Overview
Since the mid-to-late 20th century, there has been a debate over the most appropriate ethnic name for Assyrians. Such debates are divided into distinct arguments that fall on the declaration of three unique identities, especially in diaspora, and are usually defined by the Syriac Christian denomination one belongs to:
- Assyrian: Assyrian is the most common label used, being employed by the Assyrian Church of the East as well as adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the Syriac Catholic Church. The Ancient Church of the East, Assyrian Pentecostal Church, and Assyrian Evangelical Church also use the label.
- Chaldean: Within the Chaldean Catholic Church, some members will declare a wholly Chaldean identity that is ethnically separate from Assyrians. Additional claims, albeit in the minority, include that Chaldean Catholics descend from southern Iraq and the former ancient civilization state of Chaldea. The label is most prominent among Iraqi Assyrian communities.
- Syriac/Aramean: Within the Syriac Orthodox Church, an Aramean identity is espoused, claiming ancestry to the Semitic-speaking Arameans. The identity is often linked with a "Syriac" element, especially after 2000.