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{{Short description|none}} 
{{Use British English|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
[[File:Kathakali of kerala.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Kathakali]] is popular art form in Kerala]]

The population of [[Kerala]], [[India]] is a heterogenous group that comprises many [[ethnic groups]] that originated in other parts of [[India]] as well as the world, with distinctive cultural and religious traditions. While the majority of Keralites speak the [[Malayalam language]], various ethnic groups may speak other languages as well.<ref name="Śr̲īnāthan2006">{{Cite book
| last = Śr̲īnāthan | first = Eṃ
| year = 2006
| title = Kēraḷattile bhāṣakaḷ
| isbn = 978-81-87590-11-8
| publisher = Antārāṣtr̲a Kēraḷapaṭhanakēndraṃ
| location = Tiruvantapuraṃ
}}</ref><ref name="Maṇalil2006">{{Cite book
| last = Maṇalil | first = Pōḷ
| year = 2006
| title = Kēraḷattile bhāṣānyūnapakṣaṅṅaḷ : sāmūhika caritr̲aṃ
| isbn = 978-81-8264-226-3
| publisher = Mātr̥bhūmi Buks
| location = Kolzhikode
}}</ref>

The racial and ethnic history of Kerala is highly controversial and disputed among the cultural anthropologists, historians and other scholars. The people of Kerala, known as Malayali (people speaking [[Malayalam language]]), are polygenetic and belong to different ethnic groups and religions. The Census of India does not recognise [[Racial groups of India|racial]] or ethnic groups within India.<ref>Kumar, Jayant. Census of India. 2001. 4 September 2006. [http://www.censusindia.gov.in/ Indian Census] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514011646/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/ |date=14 May 2008 }}</ref><ref>Dr. E, J. Thomas,"The People of Kerala," The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, Vol. II, 1973, p.185 et. sq.</ref> According to a 2009 study published by David Reich et al., the modern Indian population is composed of two genetically divergent and heterogeneous populations which mixed in ancient times, known as [[Ancestral North Indians]] (ANI, Indo-Aryan-speaking population) and [[Ancestral South Indians]] (ASI, Dravidian-speaking population).<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/nature08365 |title=Reconstructing Indian population history |year=2009 |last1=Reich |first1=David |last2=Thangaraj |first2=Kumarasamy |last3=Patterson |first3=Nick |last4=Price |first4=Alkes L. |last5=Singh |first5=Lalji |journal=Nature |volume=461 |issue=7263 |pages=489–94 |pmid=19779445 |pmc=2842210 |bibcode=2009Natur.461..489R }}</ref>

==Malayali==

{{Main|Malayali}}
Malayalis are the native people of Kerala who speak Malayalam, the official language of the state. The [[Malayalam language]] is a [[Dravidian language]] which is spoken by 45 million people. Similar to other major languages, modern Malayalam includes [[loanwords]] from [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], and in more recent times English.<ref name=George1972>{{Cite book
| last = George | first = K.M | year = 1972 | title = Western influence on Malayalam language and literature | isbn = 978-81-260-0413-3 | publisher = Sahitya Akademi | location = New Delhi}}</ref> While the majority of Malayalis live in Kerala, significant populations also exist in other parts of [[India]], the Middle East, Europe and North America. According to the Indian census of 2011, there were 32,413,213 speakers of Malayalam in Kerala, making up 97.03% of the total population of the state.<ref name="Language">{{cite web |title=Census of India - Language |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html |website= censusindia.gov.in |access-date= 17 April 2020}}</ref>

