Udmurts
Permian ethnic group of Udmurtia, Russia
title: "Udmurts" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["udmurt-people", "permians", "history-of-ural", "history-of-udmurtia", "indigenous-peoples-of-european-russia", "people-from-udmurtia"] description: "Permian ethnic group of Udmurtia, Russia" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udmurts" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Permian ethnic group of Udmurtia, Russia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox ethnic group"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| group | Udmurts |
| Удмуртъёс | |
| image | File:Udmurts 1907.jpg |
| caption | Udmurts in 1907 |
| flag | File:Flag of Udmurtia.svg |
| flag_caption | Flag of Udmurtia |
| pop | 396,000 (2021) |
| popplace | Udmurtia |
| region1 | Russia |
| pop1 | 386,465 (2021) |
| region2 | Kazakhstan |
| pop2 | 5,824 (2009) |
| region3 | Ukraine |
| pop3 | 4,712 (2001) |
| ref3 | |
| region4 | Estonia |
| pop4 | 193 (2011) |
| ref4 | |
| region5 | Latvia |
| pop5 | 179–197 (2023) |
| ref5 | |
| rels | Majority: |
| Russian Orthodoxy | |
| Minority: | |
| Udmurt Vos | |
| Protestantism | |
| Pentecostalism | |
| Islam | |
| langs | Udmurt, Russian |
| related | Other Permians, especially Besermyan |
| :: |
| group = Udmurts
Удмуртъёс
| image = File:Udmurts 1907.jpg
| image_alt =
| caption = Udmurts in 1907
| flag = File:Flag of Udmurtia.svg
| flag_caption = Flag of Udmurtia
| pop = 396,000 (2021)
| popplace = Udmurtia
| region1 = Russia
| pop1 = 386,465 (2021)
| ref1 =
| region2 = Kazakhstan
| pop2 = 5,824 (2009)
| ref2 =
| region3 = Ukraine
| pop3 = 4,712 (2001)
| ref3 =
| region4 = Estonia
| pop4 = 193 (2011)
| ref4 =
| region5 = Latvia
| pop5 = 179–197 (2023)
| ref5 =
| rels = Majority:
Russian Orthodoxy
Minority:
Udmurt Vos
Protestantism
Pentecostalism
Islam
| langs = Udmurt, Russian
| related = Other Permians, especially Besermyan
The Udmurts (, udm) are a Permian (Finno-Ugric) ethnic group in Eastern Europe, who speak the Udmurt language. They mainly live in the republic of Udmurtia in Russia.
Etymology
The name Udmurt comes from *odo-mort 'meadow people', from the Permic root *od(o) 'meadow, glade, turf, greenery' and murt 'person' (cf. Komi mort, Mari mari, Mordvin mirď-), probably an early borrowing from an Iranian language (such as Scythian): *mertä or *martiya meaning 'person, man' (cf. Persian mard). This, in turn, is thought to have been borrowed from the Indo-Aryan term *maryá- 'man', literally 'mortal, one who is bound to die' ( 'young warrior' and Old Indic marut 'chariot warrior', both connected specifically with horses and chariots. This is supported by a document dated 1557, in which the Udmurts are referred to as lugovye lyudi 'meadow people', alongside the traditional Russian name otyaki.
On the other hand, in the Russian tradition, the name 'meadow people' refers to the inhabitants of the left bank of a river in general. Most relevant in this regard is the recent theory proposed by V. V. Napolskikh and S. K. Belykh, who suppose that the ethnonym was borrowed from Proto-Iranian entirely: anta-marta meaning 'resident of outskirts, border zone' (cf. Antes) → Proto-Permic *odə-mort → Udmurt udmurt.
Under the Russian Empire, Udmurts were mainly called by the exonyms ru (чудь отяцкая), Otyaks, Wotyaks or Votyaks. Today these names are considered offensive by Udmurts themselves and are mainly used against those who have forgotten the Udmurt language. The Udmurts are closely related to Komis to their north, both linguistically and culturally.
Distribution
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Ареал_расселения_удмуртов_в_Волго-Уральском_регионе._По_данным_Всероссийской_переписи_населения_2010_года..png" caption="Udmurt resettlement area in the [[Idel-Ural]] (Volga-Ural) region (data based on the [[2010 Russian Census"] ::
Most Udmurt people live in Udmurtia. Small groups live in the neighboring areas of Kirov Oblast and Perm Krai, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, and Mari El.
The Udmurt population is shrinking; the Russian Census reported 552,299 in 2010, down from the 2002 Russian census figure of 637,000, in turn down from 746,562 in 1989. The 2021 census counted fewer Udmurts than had the 1926 census. ::data[format=table title="Udmurts in Russia (1926–2021)"]
| Census | 1926 | 1939 | 1959 | 1970 | 1979 | 1989 | 2002 | 2010 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 503,970 | 599,893 | 615,640 | 678,393 | 685,718 | 714,883 | 636,906 | 552,299 | 386,465 |
| Percentage | 0.54% | 0.55% | 0.52% | 0.52% | 0.50% | 0.49% | 0.45% | 0.40% | 0.30% |
| :: |
Culture
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Wotyaks_(Udmurts).jpg" caption="Udmurts wearing traditional outfits, 1870"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Кузебай_Герд.jpg" caption="The Udmurt poet [[Kuzebay Gerd]] (1898–1937)"] ::
The Udmurt language belongs to the Uralic family.
