The Kirat people, who are indigenous to the region encompassing parts of Nepal, India, and Bhutan, trace their name back to ancient traditions and languages.

The etymology of "Kirat" is believed to derive from the Sanskrit term "Kirāta," which originally referred to the indigenous tribes of the region, particularly those living in the hilly and mountainous areas of ancient India.

In Sanskrit and classical texts, "Kirāta" was used to describe the people inhabiting the rugged terrains of the eastern Himalayas, who were perceived as different from the Aryan settlers of the Indo-Gangetic plains.

The term "Kirat" has evolved over time to encompass a broad array of ethnic groups within the Himalayas, including the Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, Sunuwar and other related communities.

The historical use of "Kirat" in ancient Indian texts, including the epic Mahabharata and various Puranas, signifies a recognition of these people as distinct from the dominant Indo-Aryan civilizations.

The modern understanding of "Kirat" reflects both the historical context and the ongoing cultural evolution of these communities, who continue to preserve their heritage while engaging with contemporary issues of identity and recognition.

Thus, the etymology of "Kirat" is not just a linguistic exercise but a reflection of the rich tapestry of historical migration, cultural adaptation, and the evolving identity of the Himalayan peoples.

Contemporary historians widely agree that widespread cultural exchange and intermarriage took place in the eastern Himalayan region between the indigenous inhabitants — called the Kirat — and the Tibetan migrant population, reaching a climax during the 8th and 9th centuries.

These historical sources are among those collected by Brian Houghton Hodgson (a British diplomat and self-trained orientalist appointed to the Kathmandu court during the second quarter of the 19th century) and his principal research aide, the scholar Khardar Jitmohan.

For over two millennia, a large portion of the eastern Himalaya was identified as the home of the Kirati people, of which the majority are known today as Chamling, Rai, Limbu, Sunuwar and Yakkha.

As time passed, other Kirat groups, now known as Rai, Limbu, Yakkha and Sunuwar settled mostly in the Koshi region of present-day Sikkim, Darjeeling and eastern Nepal.

The Limbu people have their own distinct form of Kirat Mundhum, known as Yuma Sammang or Yumaism; they venerate a mythological goddess called Tagera Ningwaphumang.

The early influx of Bön culture to the peripheral Himalayan regions occurred only after the advent of Nyingma, the oldest Buddhist order in Lhasa and Central Tibet, which led followers of the older religion to flee to the Kirat area for survival.

Te-ongsi Sirijunga Xin Thebe was an 18th-century Limbu scholar, teacher, educator, historian, and philosopher of Limbuwan (pallo kirat) and Sikkim.

According to census of 2011, the population of the Kirat peoples, are as following: In academic literature, the earliest recorded groups of the Kirati are today divided into five groups — the Yakkha, Limbu, Rai, Sunuwar, Dhimal[6] When the Shah kings conquered, they established the headman and as local rulers and were given the title Yakkha as Dewan, Khambu as Rai, Limbu as Subba, Sunuwar as Mukhiya.

The Kirat were among the earliest inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and a large percentage of Newar caste groups such as the Jyapu, Gathu, Sayami and many others are believed to have descended from them.

The putative continuity of Newar society from the mythical Kirat King Yalambar (Aakash Bhairav) and the pre-Licchavi population has been discussed by many historians and anthropologists.