A French Chilean (french: Franco-Chilien, es, franco-chileno) is a Chilean citizen of full or partial

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

ancestry. Between 1840 and 1940, 20,000 to 25,000 French people immigrated to Chile. The country received the fourth largest number of French immigrants to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

after

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

(239,000),

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

(150,341) and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

(more than 25,000).

French immigration to Chile

The

came to Chile in the 18th century, arriving at Concepción as merchants, and in the mid-19th century to cultivate vines in the haciendas of the Central Valley, the homebase of world-famous Chilean wine. The Araucanía Region also has an important number of people of French ancestry, as the area hosted settlers arrived by the second half of the 19th century as farmers and shopkeepers. With akin Latin culture, the French immigrants quickly assimilated into mainstream Chilean society. From 1840 to 1940, around 25,000 Frenchmen immigrated to Chile. 80% of them were coming from Southwestern France, especially from Basses-Pyrénées ( Basque country and

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three B ...

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,6 ...

, Charente-Inférieure and

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...

and regions situated between Duran,

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

, and

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named ...

. Most of French immigrants settled in the country between 1875 and 1895. Between October 1882 and December 1897, 8,413 Frenchmen settled in Chile, making up 23% of immigrants (second only after Spaniards) from this period. In 1863, 2,650 French citizens were registered in Chile. At the end of the century they were almost 30,000. According to the census of 1865, out of 83,220 foreigners established in Chile, 6,483 were French, the third largest European community in the country after Germans and Englishmen. In 1875, the community reached 3,000 members, 12% of the almost 85,000 foreigners established in the country. It was estimated that 10,000 Frenchmen were living in Chile in 1912, 7% of the 149,400 Frenchmen living in Latin America. In World War II, a group of over 10,000 Chileans of French descent joined the Free French Forces and fought the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

occupation of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Today it is estimated that 800,000 Chileans are of French descent.Parvex R. (2014).
Le Chili et les mouvements migratoires
', Hommes & migrations, Nº 1305, 2014. doi
10.4000/hommesmigrations.2720
/small>. Former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet is of French origin. Former dictator Augusto Pinochet is another Chilean of French descent. A large percentage of politicians, businessmen, professionals and entertainers in the country are of French ancestry.

Legacy

French painter Raymond Monvoisin lived in Chile from 1842 to 1854 and founded the Academy of Fine Arts of Santiago. French architect François Brunet de Baines founded the city's first school of architecture.

Prominent French Chileans

* Andrés Allamand, politician and Minister of Defense (2011-2012) * Alberto Bachelet, Air Force General and father of Michelle Bachelet * Michelle Bachelet, twice President of Chile and former head of UN Women *

Gonzalo Barroilhet Gonzalo Barroilhet Costabal (born August 19, 1986 in Santiago, Chile) is a male decathlete from Chile. He competed for his native country at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. He is affiliated with the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, F ...

, decathlete. *

Bartolomé Blanche Bartolomé Guillermo Blanche Espejo (June 6, 1879 – June 10, 1970) was a Chilean military officer and provisional president of Chile in 1932. Life He was born in La Serena, Coquimbo Region, where he completed his early studies. Later, he was ...

, Army General and provisional President of Chile (1932) *

Vivianne Blanlot Vivianne Amelia Blanlot Soza (born October 22, 1956 in La Serena, Chile) is a Chilean economist and politician. Her father Jorge Enrique Blanlot was an Army captain, and her grandfather General Enrique Blanlot Reisig. She has a degree in econom ...

, politician and former Minister of Defense (2006-2007) * María Luisa Bombal Anthes, writer *

Eduardo Bonvallet Eduardo Guillermo Bonvallet Godoy (13 January 1955 – 18 September 2015) was a Chilean footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and later developed a sportscasting career. He was best known for his strong and rather harsh commentaries ...

, former football player and sports commentator * Jorge Boonen *

Marta Brunet Marta Brunet (August 9, 1897 in Chillán, Chile – October 27, 1967 in Montevideo), was a Chilean writer. She was a recipient of the National Prize for Literature. Life and work She was the only child of Ambrosio Brunet Molina and his S ...

, writer * César Caillet, actor * Alfredo Capdeville Soto, actor and cast in famous film Golondrina 1924 *

Paul Capdeville Paul Gerard Capdeville Castro (; born 2 April 1983) is a Chilean former tennis player. He was born in Santiago. Tennis career In May 2009, he achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 76. At the 2006 French Open, Capdeville had a s ...

, tennis player *

Adolfo Couve Adolfo Couve Rioseco (March 28, 1940 – March 11, 1998) was a Chilean artist and writer. Couve was born in Valparaíso, Chile, the first child of three. In his first years, he lived in Llay-Llay and then moved with his family to Santiago. He ...

* Cristián de la Fuente Sabarots, actor *

Hugo Droguett Hugo Patricio Droguett Diocares (born September 2, 1982) is a Chilean former football midfielder. He has also represented Chile internationally. Club career Born in Santiago, Chile, Droguett started his career playing for Universidad Catól ...

, football player * Alberto Fouilloux, former football player and sports commentator *

Eduardo Fournier Eduardo Antonio Furniel Arriagada (born 2 January 1956), commonly known as Eduardo Fournier, is a Chilean former footballer who played at both professional and international levels before becoming a coach. Career Playing career Born in Talca, ...

