviated form of Australian.

Sometimes, the term is also used as a short form of Australia itself.

This word is first attested in 1917, and was primarily used by the British and Australian people.

It has since become a general term for Australians used throughout the English speaking world.

You run into the same problems with Aussie as you do with Australian.

Though legally many people may be Australian, they may prefer their own ethnic identity—in which case they will object to being called Aussie just as they would to being called Australian.

Again, you can only know by asking the individual.

What do indigenous people call Australia?

Australia is, you will not be surprised to hear, very large.

Aboriginal groups are not, as we’ve seen, one linked ethnic group of people who recognize themselves as being part of a nation.

Historically, Australian Aboriginals would have names for the local areas in which they lived, and would not really have any term for Australia as a whole or even Australian people as a whole.

It would be understood through their own local groups.

As a result, today, most Aboriginals just use the term Australia if they are referring to the country as a whole.

Other than that, they will use their own names for the more localized areas in which they live.

So, it’s fairly simple, then. Australia has indigenous populations, and they may have their own individual identities they prefer to be referred to by.

However, Aboriginal is a helpful, general term for such people.

On the other hand, non-indigenous people from Australia are simply called Australians, or perhaps Ozzies for short.

Again, whoever you happen to be talking to, just ask them on an individual level what they feel about their ethnic identity!

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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