The majority (about 54%) of the Malayali people are [[Hindu]], mostly of the [[Ezhava]]r, [[Ambalavasi]], [[Namboothiri]], [[Nair]], [[Malayali Brahmin]], [[Thiyya]]r, [[Kammalar]] ,[[Ezhuthachan]], [[Vishwakarma]], [[Pulayar]] or [[Cheramar]], [[Parayar]] or [[Sambavar]], [[Kerala Mukkuvar|Mukkuvar]],[[Vellalar]], and [[Nadar (caste)|Nadar]] communities, but there are also large [[Muslim]] (24%) and [[Christians|Christian]] (18%) communities.<ref name=2001census>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3.htm Linguistic minorities of Kerala]</ref><ref name="Grantz">Gantz Brothers, Land of the Perumals 1863</ref> The Muslim community in Kerala, trace their origins far back to early contacts with [[Arab]] traders after the advent of the [[Muhammad|Muhammed]] in the Arabian peninsula, and mostly follow the [[Shafi`i]] school of [[Sunni Islam]]. Many speak the distinctive [[Mappila dialect of Malayalam|Jonaka Mappila dialect of Malayalam]].<ref>[http://www.deepthi.com/kerala/about-kerala/kerala-history.html ''Kerala History''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403235514/http://www.deepthi.com/kerala/about-kerala/kerala-history.html |date=3 April 2009 }} Deepthi.com. Retrieved 10 March 2009</ref>

The majority of Christians belong to the [[Saint Thomas Christian]] community, and are also known as ''Syrian(Syriac)Christians''(suriyani Christiani) (or ''Nasrani Mappila'').<ref name="Grantz"/> [[Thomas the Apostle]] reached the trade route of [[Muziris]] in 52 AD, and preached Christianity.

==Tamil==
{{See also|Kerala Iyers}}

The history of ancient Kerala is deeply intertwined with ancient [[Tamilagam]], and the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]] languages are closely related. The dialect of Malayalam spoken today in the taluks of [[Chittur]] and [[Palakkad]] in Kerala has slight tamil influence due to mixing with tamil migrants living in the region and the tamil spoken by [[Kerala Iyers|Palakkad iyers]] has large number of Malayalam loanwords, has been influenced by Malayalam syntax and also has a distinct Malayalam accent.<ref>Thiru. Mu. Kovintācāriyar, ''{{IAST|Vāḻaiyaṭi vāḻai}}'' Lifco, Madras, 1978 at pp. 26–39.</ref>

Some of the earliest migrations attested by history were those of [[Iyers]] from the [[Cauvery delta]] to the district of Palakkad. The first of these migrations are believed to have taken place over five hundred years ago. Although the Iyers migrated to Kerala, they were not allowed to carry out poojas in Malayali temples. The reason for this was political as well as the difference in the Agama and Tantric modes of worship employed by [[Kerala Iyers]] and [[Nambudiris]] respectively. As a result, the [[Nambudiris]] used to require ritual purification if coming into contact with a [[Kerala Iyer]] (Eda Shuddham). These Iyers settled in Palakkad where they owned land and led an affluent existence till the enactment of the land reforms in the 1960s. There have also been migrations of Iyers to the princely state of [[Travancore]] from the [[Tirunelveli district]] during the 18th and 19th centuries. These Iyers are called [[Kerala Iyers]] and differ significantly from [[Palakkad Iyers]] in their language and social status. Some of Travancore's ''[[Diwan (title)|diwans]]'' were Tamil Brahmins as a result of Madras presidency being under the direct control of the British.<ref name="Kerala">{{cite web|url=http://www.kuzhalmannamagraharam.info/articles/kerala-iyer-history.html|title=History of Kerala iyers and Agraharams|access-date=2008-08-27|publisher=Kuzhalmanna Agraharam website}}</ref><ref name="keralaiyers_migration">{{cite web|url=http://www.keralaiyers.com/migration|title=Migration Theories|access-date=2008-08-19|publisher=keralaiyers.com}}</ref>

==Tulu==

{{main|Shivalli Tulu Brahmins of Kerala}}
Shivalli Brahmins living all over the Indian state of [[Kerala]] are part of the larger Tulu Brahmin subsect primarily found in the Indian state of [[Karnataka]] but also in the [[Kasaragod district]] of Northern Kerala. Their mother tongue is the [[Tulu language]]. Brahmins from Tulunadu may have migrated to Kerala before the first century C.E.<ref>[http://www.madhwabrahmanasabha.org/history.htm ''Kerala History''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122224816/http://madhwabrahmanasabha.org/history.htm |date=22 January 2009 }} Udupi Madhwa Brahmana Sabha (Kerala). Retrieved 9 March 2009.</ref>

