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Ancestry in the United States

Ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent, “roots,” or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. Some ethnic identities, such as “German” or “Jamaican,” can be traced to geographic areas outside the United States, while other ethnicities such as “Pennsylvania Dutch” or “Cajun” evolved in the United States.

The ancestry in the United States is a mix of different cultural backgrounds. The country has welcomed immigrants from all over the world, creating a diverse and fascinating tapestry of ancestral heritage. From the Native Americans who lived here for thousands of years to the settlers and immigrants who came later, the American family tree is a complex mosaic.

European ancestry forms a prominent part of the American population, with individuals tracing their roots back to countries such as Germany, Ireland, England, Italy, and Poland. Next comes African ancestry which is another integral component of the American story. Descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the United States during the era of the transatlantic slave trade have contributed significantly to American culture, music, literature, and civil rights movements.

Hispanic and Latino ancestry represents a growing and vibrant segment of the U.S. population. Individuals with roots in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and other Latin American countries have enriched American society with their language, traditions, cuisine, and artistic expressions.

Asian ancestry has played a crucial role in shaping various aspects of American life. People of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, and Korean descent, among others, have contributed to the fields of science, technology, arts, and cuisine, while also preserving their own rich cultural heritage.

Native American ancestry traces back to the original inhabitants of the land. Numerous tribes and indigenous groups, such as the Navajo, Cherokee, Sioux, Apache, and Iroquois, have a deep-rooted connection to the United States, with their contributions evident in art, spirituality, and the preservation of ancestral traditions.

also read about the Population of the United States

Ancestrory Categories

Some of the border categories in which we can divide the Ancestry groups in the United States

•  European American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe.

•  African American: those with partial or total ancestry from any of the black racial groups of Africa. The term “African American” generally denotes descendants of enslaved Africans who are from the United States.

•  Hispanic Ancestry: those having origins in any of the Spanish Speaking Nations

•  Asian American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

•  Middle Eastern American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. 

•  Sub-Saharan  Africans:  those having origins in any of the native peoples of sub-Saharan Africa. 

•  West Indian American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of English Speaking Caribbean Islands.

•  American Indian or Alaska Native: those having origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central, and South America.

•  Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: those having origins in any of the original peoples of Polynesia, Melanesia, or Micronesia.

Some people identify their ancestry as American. This could be because their ancestors have been in the United States for so long or they have such mixed backgrounds that they do not identify with any particular group. Some foreign-born or children of the foreign-born may report American to show that they are part of American society. There are many reasons people may report their ancestors as American, and the growth in this response has been substantial.

Top Ancestry in US

According to the US Census 2020 the five largest ancestry groups in the United States are Germans (12.91%), African Americans (12.13%), Mexicans (11.29%), Irish (9.56%), and English (7.64%).

Let’s have a look at Top 100 Ancestry groups in United States.

#OriginPopulation 2020% of the US Population
1German42,591,42312.91%
2African Americans (non -Hispanic)39,994,65312.13%
3Mexican37,235,88611.29%
4Irish31,518,9489.56%
5English*25,214,7127.64%
6American19,416,6685.89%
7Italian16,552,2295.02%
8Native Americans9,666,0582.93%
9Polish8,936,4232.71%
10French 7,376,6492.24%
11Puerto Rican5,798,2871.76%
12Scottish5,298,9871.61%
13Asian Indian 4,402,2231.33%
14Chinese 4,360,4661.32%
15Norwegian4,289,9181.30%
16Sub-saharan African3,814,1531.16%
17Dutch3,693,0941.12%
18Swedish3,628,0461.10%
19West Indian (Non-Hispanic)3,011,9120.91%
20Filipino 2,960,8110.90%
21Scotch-Irish2,937,2100.89%
22Russian2,538,6010.77%
23Salvadoran2,473,9470.75%
24Cuban2,400,1520.73%
25Dominican 2,393,7180.73%
26Arab*2,058,4900.62%
27French Canadian1,998,0940.61%
28Vietnamese 1,896,6900.58%
29Welsh1,851,2990.56%
30Guatemalan1,771,8500.54%
31Korean 1,445,3150.44%
32Colombian1,401,7200.42%
33Portuguese1,364,2580.41%
34Hungarian1,348,2830.41%
35Czech1,329,2160.40%
36Greek1,249,3950.38%
37Danish1,244,5210.38%
38Honduran1,148,2090.35%
39Ukrainian1,015,2710.31%
40Spaniard995,5830.30%
41Swiss908,5810.28%
42Ecuadorian812,8380.25%
43Japanese 742,5490.23%
44Peruvian720,6260.22%
45Venezuelan659,6310.20%
46Slovak658,7400.20%
47Austrian657,4600.20%
48Finnish644,8590.20%
49Canadian641,1530.19%
50Lithuanian626,9980.19%
51Pakistani555,9170.17%
52Iranian476,2420.14%
53Romanian467,1110.14%
54Brazilian462,0040.14%
55Armenian460,2540.14%
56Nicaraguan457,0050.14%
57Croatian400,4740.12%
58Belgian348,0320.11%
59Hmong 345,3380.10%
60Argentinean297,1550.09%
61Czechoslovakian295,6640.09%
62Cambodian 272,4080.08%
63Taiwanese 257,4300.08%
64Guyanese250,9890.08%
65Bangladeshi 245,1310.07%
66Panamanian237,7060.07%
67Yugoslavian236,6240.07%
68Burmese 233,3470.07%
69Turkish223,2600.07%
70Nepalese 217,1500.07%
71Albanian202,2450.06%
72Serbian190,6720.06%
73Costa Rican188,0540.06%
74Chilean187,5720.06%
75Laotian 181,4580.06%
76Thai 180,3640.05%
77Slovene180,2650.05%
78Israeli144,8600.04%
79Afghan131,6190.04%
80Bolivian131,4240.04%
81Slavic122,9160.04%
82Cajun107,5530.03%
83Bulgarian106,1870.03%
84Australian105,2250.03%
85Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac100,6490.03%
86Indonesian 85,9570.03%
87Latvian85,7880.03%
88Sri Lankan 72,2710.02%
89Uruguayan65,5710.02%
90Macedonian61,7650.02%
91Basque61,4610.02%
92Celtic50,7000.02%
93Icelander50,0430.02%
94Luxembourger42,8620.01%
95Maltese39,9380.01%
96Estonian27,9810.01%
97German Russian26,3340.01%
98New Zealander21,5750.01%
99Alsatian10,6090.00%
100Cypriot9,7760.00%

Notes:

*English Americans are a serious undercount, as the index of inconsistency is high, and many, if not most, Americans of English stock have a tendency to identify simply as “Americans”, or, if of mixed European ancestry, identify with a more recent and differentiated ethnic group.

Arab Americans self-identify as Arabic of Arab World origin; and include immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and other Arab nations.

Source: US Census 2020

 

US Population by Ancestry | Ancestry in United States 2024