French Canadian
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (5,077,215 in Canada (self-identified by ancestry, 2011 Census) c. 10,000,000 (French-speaking Canadians) c. 8,000,000 in United States) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Canada, especially Quebec, New Brunswick, and Eastern Ontario, Louisiana; smaller populations in New England, New York and Michigan | |
| Languages | |
| French, English | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic, minority Protestant | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| French, Bretons, Québécois, Acadians, Cajun, Métis, Franco-Ontarian, Franco-Manitoban, French American, French Haitian, Brayon |
French Canadians (also referred to as Québécois, Franco-Canadians or Canadiens; French: Canadien(ne)s français(es)) are an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to French colonists who settled in Canada from the 17th century onward. Today, French Canadians constitute the main French-speaking population in Canada, accounting for about 19% of the total population.
During the mid-18th century, Canadian colonists born in French Canada expanded across North America and colonized various regions, cities, and towns. Today, French Canadians live across North America. The province of Quebec has the largest population of French-Canadian descent, though smaller communities exist throughout Canada and in the United States (particularly New England). Between 1840 and 1930, roughly 900,000 French Canadians emigrated to the United States, mostly to the New England region.
Other terms for French Canadians who continue to reside in the province of Quebec, are Quebecers or Québécois. The other major group of French Canadians are the Acadians (Acadiens) who reside in the Maritime Provinces. French Canadians (including those who are no longer French-speaking) constitute the second largest ethnic group in Canada, behind the English Canadians, and ahead of Scottish Canadians and Irish Canadians, although there is a divide between those identifying as French Canadians and those simply identifying as French. In total, those who identify as French Canadian, French, Québécois and Acadian number up to 11.9 million people or comprising 33.78% of the Canadian population.
The French Canadians get their name from Canada, the most developed and densely populated region of New France during the period of French colonization in the 17th and 18th century. The original use of the term Canada referred to the land area along the St. Lawrence River, divided in three districts (Québec, Trois-Rivières, and Montréal), as well as to the Pays d'en Haut (Upper Countries), a vast and thinly settled territorial dependence north and west of Montreal which covered the whole of the Great Lakes area.
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