Self-designation used by ancient Indo-Iranian peoples
. Aryan (), or Arya in Proto-Indo-Iranian, is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood in contrast to nearby outsiders, whom they designated as non-Aryan (*an-āryā). In ancient India, the term was used by the Indo-Aryan peoples of the Vedic period, both as an endonym and in reference to a region called "Aryavarta" (Sanskrit: आर्यावर्त, lit. 'Land of the Aryans'), where their culture emerged.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan