An emigrant is someone who leaves their home country to live permanently in another country. The word focuses on the leaving part of the journey: when your great-great-grandmother left Ireland in 1890 to start a new life in America, she was an emigrant from Ireland's perspective.

Think of it this way: emigrants exit their homeland, while immigrants enter a new country. The same person is both, depending on which country you're talking about. Your ancestor was an emigrant from Ireland and an immigrant to America.

People emigrate for many reasons: seeking better opportunities, escaping hardship or persecution, reuniting with family, or pursuing dreams they couldn't achieve at home. Throughout history, emigrants have shown remarkable courage, leaving behind everything familiar to build new lives in unfamiliar places.

The related verb is emigrate: “My grandparents emigrated from Poland in 1950.” When discussing large movements of people leaving a country, we call it emigration. Some countries have experienced waves of emigration during difficult times, while others have been destinations for immigrants from around the world. Many families, if they trace their history back far enough, discover emigrants in their family tree who made a brave journey to a new homeland.