Today, there is a sizeable Tulu Brahmin population in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] and elsewhere in the state.<ref>[http://www.kakkilaya.com/shiva1.html ''The History of Shivalli Brahmins''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924213804/http://www.kakkilaya.com/shiva1.html |date=24 September 2006 }} Kakkilayas of Bevinje. Retrieved 9 March 2009.</ref>

==Kannada==

{{Main|Kannada people}}

Kannada is one of the major languages of [[India]], spoken predominantly in the state of [[Karnataka]]. The [[Kannada people]] number roughly 50 million, making it the fifteenth-most spoken language in the world.<ref name="encarta_lang_10million">''[http://encarta.msn.com/media_701500404/Languages_Spoken_by_More_Than_10_Million_People.html Languages Spoken by More Than 10 Million People]''. [[Encarta]]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029104855/http://encarta.msn.com/media_701500404/Languages_Spoken_by_More_Than_10_Million_People.html |date=29 October 2009 }} 2009-10-31.</ref> It is one of the [[official languages of India]] and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka.<ref name="official">{{cite web|url=http://dpal.kar.nic.in/26%20of%201963%20(E).pdf|title=The Karnataka Official Language Act|work=Official website of Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation|publisher=Government of Karnataka|access-date=2007-06-29}}</ref> Kannada people constitute a small portion of the population of the district of [[Kasargod district|Kasargod]] in North Kerala.

==Konkanis==
Cochin GSB's are a branch of the [[Konkani language]]-speaking [[Gaud Saraswat Brahmins]] community belonging originally to Karnataka and Goa. They form the majority of Konkani-speakers in Kerala. GSBs of Cochin form the southernmost subsect of [[Saraswat Brahmins]] of West coast. GSBs of north Kerala are same as GSBs of [[Kanara|Canara]] in speech and customs, whereas GSBs of Cochin and Travancore have developed their own [[Konkani language|Konkani]] dialect and Customs, which distinguish them from rest of GSB community, this subsect is now called Cochin GSBs. In geographical terms, Cochin GSBs are those who live south of Thrissur district of Kerala.<ref name=Kudva1972>{{Cite book | last = Kudva | first = Venkataraya Narayan | year = 1972 | title = History of the Dakshinatya Saraswats | publisher = Samyukta Gowda Saraswata Sabha}}</ref> Other Konkani speaking minorities in Kerala include the [[Kudumbi]]s, [[Daivajna]]s, and the [[Vaishya Vani]]. All these groups had migrated from Goa within last few centuries for various socioeconomic reasons.

{{see also|Cochin GSB's}}

==Mahls==

There are about 10,000 speakers of the [[Mahl language]] in Kerala. Most Mahl speakers are temporary resident people from neighbouring [[Maldives]]. Other Mahl speakers are from Indian island of [[Minicoy]] and most of them live in [[Trivandrum]].

==Smaller minority groups==

===Gujaratis===
There are about 500 [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]] families living for many generations in [[Kochi, India|Kochi]], the commercial hub of [[Kerala]]. Gujarati community is composed of various social groups like [[Jainism|Jains]], [[Saurashtra people|Saurashtrians]] and [[Kutchi people|Kutchis]]. The Gujarati Street at Mattancherry in the city is a main Gujarati cultural icon in Kerala.<ref>{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20080323152659/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/10/07/stories/2002100700380200.htm ''It's Dandiya time again'']}} The Hindu. Retrieved 9 March 2009</ref> [[Kozhikode|Calicut]], [[Thrissur|Trichur]], and [[Kannur|Cannore]] also have a sizeable population of Hindu and [[Jainism|Jain]] Gujaratis.<ref>[http://www.jaintemplecochin.org/advent.htm The Advent of Gujrathi's in Kerala]</ref> {{Citation needed span|text=They are basically business people doing all forms of wholesale and retail trade.|date=January 2019|reason=}} There is a Gujarati Higher Secondary School near Calicut Beach.<ref>{{cite news|title = Students eager to master life skills |url = http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/19/stories/2006101900170200.htm|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104002712/http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/19/stories/2006101900170200.htm|url-status = dead|archive-date = 4 November 2012|date = 19 October 2006|work = [[The Hindu]] |access-date = 10 March 2009}}</ref>

===Sikhs===

{{main|Cochin Sikhs}}
[[Kochi, India|Kochi]] is home to the [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] speaking [[Sikh]] community in Kerala as the coastal city has the most number of Sikhs in the south Indian state. Many of the Kerala's Punjabi Sikh community are in the automobile spare parts industry.{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Other minorities===
Kerala also have a small number of scattered Bengali, Bihari and Oriya communities.

