How to name a person from the same country as speaker?

My Slavic language (Slovak) uses the word krajan, speaker can in this way name another person whose origin lies in the same country/land/area/region.

English translations I have found:

• compatriot
• (fellow) countryman
• homeboy

I realize I could use all of them, but still what are slight differences, and, more importantly, which one is more common? I would like to know also about UK and US difference.

Feel free to include also alternative vocabulary.

Solution 1:

Compatriot is naturally the word to express this situation. It fits the definition precisely, and is self-explanatory, refers to male and female citizens, and is identical in US and UK English.

Fellow countrymen/women is used frequently in articles due to it being a compound word (fellow+countrymen). Each word is fairly common and simple to understand, making the entire phrase easier to understand, but more of a mouthful. Usage is identical in US and UK English.

Homeboy is US mainly slang for being part of the same gang/social background. It is not frequently used, and rather informal and geographically more restrained.