people (French)

Where does "people" come from?

The French noun 'people' is a modern, ironic reborrowing of the English word derived from the Old French 'peuple'. It specifically refers to celebrities or fame, drawing its meaning directly from the popular American magazine People rather than the original sense of a general population. This makes it a fascinating doublet of the traditional terms 'peuple' and 'pueblo'.

Full etymology tree

• people (French), 'a celebrity, celebrities, famous person(s)'
  • borrowed People (English)
    • inherited peuple (Old French)

Cognates and doublets

• peuple (French)
• pueblo (French)

Updated June 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris