The contribution presents through a historiographical optics the relation of the public to emigration, where we meet with frequent emotional reactions in relation to reality. That reflects in the question of separateness of emigrants, in ascertaining their number, and in general relation of the Slovene public towards this phenomenon and process. Accented is the role of the individual and one’s wish when going abroad and with declaring, for example, do I remain a Slovene or not, do I return home or stay abroad, and similar. The author establishes the variegation of approaches in connection with estimating the number of Slovene emigrants across the world, massiveness of emigration and with it connected exaggerations. His attention is focused on the reasons for departure and on the exaggerated negative reacting of the Slovene public in regard of emigration of Slovenes in the 19th and 20th centuries from the viewpoint endangerment due to fewness of Slovenes and the danger of foreign parts; most active was the Catholic Church.