What are people from Thailand called?

Residents of Thailand are called Thai, and have an origin that is not clear. While it is commonly believed that the Thai people originated in China, they generally have characteristic features that differ from those of most Chinese and Vietnamese people.

According to popular belief, the ancestors of the Thai people came from an area in central China around the Yangtze River, although some claim that they originated in other Southeast Asian countries. Linguists have studied the Thai language and, as of 2015, have been unable to discover a link between Thai and other tonal language groups, like those of China.