Origin of the name

Throughout centennial travels and settlement in different European areas, different names can be found: Gitanos in Spain, Gens du voyage in France, Travellers in Great Britain and Ireland, Zigeuner in Germany. Even today, the experts have not come to an agreement on the origin of the word gipsy. However, the word did not always have a negative connotation. Due to the negative connotation, another name appeared, i.e. Rom – it derives from the Romani language and it means human or man. Romni means a married woman, Roma means people. The name Rom became an official name at the first World Romani Congress in 1971 in London.