CiteAncestry of U.S. Population by Rank
Discover the top 20 ancestry groups for those people who self-identified ancestry in 2000 and 2015.
| 2000 Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Ancestry group | Population |
| 1 | German | 42,841,569 |
| 2 | Irish | 30,524,799 |
| 3 | Black/African-American1 (non-Hispanic) | 24,903,412 |
| 4 | English | 24,509,692 |
| 5 | American1 | 20,188,305 |
| 6 | Mexican | 18,382,291 |
| 7 | Italian | 15,638,348 |
| 8 | Polish | 8,977,235 |
| 9 | French | 8,309,666 |
| 10 | American Indian1 | 7,876,568 |
| 11 | Scottish | 4,890,581 |
| 12 | Dutch | 4,541,770 |
| 13 | Norwegian | 4,477,725 |
| 14 | Scotch-Irish | 4,319,232 |
| 15 | Swedish | 3,998,310 |
| 16 | White1 | 3,834,122 |
| 17 | Puerto Rican | 2,652,598 |
| 18 | Russian | 2,652,214 |
| 19 | Hispanic1 | 2,451,109 |
| 20 | French Canadian | 2,349,684 |
| 2015 Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Ancestry Group | Population |
| 1 | German | 46,403,053 |
| 2 | Black/African-American1 (non-Hispanic) | 38,785,726 |
| 3 | Mexican (of any race) | 34,640,287 |
| 4 | Irish | 33,526,444 |
| 5 | English | 24,787,018 |
| 6 | American1 | 22,746,991 |
| 7 | Italian | 17,285,619 |
| 8 | Polish | 9,385,766 |
| 9 | French | 8,272,538 |
| 10 | Scottish | 5,409,343 |
| 11 | Puerto Rican | 5,174,554 |
| 12 | Norwegian | 4,445,030 |
| 13 | Dutch | 4,289,116 |
| 14 | Swedish | 3,933,024 |
| 15 | Chinese | 3,852,099 |
| 16 | Asian Indian | 3,303,512 |
| 17 | Scotch-Irish | 3,046,005 |
| 18 | Russian | 2,843,400 |
| 19 | West Indian (non-Hispanic) | 2,824,722 |
| 20 | Filipino | 2,717,844 |
NOTES: Ancestry is a broad concept that can mean different things to different people. The ancestry groups listed on this table were self-identified. The Census Bureau defines ancestry as a person's ethnic origin, heritage, descent, or “roots,†which may reflect their place of birth, place of birth of parents or ancestors, and ethnic identities that have evolved within the United States. Many respondents listed more than one area of ancestry; the sum of the persons reporting the ancestry is greater than the total. Overall, about 500 different ancestries were reported during Census 2000.
1. Group may encompass several ancestries not listed separately.
2. Data is from American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2010–2014.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Ancestry: 2000, issued June 2004; 2015 American Community Survey.
| Race and Ethnicity |
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