Where does “romans” come from?

romans (Old Occitan) comes from Vulgar Latin romanice, from Latin rōmānicus, from Latin -icus, from Proto-Italic *-ikos — forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or pertaining to'.

Ancestry of “romans”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Vulgar Latin	romanice	in the way of the Romans; in the Roman manner; in...
2	Latin	rōmānicus	Roman; made in Rome
3	Latin	-icus	belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;...
4	Proto-Italic	*-ikos	forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or pertaining to'

Every word from Proto-Italic *-ikos →Every word from Latin -icus →Every word from Latin rōmānicus →