my people
Your family and kinfolk, often the whole homeplace bunch.
Also called kinfolk, your people.
Updated September 24, 2026
my people pronunciation
/my PEE-pul/
Meaning
When somebody says they're going to see my people, they mean kin: parents, cousins, the extended family that still claims that holler or that county. It can stretch wider than the dinner table and cover the folks you come from. Asking "Where are your people from?" is how Southerners map who you belong to.
How folks use it
- “We're headed back home this weekend to see my people.”
- “Her people are all from over by that creek.”
Origin and etymology
Kinship talk with deep roots in Scots-Irish and British English, where "people" could mean family or clan. In Appalachian and rural Southern speech it stuck as the everyday way to name your relatives and homeplace line. Same pattern shows up as your people, his people, their people.
Frequently asked questions
Does my people mean friends?
In redneck and mountain talk it usually means family first. Elsewhere folks use it for friends or coworkers, but "Where are your people from?" is still a kin question.