The Cayuga are of the Iroquoian linguistic family, and they formerly lived on the shores of Cayuga Lake, New Yor­k, where they were counted as one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois. At the beginning of the American Revolution, the majority migrated to Canada and also Oklahoma.

Today, there are three Cayuga bands. The two largest, the Lower Cayuga and Upper Cayuga, still live in Ontario, both at Six Nations of the Grand River, a reserve recognized by the Canada. The three bands are the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario, and the federally recognized Cayuga Nation of New York and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma.

The Cayuga in Oklahoma are counted among the Seneca in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. No complete enumeration of the Cayuga in the United States has ever been made. They number approximately 450 in New York and it is estimated the same number in Oklahoma. The total number in Canada is difficult to establish.