Letten

Letten is a historical demonym used in German-language sources to refer to the Latvian people, inhabitants of Latvia. The term derives from Lettland, the German name for Latvia, and from the ethnonym Lette. In older ethnographic and historical writings it appears as Letten (plural) with singular Lette, though exact forms vary by author and period.

In modern usage, Letten is rarely used outside historical or academic contexts. Contemporary references typically use Latvia or Latvian/Latvian people in English, and Latvians in German. The term is most often encountered in archival material, literature from the 19th and early 20th centuries, or in discussions of Baltic ethnography and national awakenings.

Beyond its ethnographic use, Letten may occur as a surname or as part of place names in limited local contexts, but such uses are uncommon and not related to Latvian ethnicity specifically.

See also Lettland, Lettisch, Latvia, Latvians.