French Americans are U.S. citizens or nationals of French descent and heritage. The majority of Franco-American families did not arrive directly from France, but rather settled French territories in the New World (primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries) before moving to the United States later on (see Quebec diaspora and Great Upheaval). About thirteen million U.S. residents are of French descent, and about 1.5 million of them speak the French language at home. Being isolated, mixed with different cultures, or ignored, the French-Americans developed particular cultures that reflect varying degrees of adaptation of their environments. This gave birth to streams of French-Americans like the Acadians, the Cajuns (literally Acadian pronounced with a southern accent), Louisiana Créoles and many others.
The following is a list of notable French Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
| Lists of Americans |
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| By U.S. state |
| By ethnicity or nationality |
| Afghan · African American · Albanian · Arab · Argentine · Armenian · Austrian |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, french and/or americans:“My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.” “Modern tourist guides have helped raised tourist expectations. And they have provided the natives—from Kaiser Wilhelm down to the villagers of Chichacestenango—with a detailed and itemized list of what is expected of them and when. These are the up-to- date scripts for actors on the tourists’ stage.” “He that is born to be hanged shall never be drowned.” “In the two centuries that have passed since 1776, millions upon millions of Americans have worked and taken up arms, when necessary, to make [the American] dream a reality. We can be proud of what they have accomplished. Today, we are the world’s oldest republic. We are at peace. Our nation and our way of life endure. And we are free.” |