Ilocano people
Ilocano señoritas from Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur, c. 1900 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 8,746,169 (2020) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Philippines (Ilocos Region, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, some parts of Mindanao especially in Soccsksargen) United States (Hawaii, California) Worldwide | |
| Languages | |
| Iloco (Ilocano), Tagalog, English | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholicism, with minorities including Aglipayan, Iglesia ni Cristo, Protestantism, Islam, and Buddhism. | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Itneg, Pangasinan, Kankanaey, Ibanag, other Cordilleran (Igorot), and other Austronesian peoples |
The Ilocano people (Ilocano: Tattao nga Iloko, Kailukuán, Kailukanuán), also referred to as Ilokáno, Iloko, Iloco, Iluku, or Samtoy, are an Austronesian ethnolinguistic group native to the Philippines. Originally from the Ilocos Region, located on the northwestern coast of Luzon, they have expanded throughout northern and central Luzon, particularly in Cagayan Valley, the Cordillera Administrative Region, and the northern and western parts of Central Luzon. The Ilocanos constitute the third-largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines. Their native language is called Iloco or Iloko.
Ilocano culture reflects a blend of Roman Catholic influences and pre-colonial animist-polytheistic traditions, shaped by their agricultural lifestyle and strong family-communal ties. Beyond the northern Luzon, large Ilocano populations are found in Metro Manila, Mindoro, Palawan, and Mindanao, as well as in the United States, particularly in Hawaii and California, owing to extensive Ilocano migration in the 19th and 20th centuries.