Šiptar

Shqip(ë)tar (plural: Shqiptarët; Gheg Albanian: Shqyptar), is an Albanian language ethnonym (endonym), by which Albanians call themselves. They call their country aShqipëria (Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia).

During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their country Arbëria (Gheg: Arbënia) and referred to themselves as Arbëresh (Gheg: Arbënesh) while known through derivative terms by neighbouring peoples as Arbanasi, Arbanenses / Albaneses, Arvanites (Arbanites), Arnaut, Arbineş and so on. The Albanian name Shqiptar (Albanians) and Shqipëria (Albania) is a recent adoption of the Ottoman period. At the end of 17th and beginning of the early 18th centuries, the placename Shqipëria and the ethnic demonym Shqiptarë gradually replaced Arbëria and Arbëreshë amongst Albanian speakers. This was due to socio-political, cultural, economic and religious complexities that Albanians experienced during the Ottoman era. The usage of the old endonym Arbënesh/Arbëresh, however, persisted and was retained by Albanian communities which had migrated from Albania and adjacent areas centuries before the change of the self-designation, namely the Arbëreshë of Italy, the Arvanites of Greece as well as Arbanasi in Croatia. As such, the medieval migrants to Greece and later migrants to Italy during the 15th-century are not aware of the term Shqiptar.

The theories about the etymology of the ethnic name Shqiptar:

The theory that it derives from shqipe ("eagle") and means "sons of the eagle" has been refuted as folk etymology.

Skipetar/s is a historical rendering or exonym of the term Shqiptar by some Western European authors in use from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.

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