The Udmurts have a national epic called Dorvyzhy. Their national musical instruments include the krez zither (similar to the Russian gusli) and a pipe-like wind instrument called the chipchirghan.
A chapter in the 1776 book Description de toutes les nations de l'empire de Russie is devoted to the description of the Wotyak people. James George Frazer also mentions a rite performed by the people in his book The Golden Bough.
Many Udmurt people have red hair, and a festival to celebrate the red-haired people has been held annually in Izhevsk since 2004.
The Udmurts used to be semi-nomadic forest dwellers that lived in riverside communities. However, most Udmurts now live in towns. Although the clan-based social structure of the Udmurts no longer exists, its traces are still strong and it continues to shape modern Udmurt culture.
Genetics
According to the data gathered by Kristiina Tambets and others (2018), the majority (about 70%) of Udmurt men carry the haplogroup N. The high frequency of this East Eurasian-related haplogroup is a common pattern among Uralic-speaking peoples. Most Udmurt men belong to the subclade N1c and 16.8 percent of them belong the subclade N1b-P43. The second most common Y-DNA haplogroup among Udmurts is R1a (19%).
The most common maternal haplogroup for Udmurts is U (23.5%). Most Udmurts who have it belong to its subclades U2 (10.4%) and U5 (9.3%). Nearly as common is H (22.5%). Other mtDNA haplogroups among Udmurts include T (16.5%), D (11%) and Z (6%).[[File:Ancestry proportions of 1194 individuals.png|thumb|Autosomal ancestry proportions of Udmurts and other populations.]]When it comes to the autosomal ancestry of Udmurts, around 30 percent of it is Nganasan-like. This Siberian component is typical for Uralic-speaking peoples. The rest can be modelled to be mostly Steppe-like with a smaller eastern hunter-gatherer component, or Srubnaya-like. It is common for Northeastern Europeans to have a high level of Steppe-related admixture.
Notable people
- Nicholas B. Suntzeff, American astronomer and cosmologist who is of Udmurt descent
- Albert Razin, Udmurt activist
Gallery
File:021 Description of all the Russian state-dwelling peoples.jpg| Wotiak woman (Georgi, 1776) File:Vladimir Medeyko congratulates Udmurt language (2018-11-21).ogv|Wikimedia Russia director Vladimir Medeyko congratulates Udmurt language File:Удмурты.jpg|Udmurt women in traditional clothing File:Закамские удмурты.jpg File:Zakama Udmurt mens costume.png|An Udmurt man wearing traditional clothing File:Sep, Italmas Nuk - 48012046556.jpg|Udmurt girls at the Italmas Nuk flower festival in Igrinsky District
References
References
- [http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/nationality_population/nationality_popul1/select_5/?botton=cens_db&box=5.1W&k_t=00&p=100&rz=1_1&rz_b=2_1%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&n_page=5 State statistics committee of Ukraine - National composition of population, 2001 census] (Ukrainian)
- [http://pub.stat.ee/px-web.2001/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=RL0428&ti=RAHVASTIK+RAHVUSE%2C+SOO+JA+ELUKOHA+J%C4RGI%2C+31%2E+DETSEMBER+2011&path=../Database/Rahvaloendus/REL2011/07Rahvastiku_demograafilised_ja_etno_kultuurilised_naitajad/08Rahvus_Emakeel_ja_keelteoskus_Murded/&lang=2 RL0428: Rahvastik rahvuse, soo ja elukoha järgi, 31. detsember 2011]
- "Population by ethnicity at the beginning of year – Time period and Ethnicity | National Statistical System of Latvia".
- [https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/lv/media/9756/download?attachment Latvijas iedzīvotāju sadalījums pēc nacionālā sastāva un valstiskās piederības, 01.01.2023. - PMLP]
- "Главная страница проекта "Арена": Некоммерческая Исследовательская Служба "Среда"".
- "IZ-article".
- "Udmurtiya {{!}} Republic in Russia, Culture & History {{!}} Britannica".
- "уд | это... Что такое уд?".
- Christopher I. Beckwith. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 2009. Page 397.
- A.G. Ivanov, "Udmurty – 'Lugovye lyudi'", ''Linguistica Uralica'' Vol. 27, No. 3 (1991), pp. 188–92.
- Белых С. К., Напольских В. В. [http://www.udmurt.info/library/belykh/udmetn.htm Этноним ''удмурт'': исчерпаны ли альтернативы?] ''Linguistica Uralica''. T. 30, № 4. Tallinn, 1994.
- Vitaly Michka. (1 October 1994). "Inside the New Russia". SC Publishing.
- (1776). "Description de toutes les nations de l'empire de Russie".
- Frazer, James George. (1913). "The Golden Bough". Cambridge U. Press.
- [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/country-with-the-most-redheads-gingers/ Mapped: Which countries have the most redheads?] - The Telegraph
- [https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29950844 The people with the reddest hair in the world] - BBC News
- [http://www.izh.ru/i/info/21088.html Рыжий фестиваль - 2017] {{Webarchive. link. (2020-11-06 - Izhevsk city portal)
- (2004). "Human: The Definitive Visual Guide". [[Dorling Kindersley]].
- (2018). "Genes reveal traces of common recent demographic history for most of the Uralic-speaking populations". Genome Biology.
- (2015-09-02). "Genetic Heritage of the Balto-Slavic Speaking Populations: A Synthesis of Autosomal, Mitochondrial and Y-Chromosomal Data". PLOS ONE.
- (2019). "The genetic history of admixture across inner Eurasia". Nature Ecology & Evolution.
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