French Americans
French Americans (French: Américain français), also called Franco-Americans (French: Franco-Américains) are Americans who identify themselves to be of French or French Canadian descent. About 11.8 million U.S. residents are of French or French Canadian descent. About 2 million speak French at home.[2] An additional 750,000 U.S. residents speak a French-based creole language, according to the 2011 census.[3]
Total population | |
---|---|
10,329,465[1] ~3% of the U.S. population (2013) 8,228,623 (only French) 2,100,842 (French Canadian) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Predominantly in New England, Arkansas and Louisiana with smaller communities in New York, the Midwest, Tennessee, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, California, Florida and North Carolina | |
Languages | |
English (American English dialects) French (Cajun•Acadian•Canadian French•Haitian French•Missouri•New England French) | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Roman Catholic, minority Protestant | |
Related ethnic groups | |
French, French Canadians, French Canadian Americans, Québécois, Cajuns, Acadians, French Haitians |
Americans of French descent make up a substantial percentage of the American population. However French Americans are less visible than other similarly sized ethnic groups. This is due in part to the high degree of assimilation among Huguenot (French Protestant) settlers. Also, there is a tendency of French American groups to identify more strongly with "New World" regional identities. These include Québécois, French Canadian, Acadian, Cajun, or Louisiana Creole. This has prevented the development of a wider French American identity.
French Americans Media
Map of New France about 1750 in North America
The Marquis de Lafayette, known as “The Hero of the Two Worlds” for his accomplishments in the service of the United States in the American War of Independence.
The Statue of Liberty is a gift from the French people in memory of the American Declaration of Independence.
Members of the French community in Holyoke, Massachusetts taking English classes at a YMCA night school, 1902
Distribution of Franco Americans according to the 2000 census
Creole girls, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, 1935
The Franco-American flag with a fleur-de-lis within a white star is the flag of the Assemblée des francophones du Nord-Est who adopted it in 1983. The blue and white are taken from the flags of the U.S., Quebec, Acadia and France. The star represents the U.S. and the fleur-de-lis represents the French culture of the Franco-Americans.
The entry for the Franco-American flag reads, "Adopted by the Assembly of Franco-Americans in 1983, this flag uses the blue and white colours of that of the United States, which are also found on those of France, Quebec and Acadia. The white star symbolizes the United States and the fleur-de-lys the French culture."
Buildings with iron galleries at St. Philip Street and Royal Street, French Quarter, New Orleans
References
- ↑ "2013 ACS Ancestry estimates". Factfinder2.census.gov. 2013. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
- ↑ Hyon B. Shin; Rosalind Bruno (22 October 2015). "Language Use and English-speaking Ability: 2000" (PDF). 2000 U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau.
- ↑ Camille Ryan (2013). "Language Use in the United States: 2011 - American Community Survey Reports" (PDF). U.S. Census. p. 3. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
Other websites
- Extensive studies, Documents, Statistics and Resources of Franco American History
- Franco American Women's Institute
- Institut français Archived 2007-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Dave Martucci, Franco-American flags, in Flags of the World
- Vivre en Orange County Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine - French Community in Orange County, California
- Bonjour L.A. !- Bonjour L.A. ! Los Angeles with a French touch
- Council for the Development of French in Louisiana - a state agency.
- Oral History of French Canadians in Franklin County, New York and of a small sawmill and logging community in the Northern New York State populated by French Canadians