British

The word British has several different uses. See the article on Britain for more details on the development and use of the word Britain.

In a geographical context, it usually applies to a person or object from, or the people or nation of ("the British") the United Kingdom – specifically those residing on the island of Great Britain. The term "Briton" also describes a British citizen (a citizen of Great Britain or Northern Ireland), although historically it also included people from Ireland. Confusingly, the term "British Isles" still includes the island of Ireland (thus corresponding to the territory the Romans called Britanniae and Britannias). Sometimes British applies to an area or territory currently or formerly governed by or a dependent territory of the United Kingdom, for example the British Virgin Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory, or British Columbia which is now a province of Canada.
In a political context it applies to a person or object ("the British") from, or the people or nation of:
- 1707 to 1801 – United Kingdom of Great Britain
- 1801 to 1922 – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- 1922 to date – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
People from the British Commonwealth.
In an historical context, it refers to a territory of the British Empire, or a dependent territory of the United Kingdom (see above).
In an ethnological context, it refers to the Brythonic people who once inhabited much of the island now known as Great Britain, and a person of British nationality and/or descent whether resident in the United Kingdom or abroad.

Origins

British originates from the name Briton used to refer to the people who historically lived throughout the British Isles. The modern day Celtic people in Ireland, Scotland and Wales are probably most closely ancestrally related to the original Britons. In modern times people have begun to exclude the Irish from the term "British" despite the fact that many Irish people are ancestrally more closely related to the original Britons than other groups living in the British Isles. This is most common in Northern Ireland, where "British" is the word commonly associated with the 59% of the population who wish to remain in the United Kingdom, and "Irish" is the word often associated with the 22% of the population who would like Northern Ireland to merge with the Republic of Ireland (% figures from [1] 2004).