Swiss Americans
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
(917,071 (2013) 0.3% of the U.S. population) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana | |
| Languages | |
| American English, French · German · Italian | |
| Religion | |
| mostly Christianity (Reformed, Lutheran, and Catholic) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Swiss people, Swiss diaspora; European Americans |
(917,071 (2013)
Swiss Americans are Americans of Swiss descent.
Swiss emigration to America predates the formation of the United States, notably in connection with the persecution of Anabaptism during the Swiss Reformation and the formation of the Amish community. In the 19th century, there was substantial immigration of Swiss farmers, who preferred rural settlements in the Midwest. Swiss immigration diminished after 1930, although limited immigration continues. The number of Americans of Swiss descent is nearly one million. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs reported the permanent residency of Swiss nationals in the United States as 80,218.
The first Swiss person in what is now the territory of the United States was Theobald (Diebold) von Erlach (1541–1565). The history of the Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann, a native of Erlenbach im Simmental.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a flow of Swiss farmers formed colonies, particularly in Russia and the United States.
Before the year 1820 some estimated 25,000 to 30,000 Swiss entered British North America. Most of them settled in regions of today's Pennsylvania as well as North and South Carolina. In the next years until 1860 about as many Swiss arrived, making their homes mainly in the Midwestern states such as Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Approximately 50,000 came between 1860 and 1880, some 82,000 between 1881 and 1890, and estimated 90,000 more during the next three decades.
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Wikipedia