Alberto Fuguet Alberto Felipe Fuguet de Goyeneche (; born 7 March 1963) is a Chilean author, journalist, film critic and film director who rose to critical prominence in the 1990s as part of the movement known as the New Chilean Narrative. Although he was bo ...

, writer *

Augusto d'Halmar Augusto Goemine Thomson, who adopted the pseudonym Augusto d’Halmar (April 23, 1882 – January 27, 1950) was a Chilean writer who earned the ''National Prize for Literature'' in 1942. D’Halmar was the son of Auguste Goemine, a French navi ...

, writer *

Lucía Hiriart María Lucía Hiriart Rodríguez (10 December 1923 – 16 December 2021), also known as Lucía Hiriart de Pinochet, was married to former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Early life and education Hiriart was born into a wealthy family in An ...

, former First Lady of Chile (1973-1990) *

Francisca Imboden Francisca María Imboden Fernández, (born July 31, 1971) is a Chilean actress (film, theater and television). Francisca is the daughter of Juan Carlos Imboden and María Isabel Fernández. Together with her sisters Catalina and Ignacia, she stu ...

, actress * Manuel Jacques, politician * Aline Küppenheim, actress *

Enrique Lafourcade Enrique Eduardo Lafourcade Valdenegro (14 October 1927 – 29 July 2019) was a Chilean writer, critic and journalist from Santiago. Biography Lafourcade was a member of the so-called "Generation of the 50s", a term suggested by Lafourcade him ...

, writer * Denisse Laval Soza, aka Nicole, singer * Isabel Le Brun de Pinochet *

Juan Carlos Letelier Juan Carlos Letelier Pizarro (born 20 May 1959 in Valparaíso) is a former football striker from Chile, who was nicknamed "Pato" and/or "Lete". He played for his native country at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. He played 57 times for ...

* Orlando Letelier * René Letelier *

Fernando Martel Fernando Patricio Martel Helo (born 2 October 1975) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a midfielder. International career Martel represented Chile at under-20 level in the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship. At senior level, he made ...

, football player * Evelyn Matthei Fornet, politician and Minister of Labour (2011–13) * Josefina Montané, model and actress *

Cecilia Morel María Cecilia Morel Montes (born 14 January 1954) is the wife of the former President of Chile Sebastián Piñera, and as such is the former First Lady of Chile. Morel was also the Director of the Sociocultural Area of the Presidency during bot ...

, First Lady of Chile (2010–14 and since 2018) * Alfredo Moreno Charme, businessman and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010–14) * Maite Orsini Pascal, model and actress * Manuel José Ossandón, politician and Senator * Nicole Perrot, golf player *

Magdalena Petit Magdalena Petit Marfán (1903 in Peñaflor, Chile – 1968) was a Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Anta ...

, writer * Augusto Pinochet, Army General and military dictator (1973-1990) *

Lucía Pinochet Inés Lucía Pinochet Hiriart (born 14 December 1943) is the eldest daughter of former Chile's President Augusto Pinochet and Lucía Hiriart de Pinochet. She was a councilor for the municipality of Vitacura, from 2008 until 2012. Biography Sh ...

, politician *

Belus Prajoux Belus Prajoux Nadjar (born 27 February 1955) is a retired professional tennis player from Chile. Prajoux won six doubles titles on the ATP Tour during his career. He reached a highest doubles ranking of No. 17 in July 1982. He was a member of t ...

, tennis player *

Jaime Ravinet Jaime Ravinet de la Fuente (born 17 October 1946), is a Chilean politician, lawyer, academic and businessman. From 1990 to 2000 he was Mayor of Santiago, before becoming the Minister for Housing, Urban Planning and National Property in 2001, a p ...

, politician * Manuel Recabarren Rencoret * Francisco Reyes Morandé, actor * Álvaro Rudolphy Fontaine, actor * René Schneider Chereau, Army General *

Juan Subercaseaux Monsignor Juan Subercaseaux Errázuriz (26 August 1896 – 9 August 1942) was a Chilean Roman Catholic archbishop. Juan Subercaseaux was of French and Basque descent. Biography Juan Subercaseaux was born in Santiago, the son of Ramón Suber ...

Luis Subercaseaux Luis Subercaseaux Errázuriz (10 May 1882–1973) was a Chilean diplomat and athlete. He is claimed to be the first Chilean and Latin American sportsman to have competed in the Olympic Games, at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Biography Bo ...

Anita Tijoux Anamaría Tijoux Merino (; born 12 June 1977), commonly known by her stage name Ana Tijoux or Anita Tijoux, is a Chilean-French singer and musician. She became famous in Latin America as the MC of hip-hop group Makiza during the late 1990s. I ...

, singer, rapper * Gabriel Valdés Subercaseaux, politician * Manuel Camilo Vial *

Roberto Viaux Roberto Urbano Viaux Marambio (May 25, 1917 in Talca – September 5, 2005 in Santiago) was a Chilean Army General and the primary planner of two attempted coup d'états in Chile in 1969 and 1970. The first was against President Eduardo Fre ...

, Army officer *

Ramón Vinay Ramón Vinay (August 31, 1911 – January 4, 1996) was a famous Chilean operatic tenor with a powerful, dramatic voice. He is probably best remembered for his appearances in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's tragic opera ''Otello''. Biography He ...

, operatic tenor

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20090120174243/http://membres.lycos.fr/emigrationchili/emigracion%20cl.htm (in Spanish and French) {{French diaspora European Chilean

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

French immigration to Chile

Legacy

Prominent French Chileans

See also

References

External links