European Americans are

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since the 17th century, European Americans have been the largest panethnic group in what is now the United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 58.8% of the

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

alone population and 56.1% of the White alone or in combination gave a detailed European write-in response. The

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

were the first Europeans to establish a continuous presence in what is now the

contiguous United States The contiguous United States, also known as the U.S. mainland, officially referred to as the conterminous United States, consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America. The te ...

, although arriving in small numbers, with Martín de Argüelles ( 1566) in St. Augustine, then a part of

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...

, and the

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

were the first Europeans to settle in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, establishing

Russian America Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

. The first English child born in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

was Virginia Dare, born August 18, 1587. She was born in

Roanoke Colony The Roanoke Colony ( ) refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. ...

, located in present-day

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, which was the first attempt, made during the reign of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

, to establish a permanent English settlement in North America. In the 2020 United States census,

English Americans English Americans (also known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans were the largest group in the United States with 46.6 million Ameri ...

(46.6 million),

German Americans German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

(45 million),

Irish Americans Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

(38.6 million),

Italian Americans Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

(16.8 million) and

Polish Americans Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

(8.6 million) were the five largest self-reported European ancestry groups in the United States. The 2020 census was the first census to allow data collection on subtypes of Europeans. During previous surveys, the number of people with British ancestry was considered to be significantly under-counted, as many people in that demographic tended to identify themselves simply as

(20,151,829 or 7.2%). A 2015 genetic study of 148,789

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

s concluded that British ancestry was the most common European ancestry among white Americans, with this component ranging between 20% and 55% of the total population in all 50 states, showing its highest levels in the same states where “American” ancestry predominated on the census. The same applies to the number Americans of Spanish ancestry, as most people in that demographic tend to identify themselves as

Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spaniards, Spanish or Latin Americans, Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino (demonym), ...

(65,140,276 or 19.4%), especially since the vast majority of this group and their ancestors came to the U.S. from

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

countries rather than immigrating directly from Spain. Studies show that European genetic ancestry, mainly from Spain, is the largest component in Hispanic Americans, with a mean of 55% European genetic ancestry according to one study from 2019, and 65.1% European genetic ancestry according to another study from 2014. An increasing number of people ignore the ancestry or origins question or chose no specific ancestral group such as "American or United States". In the 2000 census this represented over 56.1 million or 19.9% of the United States population, an increase from 26.2 million (10.5%) in 1990 and 38.2 million (16.9%) in 1980 and are specified as "unclassified" and "not reported". In the 2020 U.S. census, 96.58 million people did not report any detailed white ethnic origins and are "Not specified".

Terminology

Use

In 1995, as part of a review of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

's Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting), a survey was conducted of census recipients to determine their preferred terminology for the racial/ethnic groups defined in the Directive. For the ''White'' group, ''European American'' came a distant third, preferred by only 2.35% of panel interviewees, as opposed to ''White'', which was preferred by 61.66%. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with Caucasian American,

White American White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as " person having ...

, and

Anglo-America Anglo-America most often refers to a region in the Americas in which English is the main language and British culture and the British Empire have had significant historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural impact."Anglo-America", vol. 1, Mic ...

n in the United States.

Origin

In contexts such as medical research, terms such as "white" and "European" have been criticized for vagueness and blurring important distinctions between different groups that happen to fit within the label. Margo Adair suggests that viewing Americans of European descent as a single group contributes to the " wonder-breading" of the United States, eradicating the cultural heritage of individual European ethnicities.

Subgroups

There are several subgroupings of European Americans. While these categories may be approximately defined, often due to the imprecise or cultural regionalization of Europe, the subgroups are nevertheless used widely in cultural or ethnic identification. This is particularly the case in diasporic populations, as with European people in the United States generally. In alphabetical order, some of the subgroups are: * Northwestern European Americans, including Austrian Americans,

Belgian Americans Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, most Belgian immigrants ...

British Americans British Americans usually refers to Americans whose ancestry, ancestral origin originates wholly or partly in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and also the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar). It ...

( Cornish Americans,

, Manx Americans, Scotch-Irish Americans,

Scottish Americans Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (; ) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish people, Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, descendants of Ulster Scots people, Ulster Scot ...

