Bunjevci (
or ) are ethnic group living mostly in the
Backa region of
Serbia (province of
Vojvodina) and southern
Hungary (
Bács-Kiskun county, particularly in the
Baja region). They presumably originate from western
Herzegovina, from where they migrated to
Dalmatia, and from there to
Lika and Backa in the 16th and 17th century. Bunjevci who remained in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as those in modern
Croatia, today maintain that designation chiefly as an ethno-regional identity, and often declare themselves as
Croats. Bunjevci are
Roman Catholic, and speak with an
Ikavian accent (
Serbo-Croatian language) with certain archaic characteristics. During the 18th and 19th century, they formed a sizable part of the population of northern Backa, but many of them were gradually assimilated into Hungarians.