Scottish Americans

Scottish American

Notable Scottish Americans: 'Alexander Hamilton' 'Andrew Carnegie' 'Douglas MacArthur' 'Johnny Cash'
Regions with significant populations
throughout the United States
Languages
American English, Scots, Scottish Gaelic
Religion
Predominantly Christian Protestant
Related ethnic groups
British Americans (Scots-Irish Americans, English Americans, Welsh Americans), Irish Americans

Scottish Americans or Scots Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates in the northwest European nation of Scotland. See also Scottish ethnicity.

Scottish Americans are closely related to Scots-Irish Americans, also called Ulster-Scots, who in the US are treated as part of a common ethnic group. The Ulster-Scots originally came from the lowlands and border country of Scotland before migrating to Ulster, and hence to North America.

Number of Scottish Americans

In the 2000 Census, 4.8 million Americans reported Scottish ancestry, 1.7% of the total US population. Given Scotland's population (just over 5 million), there are almost as many Scottish Americans as there are native Scots living in their home country. Another 4.3 million reported Scots-Irish ancestry, for a total of 9.2 million Americans of Scots descent. However this number is believed to be a serious under-count, seeing as areas where people reported "American" ancestry were the places where, historically, Scottish and Scots-Irish Protestants settled in America (that is: along the North-American coast and the Southeastern United States). It is believed the number of Scottish could be in the region of 20 million and Scots-Irish at 27 million. Scottish-Americans descended from 19th century Scottish immigrants tend to be concentrated in the West, while others in New England are the descendants of immigrants from the Maritime Provinces of Canada, especially in the 1920s.

Scottish Americans by state

File:Scottish1346.gif

'Scottish ancestry' is in Dark red and brown colours which indicate a higher density: highest in the east and west (see also Maps of American ancestries)

The states with the most Scottish & Scots-Irish populations:

Scottish

• California- 541,890 (1.6% of State population)
• Florida- 294,293 (1.8%)
• Texas- 289,827 (1.4%)
• Michigan- 224,803 (2.3%)
• New York- 212,275 (1.1%)

Scots-Irish

• California- 410,310 (1.2% of State population)
• Texas- 337,630 (1.6%)
• North Carolina- 255,825 (3.2%)
• Florida- 246,580 (1.5%)
• Pennsylvania- 218,173 (0.7%)

The states with the top percentages of Scottish:

Scottish

• Maine (4.8% of state population)
• Vermont (4.6%)
• Utah (4.4%)
• New Hampshire (4.4%)
• Oregon,Wyoming,Idaho (3.2% each)

Scots-Irish

• North Carolina (3.2%)
• South Carolina (2.9%)
• Tennessee (2.6%)
• Montana (2.6%)
• Maine (2.6%)

National Tartan Day

National Tartan Day, held each year on April 6 in the United States and Canada, celebrates the historical links between Scotland and North America and the contributions Scottish Americans and Canadians have made to US and Canadian history and society. "Scottish Heritage Month" is quickly being adopted around the United Staes and Canada.

Highland Games

Historical re-enactor relaxing between shows at the Highland games in Pleasanton, California.

Scottish culture, food, and athletics are celebrated at Highland Games and Scottish Festivals throughout North America. One of the largest of these occurs yearly at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. However, in recent years, the games at Pleasanton, California have surpassed them in size. In addition to traditional Scottish sports such as the Caber toss and the Hammer throw, there are Whisky tastings, traditional foods such as Haggis, and traditional Scottish dance.

List of notable Scottish-Americans

• List of Scottish Americans

See also

• Scottish place names in the USA
• Scottish-Canadian
• Scots-Quebecer
• Celtic music in the United States
• Maps of American ancestries
• British-American
• Scots-Irish American
• English American
• Welsh American
• Irish American

External links

• Scotland's Mark on America, by George Fraser Black, Ph.D. at Project Gutenberg