Welsh Americans Welsh Americans () are an American ethnic group whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Wales, United Kingdom. In the 2008 U.S. Census community survey, an estimated 1.98 million Americans had Welsh ancestry, 0.6% of the total U.S. popu ...

Dutch Americans Dutch Americans () are Americans of Dutch and Flemish descent whose ancestors came from the Low Countries in the distant past, or from the Netherlands as from 1830 when the Flemish became independent from the United Kingdom of the Netherla ...

, French Americans ( Breton Americans),

, Luxembourger Americans, Nordic and Scandinavian Americans ( Danish Americans, Finnish Americans, Icelandic Americans, Norwegian Americans,

Swedish Americans Swedish Americans () are Americans of Swedish descent. The history of Swedish Americans dates back to the early colonial times, with notable migration waves occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries and approximately 1.2 million arrivi ...

), and Swiss Americans, or "Old Immigrants" (the first waves of which arrived pre-1881) * Eastern European Americans, including Belarusian Americans, Czech Americans, Estonian Americans, Hungarian Americans, Latvian Americans,

Lithuanian Americans Lithuanian Americans refer to American citizens and residents of Lithuanian descent or were born in Lithuania. New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has the largest percentage of Lithuanian Americans (20.8%) in its population in the United States. ...

, Russian Americans, Slovak Americans, and

Ukrainian Americans Ukrainian Americans are Americans who are of full or partial Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent representing 0.3% of the American population. The Ukrainian popu ...

, or "New Immigrants" (the first large waves of which arrived 1881–1965) * Southern European Americans, including Albanian Americans,

Bosnian Americans Bosnian Americans are Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The vast majority of Bosnian Americans immigrated to the United States during and after the Bosnian War which lasted from 1992–95. Nevertheless, many Bosni ...

, Bulgarian Americans,

Croatian Americans Croatian Americans or Croat Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Croatian ancestry. In 2012, there were 414,714 American citizens of Croat or Croatian descent living in the United States as per revised 2010 United States Census ...

, Cypriot Americans, Greek Americans,

, Maltese Americans, Macedonian Americans, Moldovan Americans, Montenegrin Americans, Portuguese Americans, Romanian Americans,

Serbian Americans Serbian Americans () or American Serbs (), are Americans of Serbs, ethnic Serb ancestry. As of 2023, there were slightly more than 181,000 American citizens who identified as having Serb ancestry. However, the number may be significantly highe ...

, Slovenian Americans, and Spanish Americans ( Basque Americans,

Catalan Americans Catalan Americans (, ) are Americans of Catalan descent. The group is formed by Catalan-born naturalized citizens or residents, their descendants and, to a lesser extent, citizens or residents of Catalan descent who still acknowledge Catalan an ...

, Galician Americans), also "New Immigrants" or "New Immigrants"(the first large waves of which arrived 1881–1965)

History

Before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans predominantly inhabited the United States. The earliest Europeans to colonize North America were the small number of Spaniards. The first Spanish colonization was in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida. One of the most significant Spanish explorers was

Hernando De Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...

, a conquistador who accompanied Francisco Pizzaro during his conquest of the Inca Empire. Leaving Havana, Cuba, in 1539, De Soto's expedition landed in Florida. It explored the southeastern area of the United States. They reached as far as the Mississippi River in search of riches and fortune. Another Spaniard who explored the United States,

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (; 1510 – 22 September 1554) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led a large expedition from what is now Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542 ...

, set out from

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

in 1540 in search of the mythical

Seven Cities of Gold The myth of the Seven Cities of Gold, also known as the Seven Cities of Cíbola (), was popular in the 16th century and later featured in several works of popular culture. According to legend, the seven cities of gold referred to Aztec mythology ...

. Coronado's expedition traveled to Kansas and the Grand Canyon but failed to discover gold or treasure. However, Coronado left a gift of horses to the Plains Indians. Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano and Frenchman

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

are other Europeans who explored the United States. The Spaniards viewed the French as threatening their trade route along the Gulf Stream. Since 1607, some 57 million immigrants from other lands have come to the United States. Approximately 10 million passed through on their way to some other place or returned to their homelands, leaving a net gain of 47 million people.

