Besides the various names that given to Roma by Gadže, Roma are using other names to describe themselves – their group appurtenance. Clans and lineages should not be mistaken for groups. They are the next level of subdivisions below the groups. Groups can vary in size from a few thousands (like the Lotfitka Roma, the Latvian Roma) to above a million, like the Balkan Arlii. A common history, a unity in trades and traditions are at the origin of the various Roma groups. Groups identity is is reflected one to one in the variant of Romanes they are speaking.

To take but one example, the Xaladytka Roma, found from Eastern Poland to Russia and other countries were all horse-dealers and musicians, spent a long time in Germany, most probably between the XVth and the XVIIth century, reflected in their large German vocabulary, passed to Poland, and finally arrived in Russia proper in the XVIIIth century.

Broadly speaking, there are four main streams of Roma groups: The Balkan Roma, with a rather large Turkish vocabulary; the Vlax Roma who migrated to present day Romania and have a large Romanian influence in their dialects; the Carpathian Roma, found in the Czech and Slovak Republics, in Hungary and in Austria with a stronger layer of Slavic lexemes in their language; the Nordic Roma, with a strong German influence.

The most common and best known groups are:

Balkan: Kirimlides, Arlii, Erlii, Jerlides, Sepetčides, Bugurdži,  Kalajdži, Drindari.

Carpathian: Czech, Moravian, Hungarian, West and East Slovakian and Burgenland Roma

Vlax: Servi, Vlaxurja, Rišarja, Kalajdži, Vlax, Džambaši, Laxora, Gurbeti, Cerhara, Čurara, Mačvaja, Patrinara, Lovara, Dirzara, Mašara, Kalderaša, Rudari, Bejaša, Ursari, Lingurari and Gurvara

Nordic: Abruzezzi, Calabrezi, Cale, Kaale, Lotfitka, Manouches, Volšenenge, Polska, Sinti, and Xaladytka