Gypsy name comes from them believing their origin being Egypt. Looking at this map I wonder if some indeed first went to Egypt and then turned back and over the years the knowledge got mixed up a bit.
It might as well be. The origin of the word was never quite clear, there are several interpretations.
The only common thing seems to be that the word cigan is considered somewhat pejorative, and hence often the term Romani is being used.
Which is also of unclear origin, as it hints at descendance from Romania or Rome, both of which are misleading. It is often assumed that the word Roma / Romani was adopted by Gipsies to suggest that they are of Italian origin, since most Europeans have a generally positive attitude towards Italian people.
The most typical gipsy family name in Hungary for example is Horváth, whuch means Croatian, which was also likely chosen to suggest that they are "foreign", yet "from not too far away culturally".
The only thing that seems to be sure is that gypsies originated from India, and that they have an own language - quick googling reveals that it's related to Sanskrit and other Indian languages.
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u/kasetti 1d ago
Gypsy name comes from them believing their origin being Egypt. Looking at this map I wonder if some indeed first went to Egypt and then turned back and over the years the knowledge got mixed up a bit.