French people are those who are citizens of France, as well as those people with French ancestry who reside in diverse countries around the world. According to the latest surveys, there are over 100 million French people spread throughout various corners of the world. The lineage of French peoples show that majority of them have a Roman and Gaulish ancestry, while others have a mixed Germanic, Greek, Iberians, Lingurians and Basques ancestry.

Out of the others, the Gauls are considered to be one of the oldest ancestral lines of the French people. Around two thousand years ago, the regions of modern France, Belgium and Switzerland were completely under a single empire, which was the Gallic Empire. The inhabitants of this empire were commonly referred to as Gauls. They were basically Celtic tribes that settled in the region centuries earlier and communicated in their own language which was called Gaulish. The Gauls worshipped different animals depending upon their tribe. There were more than fifty diverse types of Gaulish tribes that existed in the empire.

Around the year 50 BCE, the Gallic Empire was conquered by Julius Caesar, and incorporated into the Roman Empire. The Romans ruled Gaul for five centuries. During their rule, the Gaulish culture was highly influenced by that of the Romans, and a new mixed culture of Gallo-Romans came into existence. The Gallo-Roman people existing during this period were the primary ancestors of modern French people. The Romans were defeated by the Franks after five centuries of their stronghold over Gaul. The Franks were the ones who gave the region the name Francia, which later changed to France. The people living in the region became known as the French. The Franks were Germanic tribes that ruled the region for another five centuries, until they were defeated by the Normans. The Normans were responsible for the spread of Christianity within the French people of those times. They spread Christianity extensively by marrying the local inhabitants who had lived in France from earlier times.

Today, France has a population that includes not only those that have French ancestry, but also those who have immigrated and settled in France and now possess French citizenship. The latest research claims that there are over fifteen million foreign immigrants who have settled in France during the last two centuries. These people have migrated to France mainly due to the better career opportunities available, thanks to the development of several industries in France. Apart from these foreign born French citizens there are over two million people with French ancestry who are settled in various countries around the world, and are an important part of the French population existing in the world.