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Bulgarian Ancestry in America

People of Bulgarian ancestry form a minority group in several countries of North and South America. As per the estimates, the total population of Bulgarian ancestry is 1 million around the world and the largest communities of the Bulgarian diaspora in America are in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil.

Let’s have a look at Americans Countries having significant Bulgarian ancestry

Bulgarian Americans are Americans who have full or partial Bulgarian ancestry. According to the general assessments of Bulgarian diplomatic representations in the US for 2010, there are 250,000 Bulgarians residing in the country, and more than 30,000 students.

According to the United States Ancestry Census estimates 2020, there were 106,177  (0.03% of the US Population) people of Bulgarian descent in the U.S.

Bulgarian Ancestry Statewise

The state with the largest number of Bulgarians is Illinois, followed by California, Florida, and New York. The cities with the highest number of Bulgarian Americans are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Miami. 

List of States by Bulgarian Ancestry Population

#StatesEst. populationPercent
1Alabama4240.01%
2Alaska1340.02%
3Arizona2,5250.04%
4Arkansas2550.01%
5California13,8970.04%
6Colorado1,8790.03%
7Connecticut8230.02%
8Delaware4070.04%
9District of Columbia5050.07%
10Florida8,4020.04%
11Georgia2,8640.03%
12Hawaii4400.03%
13Idaho8630.05%
14Illinois15,9880.13%
15Indiana1,7580.03%
16Iowa6520.02%
17Kansas5790.02%
18Kentucky5560.01%
19Louisiana6050.01%
20Maine3770.03%
21Maryland2,2310.04%
22Massachusetts4,2280.06%
23Michigan3,1660.03%
24Minnesota1,3550.02%
25Mississippi890.00%
26Missouri2,2960.04%
27Montana2130.02%
28Nebraska1600.01%
29Nevada2,4630.08%
30New Hampshire7240.05%
31New Jersey3,1540.04%
32New Mexico1470.01%
33New York5,8300.03%
34North Carolina1,5990.02%
35North Dakota2650.03%
36Ohio3,1550.03%
37Oklahoma4300.01%
38Oregon1,3000.03%
39Pennsylvania3,3760.03%
40Rhode Island2660.03%
41South Carolina9260.02%
42South Dakota690.01%
43Tennessee7600.01%
44Texas4,3860.02%
45Utah5350.02%
46Vermont710.01%
47Virginia3,1320.04%
48Washington4,6490.06%
49West Virginia140.00%
50Wisconsin1,2430.02%
51Wyoming120.00%

Source: US Census estimates 2020

Bulgarian Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Bulgarian ancestry. Bulgarian Canadians account for about  0.10%  of the total population of Canada

According to the Canadian Census 2020, there were 34,560 people of Bulgarian descent in Canada.

Bulgarians primarily settled in Canada’s industrial cities, mostly Toronto, and Ontario, which was a major center of Bulgarian migration to North America. Other Cities with good numbers are Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montreal.

Source: Canada Census 2016

Bulgarians have been settling in South America since the late 19th century. Their presence has been documented in Uruguay since 1905, in Argentina since 1906 and in Brazil since the early 20th century.

The Bulgarian diaspora in South America is Largest in Argentina, around 3,000 people have declared Bulgarian nationality in Argentina. Bulgarians mainly live in Buenos Aires, Berisso, Mar del Plata, Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña, Las Breñas and Comodoro Rivadavia. 

According to estimates, 1,800–5,000 Bulgarians live in Brazil, chiefly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, and Belo Horizonte, including many Bessarabian Bulgarians and some Bulgarian Jews and Bulgarian Armenians. 

Bulgarian diaspora in Uruguay is around 2,000. Most Bulgarians in this country live in Montevideo, with some in Fray Bentos, Punta del Este, Maldonado, Durazno and Rocha. In the late 1920s, there were around 4,000 Bulgarians in Uruguay. A smaller number of Bulgarians have also settled in Chile (today around 150, mostly in Santiago), Venezuela (today around 130), Peru, Paraguay, and Colombia.

Source: estimates

Bulgarian Ancestry in America | Bulgarian Americans