Shifts in European migration

Before 1881, the vast majority of immigrants, almost 86% of the total, arrived from

Northwestern Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The term is used in geographic, history, and military contexts. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northwestern ...

, principally

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, known as "Old Immigration". Between 1881 and 1893, the pattern shifted in the sources of U.S. "New Immigration." Between 1894 and 1914, immigrants from Central, Eastern, and

Southern Europe Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...

accounted for 69% of the total. Prior to 1960, the overwhelming majority came from Europe or of European descent from Canada. Immigration from Europe as a proportion of new arrivals has declined since the mid-20th century, with 75.0% of the total foreign-born population born in Europe compared to 12.1% recorded in the 2010 census.

Immigration since 1820

{, {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:left" , - ! colspan="6", Country of origin 1820–1978 , - ! Country ! Arrivals ! % of total ! Country ! Arrivals ! % of total , - ,

¹ , , 6,978,000 , , 14.3% , ,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, , 856,000 , , 1.8% , - ,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, , 5,294,000 , , 10.9% , ,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, , 4,351,000 , , 9.5% , - ,

, , 4,298,000 , , 9.4% , ,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, , 655,000 , , 1.3% , - ,

, , 4,723,000 , , 9.7% , ,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, , 446,000 , , 0.9% , - ,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

^1, ² , , 4,315,000 , , 8.9% , ,

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, , 364,000 , , 0.7% , - ,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

^1, ² , , 3,374,000 , , 6.9% , ,

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, , 359,000 , , 0.7% , - ,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, , 1,272,000 , , 2.6% , ,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, , 33,000 , , 0.1% , - ! , , , , , , , , Total , , 34,318,000 , - ;European-born population The figures below show that of the total population of the specified birthplace in the United States, 11.1% were born overseas. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; display: inline-table" , - ! colspan=3 , Population / Proportion
born in Europe in 1850–2016 , - ! Year ! Population ! % of foreign-born , - , 1850 , , 2,031,867 , , 92.2% , - , 1860 , , 3,807,062 , , 92.1% , - , 1870 , , 4,941,049 , , 88.8% , - , 1880 , , 5,751,823 , , 86.2% , - , 1890 , , 8,030,347 , , 86.9% , - , 1900 , , 8,881,548 , , 86.0% , - , 1910 , , 11,810,115 , , 87.4% , - , 1920 , , 11,916,048 , , 85.7% , - , 1930 , , 11,784,010 , , 83.0% , - , 1960 , , 7,256,311 , , 75.0% , - , 1970 , , 5,740,891 , , 61.7% , - , 1980 , , 5,149,572 , , 39.0% , - , 1990 , , 4,350,403 , , 22.9% , - , 2000 , , 4,915,557 , , 15.8% , - , 2010 , , 4,817,437 , , 12.1% , - , 2016 , , 4,785,267 , , 10.9% , - , colspan="4" style="text-align:left;" , Source: {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; display: inline-table" , - ! Birthplace ! Population
in 2010 ! Percent
in 2010 ! Population
in 2016 ! Percent
in 2016 , - , align=left , Totals, European-born , , 4,817,437 , , 12.0% , , 4,785,267 , , 10.9% , - , align=left ,

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

, , 923,564 , , 2.3% , , 950,872 , , 2.2% , - ,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, , 669,794 , , 1.7% , , 696,896 , , 1.6% , - ,

, , 124,457 , , 0.3% , , 125,840 , , 0.3% , - , align=left , Other Northern Europe , , 129,313 , , 0.3% , , 128,136 , , 0.3% , - , align=left ,

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

, , 961,791 , , 2.4% , , 939,383 , , 2.1% , - ,

, , 604,616 , , 1.5% , , 563,985 , , 1.3% , - ,

, , 402,373 , , 0.9% , , 575,383 , , 1.2% , - , Other Western Europe , , 209,216 , , 0.5% , , 200,148 , , 0.4% , - , align=left ,

