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

Someone from Jerusalem is most widely called a Jerusalemite. Depending on a person’s ethnicity, though, they may also be called a Qudsi or a Maqdisi; these are terms for Arabic peoples hailing from Jerusalem. It can be complex, though, as this can be a more specific ethnic identifier to some, while to others it is a Jerusalem demonym.

Jerusalem, being a city rather than a nation state, does not have official or standard demonyms.

People from there may most broadly be called a Jerusalemite, though this may not be the preferred term depending on your ethnic identity.

It’s a complex question as this is an ethnically diverse place.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What is someone from Jerusalem called?

Someone from Jerusalem is called a Jerusalemite; this is really the only simple answer to the question.

Cities, unlike nations, generally do not have standard demonyms in the same way.

There may of course happen to be one that is widely used, but at the same time there may not. Jerusalemite is a somewhat Anglicized term for a person from Jerusalem which doesn’t really reflect the complexity of the whole picture.

The majority of the population of Jerusalem are of Jewish descent, with today around 570,000 Jews comprising around 60% of the city’s population.

To Hebrew speakers, you may be a Jerusalemite but you may also be a Yerushalmi.

So, depending even on the individual Jewish resident of Jerusalem, you may hear different terms used in different contexts.

Even the Jewish of Israel broadly are split into many different ethnic groups, some of whom speak different languages and may have different words for people from Jerusalem.

On the other hand, around 353,000 Muslims live in Jerusalem, representing around 37% of the population.

These Muslims are usually of Arab decent, and so they may refer to themselves either as Qudsi or as Maqdisi.

These words both essentially mean Jerusalemite, though in slightly different ways.

Either way, even English speaking Arabs among them may reject entirely the term Jerusalemite in favor of one of these terms.

So, it’s a complex question and there really is no single standard answer.

It will depend on whom you’re talking to and what you are trying to convey.

To many living in Jerusalem, they may not necessarily feel the need to identify with the city at all.

They may prefer to forefront their national or ethnic identity—it’s almost always a very individual question.

Where does the name “Jerusalem” come from?

The city in fact has many names, but the name “Jerusalem” is widely believed to mean something like “Foundation of the God Shalem”.

Shalem was a god of Canaanite religion from whom the Jewish tradition and language derived a great deal.

Shalem was the tuelary deity of Jerusalem in the Bronze Age.

In other words, Jerusalem is a very old city, and so it has undergone a variety of name changes over the millennia.

Jerusalem fell to Muslim conquest in the 7^th Century, and the modern Arabic name of the city is al-Quds.

This term is first recorded in the 9^th Century. Today, the use of the Arab name for the city is limited, and thus we enter into complex questions about the current conflict between Palestine and the state of Israel.

One way or another, though, the Arab population of the city use the term al-Quds, and it means something along the lines of “The Holy City”.

Indeed, Jerusalem is as holy to Muslims as it is to the Jews.

What nationality are you if you are born in Jerusalem?

If you are born in Jerusalem, you are an Israeli citizen.

No matter whom you are born to, someone born in Jerusalem would be of Israeli nationality.

This is of course a very different question to one’s ethnic identity; you could be born to Jewish, Arab or many other ethnic groups in Jerusalem, but your nationality in the modern sense would still be Israeli.

Whether an individual would prefer to think of themselves as Israeli is a separate question.

Many Arabs likely would not, and would be more associated with Palestine and other occupied territories.

Again, it’s a very complex geopolitical question which is not easy to answer, and these things are so often down to the individual rather than any overarching sense.

Is Israel and Jerusalem the same thing?

Jerusalem is in Israel, but they are not the same thing. Israel is a nation which claims Jerusalem as its capital, though Tel Aviv is the economic center of the country.

The seat of government, though, is in Jerusalem.

Once again, it’s a complex question mired in the present conflict of the region, as not everyone would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Jerusalem is also claimed by the people of Palestine, and parts of it are split between both nations.

So, parts of Jerusalem are not at all the same as Israel because they are in Palestine and not in Jerusalem.

So, again, Jerusalem is a city in Israel, and while many may use a city-based demonym for their identity, most are probably more likely to identify with their ethnic background.

With that in mind, the question becomes complex, as Jerusalem is home to a wide variety of ethnic populations.

The simplest answer, though, is that someone from Jerusalem is called a Jerusalemite, though they may prefer to go by Qudsi or Maqdisi if they are Arab.

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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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