The historical English term for the group is " Syrians " ( as in , e.g. , Ephraim the Syrian ) . It is still in use , not only in India , where it is applied especially to the various groups of Saint Thomas Christians , but also generally , although , after the 1936 declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic , the term " Syrian " has come also to designate citizens of that state regardless of ethnicity , with Syriac-Arameans and Assyrians only being indigenous ethnic minorities within that nation . The designation " Assyrians " has also become current in '' English '' besides the traditional " Syrians " since the late 19th century and particularly after the Assyrian genocide and the resulting Assyrian independence movement
Assyrian genocide
Assyrian genocide
Terms for Syriac Christians