, , 779,294 , , 2.0% , , 760,352 , , 1.7% , - ,

, , 364,972 , , 0.9% , , 335,763 , , 0.8% , - ,

, , 189,333 , , 0.5% , , 176,638 , , 0.4% , - , Other Southern Europe , , 224,989 , , 0.6% , , 247,951 , , 0.5% , - , align=left ,

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

, , 2,143,055 , , 5.4% , , 2,122,951 , , 4.9% , - ,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, , 475,503 , , 1.2% , , 424,928 , , 1.0% , - ,

, , 383,166 , , 1.0% , , 397,236 , , 0.9% , - , Other Eastern Europe , , 1,284,286 , , 3.2% , , 1,300,787 , , 3.0% , - , Other Europe (no country specified) , , 9,733 , , 0.0% , , 11,709 , , 0.0% , - , colspan="6" style="text-align:left;" , Source: 2010 and 2016

Demographics

A view of New York City with the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center from the Rockefeller Center

Breakdowns of the European American population into sub-components is a difficult and rather arbitrary exercise. Farley (1991) argues that "because of ethnic intermarriage, the numerous generations that separate respondents from their forebears and the apparent unimportance to many whites of European origin, responses appear quite inconsistent".

Ancestral origins

{, class="wikitable sortable collapsible nowrap" style="font-size:90%; text-align: right" , - ! Ethnic origin ! colspan="2" ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

/ % ! colspan="2" , 1990 / % ! colspan="2" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

/ % ! colspan="2" ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

/ % !data-sort-type="number", , - , style="text-align: left;" , United States pop. , 226,545,805 , 100.0 , 248,709,873 , 100.0 , 281,421,906 , 100.0 , 331,449,281 , 100.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , At least one ancestry
reported , 188,302,438 , 83.1 , 224,788,502 , 90.4 , 225,310,411 , 80.1 , TBA , TBA , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

/ Cajun , , , 668,271 , 0.3 , 85,414 , 0.0 , 132,624 , 0.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Albanian , 38,658 , 0.02 , 47,710 , 0.0 , 113,661 , 0.0 , 236,635 , 0.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Alsatian , 42,390 , 0.02 , 16,465 , 0.0 , 15,601 , 0.0 , 12,056 , 0.00 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , American , 13,298,761 , 5.9 , 12,395,999 , 5.0 , 20,625,093 , 7.3 , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Austrian , 948,558 , 0.42 , 864,783 , 0.3 , 735,128 , 0.3 , 697,425 , 0.3 , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

, 43,140 , 0.0 , 47,956 , 0.0 , 57,793 , 0.0 , 52,559 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Bavarian , , , 4,348 , 0.0 , - , - , - , - , - , - , style="text-align: left;" , Belarusian , 7,381 , 0.00 , 4,277 , 0.0 , - , - , 67,599 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Belgian , 360,277 , 0.16 , 380,498 , 0.2 , 360,642 , 0.1 , 384,224 , 0.2 , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, , , 1,119,154 , 0.4 , 1,085,720 , 0.4 , 860,315 , 0.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , British Islander , , , , , , , 43,654 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Bulgarian , 42,504 , 0.02 , 29,595 , 0.0 , 55,489 , 0.0 , 102,968 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Carpatho Rusyn , , , 7,602 , 0.0 , , , 9,747 , 0.00 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Celtic , , , 29,652 , 0.0 , 65,638 , 0.0 , 30,630 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Cornish , , , 3,991 , 0.0 , - , - , 6,257 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Croatian , 252,970 , 0.11 , 544,270 , 0.2 , 374,241 , 0.1 , 448,479 , 0.2 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Cypriot , 6,053 , 0.00 , 4,897 , 0.0 , 7,663 , 0.0 , 10,384 , 0.00 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Czech , 1,892,456 , 0.84 , 1,296,411 , 0.5 , 1,262,527 , 0.4 , 1,397,780 , 0.6 , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

n , , , 315,285 , 0.1 , 441,403 , 0.2 , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Danish , 1,518,273 , 0.67 , 1,634,669 , 0.7 , 1,430,897 , 0.5 , 1,314,209 , 0.6 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Dutch , 6,304,499 , 2.78 , 6,227,089 , 2.5 , 4,542,494 , 1.6 , 3,649,179 , 1.6 , , - , style="text-align:left;",

