Vepses or Vepsians are Finnic people that speak Veps language, which belongs to the Baltic-Finnic branch of Finno-ugric family. The self-names of these people in various dialects are vepslaine, bepslaane and (in Northern dialects, South-West of Lake Onega) ludi, ludilaine.

In early Russian chronicles they are called "Весь" (Ves).

Presently they live compactly in Republic of Karelia in the area between Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega (Äänisjärv) and White Lake (Valgjärv, Белое Озеро), in Leningrad Oblast by the Oyat River, and in the Eastern part of the Leningrad Oblast with the part of Vologda Oblast.