Picard people
Ethnic group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Picards (/pɪˈkɑːrdz/; Picard: Chés Picards) are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the region of Picardy, in northern France and Wallonia, in Belgium.
 | |
.jpg) Picard woman in a traditional dress. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Picardy | |
| Picardy (Administrative region) | 1,932,422[1] |
| Languages | |
| Picard, French | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic Increasingly irreligious | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Belgae, Walloons, Flemish | |
Etymology
The word 'Picard' derives from the Old French pic referring to a weapon with a long shaft and a pointed metal head, combined with the suffix -ard. The name means "piocheur", in the sense of a plowman or agricultural laborer.[2]
The name appears for the first time during the late 11th century, after the death of "Guillaume le Picard" in 1098, during the First Crusade.[3]
Culture
Language
The Picard people originally speak the Picard language, a Gallo-Romance language belonging to the langues d'oïl cotinuum.
.svg){kind=small}