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|poptime = 11,804,485 3.8% of the U.S. population (2010) |popplace = Predominantly in New England, the Midwest and Louisiana |langs = English (American English dialects) French (Cajun•Acadian•Canadian•Missouri•New England French) |rels = 47% Roman Catholic, 39% Protestant, 3% Christian – unspecified; 12% other〔One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society, p. 120.〕 |related = French people, French Canadian, Québécois, Cajuns, Acadians, French Haitian }} French Americans (French: ''Américain français''), also called Franco-Americans (French: ''Franco-Américain'') are Americans who identify themselves to be of French or French Canadian descent. About 11.8 million U.S. residents are of French or French Canadian descent, and about 2 million speak French at home. An additional 750,000 U.S. residents speak a French-based creole language, according to the 2011 census. While Americans of French descent make up a substantial percentage of the American population, French Americans arguably are less visible than other similarly sized ethnic groups. This is due in part to the high degree of assimilation among Huguenot (French Protestant) settlers, as well as the tendency of French American groups to identify more strongly with "New World" regional identities such as Québécois, French Canadian, Acadian, Cajun, or Louisiana Creole. This has inhibited the development of a wider French American identity. ==History== Unlike other immigrants who came to the United States of America from other countries, some French Americans arrived prior to the founding of the United States. In many parts of the country, like the Midwest and Louisiana, they were the founders of some of these villages, cities, and first state inhabitants. While found throughout the country, French Americans are most numerous in New England, northern New York, the Midwest, and Louisiana. French is the fourth most-spoken language in the country, behind English, Spanish, and Chinese. Often, French Americans are identified more specifically as being of French Canadian, Cajun, or Louisiana Creole descent.〔US census 2010〕 An important part of French American history is the Quebec diaspora of the 1840s-1930s, in which one million French Canadians moved to the United States, principally to the New England states, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Historically, the French Canadians in Canada had among the highest birth rates in world history, which is why their population was large even though immigration from France was relatively low. They also moved to different regions within Canada, namely Québec, Ontario and Manitoba. Many of the early male migrants worked in the lumber industry in both regions, and, to a lesser degree, in the burgeoning mining industry in the upper Great Lakes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「French Americans」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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