British American

British American

British Americans (occasionally also known as Anglo-Americans, although this may have a wider linguistic meaning) are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). People seldom use the term to describe themselves (1,172,050 chose it in the 2009 American Community Survey); it is primarily a demographic or historical research category. In the modern age, it can refer to British people who live and work in the United States (some of whom become American citizens), and Americans who do the same in the United Kingdom.

According to American Community Survey in 2009 data, Americans reporting British ancestry are an estimated 40,234,652, 13.0% of the total U.S. population, and they form the third largest European ancestry group, after German Americans and Irish Americans. This is an approx 35% drop from the population figures derived from the 1980 United States Census.

However, demographers regard this as an undercount because the index of inconsistency is high and many, if not most, people from English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish and Welsh stock tend to identify themselves simply as Americans or, if of mixed European ancestry, to nominate a more recent and differentiated ethnic group. Consequently, many well established white Americans have at least some British ancestry, including many who identify themselves primarily with other ethnic groups (such as Irish, German, Scandinavian, and so forth).