'Tungus' originates from Russian, specifically the word 'тунгус', where it referred to the Evenk (one of the Tungusic peoples).

'Tungus' entered English from Russian 'тунгус' in the 17th–18th century as an ethnographic term and was used in English texts and place‑names (e.g. 'Tunguska').

Initially, it meant 'a member of the Tungus/Tungusic peoples' but over time it became an archaic or exonymic term and has largely been replaced by more specific names like 'Evenk' or 'Tungusic'.