What Do You Call Someone From Zimbabwe? (Helpful Content!)

Someone from Zimbabwe is called Zimbabwean. This is the standard demonym for a person of Zimbabwean nationality. There may be many other associations that make one Zimbabwean, whether cultural, ancestral, historical or simply residential. The country comprises multiple ethnic groups which may be the more important part of their identity.

The reality of this question is never quite as simple as it might at first seem, then.

Someone from Zimbabwe is called Zimbabwean from the point of view of their national identity.

On the other hand, many people who are not citizens of Zimbabwe may feel themselves to be Zimbabwean.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What is someone from Zimbabwe called?

Someone from Zimbabwe is called Zimbabwean.

This is the standard term for a person of ZImbabwean nationality.

But the details of a question like this are often a lot more complicated.

For one thing, there are many ways someone might be a citizen of Zimbabwe; of course if you are born to a line of Zimbabwean people then no doubt you feel yourself to be Zimbabwean in an important sense.

On the other hand, if you are born to Zimbabwean parents outside the country, then it is still going to be an important part of your identity.

Inversely, if you are born to non-Zimbabwean parents in Zimbabwe, then you will no doubt feel yourself to be Zimbabwean in an important sense.

This, of course, is all very individual and depends on the person.

It simply illustrates the fact that our modern sense of nationality is a fairly recent invention and still has yet to fully permeate throughout the world.

The other question is one of ethnicity.

The vast majority of the country, as much as 99%, is unsurprisingly of African descent and ethnicity. Most of this is made up of Shona and Ndebele peoples.

The Shona are the dominant ethnic group in Zimbabwe, though they can also be found in Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.

There are minority populations of White African, Asian and other peoples living in Zimbabwe.

The country, then, is highly ethnically diverse, and it’s always an important question which part of any individual’s identity is more important to them; their national or ethnic identity.

For many of these people, the ethnic aspect may be far more important.

Again, this is simply to illustrate that these questions are never quite as simple and clear cut as we might imagine and there can be many layers to the answer.

Where does the name “Zimbabwe” come from?

The name Zimbabwe is ultimately derived from a Shona term.

It’s worth noting that Zimbabwe as know it today did not exist until fairly recently; it was founded as an independent nation in 1980.

Before that, of course, the country was occupied but its borders had not been laid out in this way.

There was a city in the medieval period in this region of the world called Great Zimbabwe, and so the name of the country was simply taken from this great city of the past.

Though it not completely clear where the name comes from etymologically, but there is some agreement that it comes from the Shona term dzimba-dza-mabwe, meaning Houses of Stones.

Others claim it instead means “venerated houses” in a different dialect of Shona.

This name would suggest that the term referred to the chief’s houses or the houses of the rulers in the city.

Zimbabwe was formerly known as Southern Rhodesia or Rhodesia over the course of the 20th Century, and natives gathered to come up with an alternative name for the country once it gained independence from the British Empire.

Multiple suggestions were made until Zimbabwe became the accepted name.

What languages are spoken in Zimbabwe?

There are no fewer than 16 official languages in Zimbabwe.

The primary languages are Shona and Ndebele, representing the majority of the population and the languages they speak.

There are many other minority language groups, though, including Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Nambya, Ndau and many more.

Again, it’s plain to see that many diverse groups of people make up this country and so like in any respect it can become more difficult, at least for an outsider, to pin down the sense of Zimbabwean nationality and identity.

Where do Zimbabweans live?

Zimbabweans, it should also be noted, live far and wide across the world both in their own neighboring countries and elsewhere in the world.

There are an estimated 20 million Zimbabweans in the world today, with around 13 million of those living in Zimbabwe itself.

Up to 3 million also live in South Africa, 50,000 in Botswana and around 10,000 in Zambia.

There are also around 128,000 ZImbabweans living in the United Kingdom, and and around 65,000 in Australia.

There are anywhere from 30 to 50,000 in the United States.

Again, the point is that Zimbabwean identity could mean something very different for any given individual, and it certainly doesn’t have to mean one who actually lives in Zimbabwe.

So, again, the simple answer is that someone from Zimbabwe is called Zimbabwean.

On the other hand, the real answer may be a great deal more complex depending on who you are speaking to.

Ethnic identity is naturally very important to people from Zimbabwe, and this may in any given case trump the question of national identity.

In any case, the demonym you are looking for for a person from Zimbabwe is Zimbabwean.

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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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