==List of mother tongues spoken in Kerala by number of speakers==
[[File:Cochin Jews.jpg|thumb|200px|An Indian Jewish family in [[Cochin]], circa 1900.]]
[[File:Onapottan - A Traditional Kerala Art Form.jpg|thumb|right|200px|'Onapottan' – a folk character seen during Onam season specially in North Malabar Region. With the face painted and crown ( Kireedam ) he has a bell in his hand and an umbrella made of Palm Leaves on the other.]]
[[File:AntonyIndia.jpg|thumb|200px|[[A.K. Antony]] former [[Defence Minister of India]] is an [[atheist]] who was born to a Malayali family in the [[Alappuzha]] district of Kerala.]]
<ref name="Language"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Language
! No. of speakers
! % of population
|-
| [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]
| 32,413,213
| 97.03
|-
| [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| 498,938
|1.49
|-
| [[Tulu language|Tulu]]
|124,266
| 0.37
|-
| [[Kannada language|Kannada]]
| 78,067
| 0.23
|-
| [[Konkani language|Konkani]]
| 68,595
| 0.2
|-
| [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
| 45,817
| 0.13
|-
| [[Telugu language|Telugu]]
| 35,355
| 0.1
|-
| [[Marathi language|Marathi]]
| 31,642
| 0.09
|-
| [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| 29,061
| 0.087
|-
| [[Urdu language|Urdu]]
| 13,122
| 0.03
|-
| [[Odia language|Odia]]
| 10,958
| 0.03
|-
| [[Assamese language|Assamese]]
| 5,796
| 0.01
|-
| [[English language|English]]
| 4,471
| 0.01
|-
| [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
| 4,460
| 0.01
|-
| [[Nepali language|Nepali]]
| 3,665
| 0.01
|-
| [[Bhili language|Bhili]]
| 3,458
| 0.01
|-
| [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
| 1,380
| 0.004
|-
| [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]
| 1,251
| 0.004
|-
| Other languages
| 32,546
| 0.097
|-
| Total
| 33,406,061
| 100%
|}

==Religion and Community==
[[File:Pongale1.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Hindu women worship during [[Attukal Temple|Attukal Pongala]] at Tippu Street, South Fort, Thiruvananthapuram.]]
[[File:Malik dinar mosque.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Malik Dinar Mosque]], Thazhathangadi, [[Kasaragod district|Kasargode]], Kerala.]]
[[File:Kottayam Valia Palli02.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Inside a Knanaya Church in Thazhathangadi, Kottayam]]
According to the 2001 census<ref name=2001census/> the breakdown of ethnic groups by religion is:{{citations needed|date=March 2021}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! || Malayalam || Other languages || Total
|-
| '''Hindu''' || 54.20% || 2% || '''56.20%'''
|-
| '''Muslim''' || 23.70% || 1% || '''24.70%'''
|-
| '''Christian''' || 18.00% || 1% || '''19.00%'''
|-
| '''Other religions''' || <0.1% || <0.1% || '''00.10%'''
|-
| '''Total''' || '''96.00%''' || '''4.00%''' || '''100.00%'''
|}{{more citations needed|date=March 2021}}

==1968 Socio-Economic Survey of Kerala==
In 1968, the Communist government under [[E. M. S. Namboodiripad]] ordered a socio-economic survey of each resident in the state of Kerala, to assess caste inequalities. Until the census of 2011, this survey was the only caste-based count conducted in post-independence India.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} The survey was not very conclusive, since it merged several unrelated castes into one group (for example, Ambalavasis and Tamil Brahmins were grouped along with Malayali Brahmins).{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}

