Wikipedia:Nationality of people from the United Kingdom

Wikipedia: Manual of Style (biographies) provides that the opening paragraph of a biographical article should state the person's "nationality". However, there is no consensus on how this guideline should be applied to people from the United Kingdom.

This essay provides a brief breakdown of the United Kingdom, giving examples of how the constituent nationalities have been described, and offers a guide on finding the best "opening paragraph" nationality for a UK citizen. This essay includes examples of nationalities of those from the UK's predecessor states.

Constituent countries of the UK

The United Kingdom

• 
  The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom (in full, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is made up of four constituent countries (known in the UK as the "home nations"):

• England
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
• Wales

Under British law, these four countries are an equal union, sharing a common British nationality (see British nationality law). The terms "Britain" and "Great Britain" are often used to mean "the United Kingdom". A UK passport describes its holder as a "British citizen".

Northern Ireland: British, Irish and dual citizenships

People of Northern Ireland are entitled to Irish citizenship by default (Irish citizenship being a fundamental "entitlement" that extends to all of the island). This automatically allows for dual British and Irish citizenship. Unequivocal "single citizenship" can be applied for from the UK and Ireland. Consequently, Northern Irish people can be British only, Irish only, British while flexible on becoming Irish, or explicitly both British and Irish.

The Crown dependencies

• 
  Guernsey and Jersey

There are three Crown dependencies that are not part of the United Kingdom. The Crown dependencies and the United Kingdom are collectively known as the "British Islands".

The Crown dependencies are:

• Isle of Mann (a self-governing dependency)

The Channel Islands comprising of:

• Bailiwick of Guernsey (and its surrounding islets)
• Bailiwick of Jersey

Citizens of the Crown dependencies are officially classed as “British citizens”.

Celtic heritage within Britain and Ireland

• 
  The "Celtic Nations"

The United Kingdom was once inhabited by Celtic tribes, the heritage of which lives on today. Celtic nations are areas of modern Europe inhabited by members of celtic cultures especially where the language is still spoken.

Modern-age naming methods in use

The History of the United Kingdom describes the timelines of unification and conflict leading to the formation of the United Kingdom. This rich history has led to diverse methods of referring to a citizen's nationality.

Editors have strongly opposing ideas on the relative importance of the appellations "British", "English", "Northern Irish", "Scottish" and "Welsh". All are proud and highly individual countries, and each contain people that cherish their independence as much as their union (and in many cases, more so).

Various different methods of referring to a UK citizen's nationality have been adopted, including:

• "Jane Smith... is a British chef." – who happens to be English.
• "John Brown... is an English lyricist." – who writes about English life.
• "Liam O'Connor... was a Belfast-born footballer." – an "expatriate" from Northern Ireland, perhaps.
• "Muira McClair... is a British politician from Scotland." – who is part of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
• "Dafydd Gruffudd... was a Welsh author." – even though he wrote in English, rather than Welsh.
• "David Tanner (born on 13 June 1955 in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland) is a football pundit" – who has only his birth country mentioned.

No variation is particular to any one nationality.

Guide to finding UK nationality

The following guide is designed to help find the right "opening paragraph" nationality for a UK citizen's biography.

• When looking for available evidence (perhaps through biographies, encyclopedias and news articles), bear in mind that there is often no consensus across the UK, and many conflicting examples can exist for any one person. Often, however, a clear national preference can arise (e.g., Sean Connery is widely referred to as a Scottish actor).

• Bear in mind too that non-UK media can make simplistic (and erroneous) assumptions about UK citizens: some use only British or English to describe them.

• Look specifically for evidence that the person has a preferred nationality. You may wish to refer to the evidence in a footnote. The writer Iris Murdoch considered herself to be Irish, though some feel she was perhaps wrong to do so: the current consensus on Wikipedia is to call her "Dublin-born".

• Each UK home nation has its various national sporting teams, which are often are allowed to recruit new team members based on the nationality of their parents or grandparents. These players are sometimes described as a nationals of their team's nation, and often become proud to be a representative of the two different nations. The original nationality of the player is usually used in these cases – though some players may choose to adopt the nationality of the country they played for.

Changing an exisiting UK nationality

It cannot be called "wrong" to change an existing nationality (e.g., Welsh to British, or British to Irish) provided a sufficient connection exists.

Before making a change:

1. Consider why the existing nationality was chosen.
2. Examine the article for details that support the existing label.
3. Look for existing consensus on the discussion page, and in any archives that may be present.
4. Conduct research to be certain your choice is preferable (you can consult the guide above).

Sometimes no single "correct" choice exists. Is your change actually for the better? An editor may query you, or revert your choice – so be prepared to explain your decision.

Above all, be civil, assume good faith and respect other people's points of view. It is of course OK to "be bold" and apply your choice, but remember that strong feelings surround UK identity, and firm disagreement may arise!

Do NOT enforce uniformity

It is not possible to create a uniforming guideline, when such strong disagreement exists on the relative importance of the labels.

Re-labelling nationalities on grounds of consistency – making every UK citizen "British", or converting each of those labelled "British" into their constituent nationalities – is strongly discouraged. Such imposed uniformity cannot, in any case, be sustained.

Do NOT "edit war"!

Be aware that "edit warring" with other editors by repeatedly changing the text of an article to suit your views is against Wikipedia policy, and may lead to action being taken against you by Wikipedia administrators.

Cannot decide?

If you are still uncertain how your UK citizen's nationality is best labelled, you may wish to follow this course of action:

1. Look at what others have done in comparable articles.
2. Post a message asking for advice or assistance on the talk page, and/or on relevant WikiProjects and notice boards.
3. Consider simply leaving the matter to someone who has a better feeling for it.
4. When an idea of nationality exists, consider deferring to that view.

WikiProjects and notice boards

• UK Wikipedians' notice board
• WikiProject England
• WikiProject Northern Ireland
• Scottish Wikipedians' notice board
• WikiProject Wales

See also

• British Isles (terminology)
• British nationality law
• Dual nationality
• Northern Ireland – Citizenship and identity
• Irish nationality law
• Manual of Style (flags)
• Languages of the United Kingdom