English 'Sweden' comes from the tribal name Svear, probably meaning 'our own people' from Proto-Germanic *swē- (self) — a self-referential name reflecting tribal identity, while Finland still calls Sweden Ruotsi ('the rowers').
A Nordic country in Northern Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula.
English 'Sweden' derives from Old English 'Swēoland' or 'Swēoþēod' ('Swede-people'), based on the tribal name 'Swēon' (the Swedes). The Old Norse form was 'Svíþjóð' ('Svear people/nation'). The tribal name 'Svear' may derive from Proto-Germanic *swē-þōdō meaning 'one's own people' — from *swē- (reflexive: 'self, own') and *þeudō (people, nation). If correct, 'Swede' literally means 'our own people' — an ethnocentric self-designation common among tribal societies. The modern Swedish form 'Sverige' means 'realm of the Svear'. The PIE root for the 'self' element is *s(w)e- (self, reflexive). Key
The Swedes called themselves 'our own people' (*Swē-þōdō), while the Finns called them 'the rowers' (Ruotsi, from Norse *roðs-). These represent two fundamentally different perspectives: internal self-regard versus external observation of behavior. The Finnish name Ruotsi later became 'Russia' when applied to Norse settlers heading east.