The survey found that individuals belonging to higher castes possessed more land and had relatively higher per capita income as compared to the general population.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} The survey found that 33% of the states population was [[forward caste]], almost half of whom were [[Saint Thomas Christians|Syrian Christians]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} According to the survey, 13% of the Brahmins, 6.8% of the [[Syro-Malabar Catholics]], 5.4% of the [[Malankara Orthodox Church|Jacobites]] and 4.7% of the [[Nairs]] owned more than 5 acres of land. This compared with 1.4% of the Ezhavas, 1.9% of the Muslims and 0.1% of the Scheduled Castes who had that much land in their possession.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor = 4367366|title = Caste, Class and Economic Opportunity in Kerala: An Empirical Analysis|journal = Economic and Political Weekly|volume = 14|issue = 7/8|pages = 475–480|last1 = Sivanandan|first1 = P|year = 1979}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|+ Population of Kerala, per the 1968 Socio-Economic Survey{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}
!Caste
!Population
!Percentage
|-
|Arayan / Mukkuvan
|851,603
|4.24%
|-
|Brahmin
|353,329
|1.76%
|-
|Chetty/ Vellalar
|151,150
|0.75%
|-
|Christian Scheduled Caste
|301,912
|1.50%
|-
|Ezhava/ [[Thiyyar history|Thiyya]]
|4,457,808
|22.19
|-
|Ezhuthachan
|260,042
|1.29%
|-
|Kammalar
|756,178
|3.76%
|-
|Jacobite & Marthomite
|731,207
|3.64%
|-
|Muslim
|3,842,322
|19.12%
|-
|Nair
|2,905,775
|14.46%
|-
|Nair Other
|435,396
|2.17%
|-
|Scheduled Castes
|1,578,115
|7.85%
|-
|Scheduled Tribe
|253,519
|1.26%
|-
|Syro Malabar Catholics
|2,808,640
|14.00%
|-
|Latin Rite Catholics (LC)
|405,638
|2.00%
|-
|Total
|20,092,634
|100.00%
|}

The last comprehensive caste census of Kerala was undertaken by the British in 1931 (the Census of 1941 also asked caste, but the tables were never published).<ref>Census 1931 of Travancore (Imper. Table XVII), Census 1931 of Cochin (Imper Table VXII) & Census 1931 of Madras Vol.2, p.306-310</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!'''Caste'''
!'''Population (1931)'''
!'''Percentage (1931)'''
|-
|Malayali Brahmin
|50,240
|0.51%
|-
|Brahmin
|121,748
|1.24%
|-
|Ambalavasi Brahmin
|39,371
|0.40%
|-
|Samanta Kshatriya
|5,901
|0.06%
|-
|Samanthan Nair
|4,921
|0.05%
|-
|Nair
|1,505,929
|15.30%
|-
|Vilakkithala Nair
|35,199
|0.36%
|-
|Veluthedath Nair
|22,219
|0.23%
|-
|Kammalar
|265,752
|2.70%
|-
|Vellalar
|88,584
|0.90%
|-
|Chetty
|49,213
|0.50%
|-
|Izhava + Thiyya
|2,007,901
|20.40%
|-
|Kaniyar
|39,371
|0.40%
|-
|Mukkuvar + Arayar
|88,584
|0.90%
|-
|Parayar
|165,656
|1.68%
|-
|Pulayar + Cherumar
|678,387
|6.89%
|-
|Kuravan
|95,295
|0.97%
|-
|Thandan
|41,214
|0.42%
|-
|Nadar
|402,555
|4.09%
|-
|Christians
|2,005,239
|18.37%
|-
|Muslim
|1,604,629
|16.30%
|-
|Total
|9,842,650
|
|}

==See also==
* [[Religion in Kerala]]
* [[Caste system in Kerala]]
* [[Migrant labourers in Kerala]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|title=Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus - 2019|publisher=P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode|year=2018|location=Kozhikode|last=Chandran |first=VP|edition=Malayalam }}
{{refend}}
{{Kerala}}
{{Kerala topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ethnic Groups In Kerala}}
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Kerala| ]]

Ethnic groups in Kerala - Revision history

Ieagle at 10:29, 3 March 2026