an , 62,404 , 0.03 , 132,332 , 0.1 , - , - , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , English , 49,598,035 , 21.89 , 32,651,788 , 13.1 , 24,515,138 , 8.7 , 46,550,968 , 19.8 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Estonian , 25,994 , 0.01 , 26,762 , 0.0 , 25,034 , 0.0 , 30,054 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align:left;", European , 175,461 , 0.08 , 466,718 , 0.2 , 1,968,696 , 0.7 , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Finnish , 615,872 , 0.27 , 658,870 , 0.3 , 623,573 , 0.2 , 684,373 , 0.3 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Flemish , , , 14,157 , 0.0 , , , 384,224 , 0.2 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , French , 12,892,246 , 5.69 , 10,320,935 , 4.1 , 8,309,908 , 3.0 , 7,994,088 , 3.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

, 780,488 , 0.34 , 2,167,127 , 0.9 , 2,349,684 , 0.8 , 933,740 , 0.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , German , 49,224,146 , 21.73 , 57,947,171 , 23.3 , 42,885,162 , 15.2 , 44,978,546 , 19.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , German Russian , , , 10,153 , 0.0 , 10,535 , 0.0 , , , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, 959,856 , 0.42 , 1,110,373 , 0.4 , 1,153,307 , 0.4 , 568,564 , 0.2 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Hungarian , 1,776,902 , 0.78 , 1,582,302 , 0.6 , 1,398,724 , 0.5 , 684,373 , 0.3 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Icelandic , 32,586 , 0.01 , 40,529 , 0.0 , 42,716 , 0.0 , 55,602 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Irish , 40,165,702 , 17.73 , 38,735,539 , 15.6 , 30,528,492 , 10.8 , 38,597,428 , 16.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Italian , 12,183,692 , 5.38 , 14,664,550 , 5.9 , 15,723,555 , 5.6 , 16,813,235 , 7.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Latvian , 92,141 , 0.04 , 100,331 , 0.0 , 87,564 , 0.0 , 92,944 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Lithuanian , 742,776 , 0.33 , 811,865 , 0.3 , 659,992 , 0.2 , 711,089 , 0.3 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Luxemburger , 49,994 , 0.02 , 49,061 , 0.0 , 45,139 , 0.0 , 57,359 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Macedonian , , , 20,365 , 0.0 , 38,051 , 0.0 , 51,401 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Maltese , 31,645 , 0.01 , 39,600 , 0.0 , 40,159 , 0.0 , 44,874 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Manx , 9,220 , 0.00 , 6,317 , 0.0 , 6,955 , 0.0 , 8,704 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Moravian , , , 3,781 , 0.0 , - , - , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Northern Irelander , 16,418 , 0.01 , 4,009 , 0.0 , 3,693 , 0.0 , 5,181 , 0.0 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Norwegian , 3,453,839 , 1.52 , 3,869,395 , 1.6 , 4,477,725 , 1.6 , 3,836,884 , 1.6 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Pennsylvania German , , , 305,841 , 0.1 , 255,807 , 0.1 , 169,821 , 0.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Polish , 8,228,037 , 3.63 , 9,366,106 , 3.8 , 8,977,444 , 3.2 , 8,599,601 , 3.7 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Portuguese , 1,024,351 , 0.45 , 1,153,351 , 0.5 , 1,177,112 , 0.4 , 1,454,262 , 0.6 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Prussian , , , 25,469 , 0.0 , - , - , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Romanian , 315,258 , 0.14 , 365,544 , 0.1 , 367,310 , 0.1 , 416,545 , 0.2 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Russian , 2,781,432 , 1.23 , 2,952,987 , 1.2 , 2,652,214 , 0.9 , 2,412,131 , 1.0 , , - , style="text-align:left;",

