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It is a bit complicated but still simple story – It is coming from German language. Estonians called themselves for a long time as an “Maarahvas” (Earthy people / Countryman).
Current name “Eestlane” (Estonians) is relatively young. It is based on a word strain “Eest-” (genitive “Eesti”) borrowed from German language. Germans had used name “Ehste” already for centuries. Scandinavians called them “Est” or “Eist(r)”, Russians called “Tšuudid”, Finnish “Virolaiset” and Latvians “Igauni”.
Estonians took over the name used by the Germans who ruled Estonian territory on that time.
The word “Eesti” came to use by Germans who developed Estonian literary language in the 17th century. Pastor Heinrich Stahl used on his handbook for first time name “Eestimaa” (Ehstland) in 1638, which was borrowed from German language. And for Estonians this word was strange for a long time.
It is known that officially that the name “Eesti” without “-maa” (Eestimaa – Estland) began to use in early 1850s Estonian writer Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. Until then and even later they called themselves “maainimesed” (Countryman) or “maarahvas” (County people) who spoke “maakeelt” (Country language).
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