Cornish people or
Cornish are an
ethnic group associated with
Cornwall, in the
south west of
Great Britain, administered as part of
England, and a recognised national minority in the
United Kingdom. The Cornish thus represent a distinct
ethnic group within the UK, which can trace its roots to the
ancient Britons who inhabited southern and central Great Britain before the
Roman conquest, and some in the county today continue to assert a distinct identity, separately or in addition to English or British identities. Cornish identity has been adopted by migrants into Cornwall, as well as by emigrant and descendant communities from Cornwall, the latter sometimes referred to as the
Cornish diaspora. Although not included as an explicit option in the UK census, the numbers of those claiming Cornish ethnic and national identity are officially recognised and recorded.