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

, , , 4,519 , 0.0 , , , , , , - , style="text-align:left;", Scandinavian , 475,007 , 0.21 , 678,880 , 0.3 , 425,099 , 0.2 , 1,217,333 , 0.5 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Scots-Irish , , , 5,617,773 , 2.3 , 4,319,232 , 1.5 , 794,478 , 0.3 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Scottish , 10,048,816 , 4.44 , 5,393,581 , 2.2 , 4,890,581 , 1.7 , 8,422,613 , 3.6 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Serbian , 100,941 , 0.04 , 116,795 , 0.0 , 140,337 , 0.0 , 204,380 , 0.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Sicilian , , , 50,389 , 0.0 , - , - , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Slavic , 172,696 , 0.08 , 76,931 , 0.0 , 127,137 , 0.0 , 180,316 , 0.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Slovak , 776,806 , 0.34 , 1,882,897 , 0.8 , 797,764 , 0.3 , 691,455 , 0.3 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Slovenian , 126,463 , 0.06 , 124,437 , 0.1 , 176,691 , 0.1 , 196,513 , 0.1 , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, , , 7,729 , 0.0 , - , - , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Spaniard , 94,528 , 0.04 , 360,935 , 0.1 , 299,948 , 0.1 , 978,978 , 0.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Spanish , 2,686,680 , - , 2,024,004 , 0.8 , 2,187,144 , 0.8 , 866,356 , 0.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Swedish , 4,345,392 , 1.92 , 4,680,863 , 1.9 , 3,998,310 , 1.4 , 3,839,796 , 1.6 , , - , style="text-align: left;" ,

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

, 981,543 , 0.43 , 1,045,495 , 0.4 , 911,502 , 0.3 , 946,179 , 0.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Ukrainian , 730,056 , 0.32 , 740,723 , 0.3 , 892,922 , 0.3 , 953,509 , 0.4 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Welsh , 1,664,598 , 0.73 , 2,033,893 , 0.8 , 1,753,794 , 0.6 , 1,977,383 , 0.8 , , - , style="text-align: left;" , West German , , , 3,885 , 0.0 , - , - , - , - , , - , style="text-align: left;" , Yugoslav , 360,174 , 0.16 , 257,994 , 0.1 , 328,547 , 0.1 , - , - , , -

Culture

As the largest component of the American population, the overall American culture deeply reflects the European-influenced culture that predates the United States of America as an independent state. Much of American culture shows influences from the diverse nations of the

and

, such as the English, Irish, Cornish, Manx, Scotch-Irish, Scottish and Welsh. Colonial ties to the

spread the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

, legal system and other cultural attributes. Scholar David Hackett Fischer asserts in '' Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America'' that the folkways of four groups of people who moved from distinct regions of the

to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

persisted and provide a substantial cultural basis for much of the modern

. Fischer explains "the origins and stability of a social system which for two centuries has remained stubbornly democratic in its politics,

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

in its economy, libertarian in its laws and individualist in its society and pluralistic in its culture." Much of the European-American cultural lineage can be traced back to

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

, which is institutionalized in the government, traditions, and civic education in the United States.Kirk, Russell. The Heritage Lecture Series. "America Should Strengthen its European Cultural Roots." Washington D.C:1949 Since most later European Americans have assimilated into American culture, many Americans of European ancestry now generally express their personal ethnic ties sporadically and symbolically and do not consider their specific ethnic origins to be essential to their identity; however, European American ethnic expression has been revived since the 1960s. Some European Americans such as

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

, Irish, and others have maintained high levels of ethnic identity. In the 1960s, the melting pot ideal to some extent gave way to increased interest in cultural pluralism, strengthening affirmations of ethnic identity among various American ethnic groups, European as well as others.

Law

The American legal system also has its roots in French philosophy with the separation of powers and the federal system along with

English law English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...

in common law.

Cuisine

* Apple pie –

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

was the first region to experience large-scale English colonization in the early 17th century, beginning in 1620, and it was dominated by

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

n Calvinists, better known as the

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

s. Baking was a particular favorite of the New Englanders and was the origin of dishes seen today as quintessentially "American", such as apple pie and the oven-roasted

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, a bird that although not found in Europe has become linked in tradition and symbolism to the early European immigrants. "As American as apple pie" is a well-known phrase used to suggest that something is all-American. *

Hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...

– Although the origins of the hamburger, including the country in which it was first served, are subjects of debate, the hamburger first became widely marketed in the United States and has been internationally known for decades as a symbol of American

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

. * Buffalo wings – Invented in 1964 at Anchor Bar in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

by Italian-American Teressa Bellissimo. Now popular all over the country, it has become a symbol of American cuisine. *

Hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

– Hot dogs were brought to New York by German immigrants. *

Pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

– Italian immigrants from

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

brought pizza to the United States. *

Fried chicken Fried chicken, also called Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...

– Scottish immigrants brought fried chicken to the Southern United States. Enslaved African Americans began cooking fried chicken based on the recipes from white Scottish slaveholders.

Thanksgiving

– In the United States, it has become a national secular holiday (official since

1863 Events January * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate States of America an official war goal. The signing ...

) with religious origins. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by

settlers to give thanks to God and the Native Americans for helping the Pilgrims of

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...

survive the brutal winter. The modern Thanksgiving holiday traces its origins from a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation, where the Plymouth settlers held a harvest feast with the Native Americans after a successful growing season. William Bradford is credited as the first to proclaim the American cultural event which is generally referred to as the " First Thanksgiving".

Sports

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

– The earliest recorded game of base-ball involved the family of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, played indoors in London in November 1748. The Prince is reported as playing "Bass-Ball" again in September 1749 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, against Lord Middlesex. English lawyer William Bray recorded a game of baseball on Easter Monday 1755 in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

; Bray's diary was verified as authentic in September 2008. This early form of the game was apparently brought to North America by English immigrants. The first appearance of the term that exists in print was in " A Little Pretty Pocket-Book" in 1744, where it is called Base-Ball. *

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

– can be traced to modified early versions of

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

played in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

mixed with and ultimately changed by American innovations which led over time to the finished version of the game from 1876 to now. The basic set of rules were first developed in American universities in the mid-19th century. *

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

- Golf originated from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in the 15th century, the first course in Scotland being

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...

. The first golf course in America was founded by a Scot John Reid in 1888, and was named after the first Scottish golf club Saint Andrew's Golf Club located in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, from here golf soared as a national hobby, and by the turn of the 20th Century there was more than 1,000 golf courses in North America.

Music

Another area of cultural influence are American Patriotic songs: John Philip Sousa in 1922

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

– takes its melody from the 18th-century English song " To Anacreon in Heaven" written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a men's social club in London and lyrics written by American Francis Scott Key. This became a well-known and recognized patriotic song throughout the United States, which was officially designated as the American national anthem in 1931. Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of American officialdom. *

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

– written by British poet and

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

John Newton. Popular among

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

, it became an icon in American culture and has been used for a variety of secular purposes and marketing campaigns. * Hail, Columbia – initial presidential inauguration song up until early 20th century. Now used for the

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

. *

Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic music, American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song "John Brown's Body" in N ...

– Patriotic song sung during the civil war time between 1861 and 1865.

Admixture in Whites

Some European Americans have varying amounts of Native American and Native African ancestry. From the

23andMe 23andMe Holding Co. is an American personal genomics and biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, California. It is best known for providing a direct-to-consumer genetic testing service in which customers provide a saliva testing, sali ...

database, about 5 to at least 13 percent of self-identified European American Southerners have greater than 1 percent native African ancestry. Southern states with the highest African American populations tended to have the highest percentages of hidden African ancestry.Scott Hadly, "Hidden African Ancestry Redux",
DNA USA*
'',

, March 4, 2014. European Americans on average are: "98.6 percent Native European, 0.19 percent Native African and 0.18 percent Native American." Inferred British/Irish ancestry is found in European Americans from all states at mean proportions of above 20%, and represents a majority of ancestry, above 50% mean proportion, in states such as Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Scandinavian ancestry in European Americans is highly localized; most states show only trace mean proportions of Scandinavian ancestry, while it comprises a significant proportion, upwards of 10%, of ancestry in European Americans from Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control European-American culture European diaspora in North America Ethnic groups in the United States Transatlantic cultural exchange Transatlantic relations