Ratio of Americans reporting a country as their ancestral to the country’s population. [OC]

32 comments
  1. The sources are the 2020 American Community Survey and the UN’s 2020 mid-year population data. For some countries, including Spain (possible Spanish/Hispanic confusion?) there was no data.

    inb4 “plastic paddies”

  2. And yet we never hear about “Polish ancestors”, do we? We only see posts like “I’m Polish-American, is Poland safe to visit or is there a possibility of my death? Also, I don’t speak Polish and I don’t know its capital but I identify more as a Pole, not American” on r/Poland

  3. So its how they feel connected to their ancestral countries. In reality 3/4 of Americans have their ancestry from Europe.

  4. /r/Norway is essentially only Americans trying to convince Norwegians we have some things in common.

    No, Tyler, your great-great grandfather being 14% Norwegian does not make you a viking – or Norwegian for that matter.

    Its like they are surprised theres a certain culture that goes with the country

    Edit: oh and yeah, «im going to norway, please plan my trip for me»

  5. A lot of ours went to small towns named after Belgian places or Luxemburg. That people fled from in recent decades. Or Detroit where till a few years ago we still had a Flemish newspaper.
    Since a lot of that city died they probably ecattwred and forgot.

  6. can we explian to them that they are american and have nothing to do with us?

    i know, no one wants to be an american, really, but its getting ridiciolous!

  7. Yeah, I’m irish and 1 million people emigrated to America, Canada and Britain during the great famine. When they arrived in America they received hate and were refused jobs however a lot of famous Americans are of irish descent. Maureen o hara, Tom brady, jfk, barrack Obama, Jack dempsey, Muhammed Ali and Georgia o keeffe.

  8. Usually, if an American introduces themselves to me as Polish (not Polish-American) i just answer back in Polish

  9. This is ironic, half their territory was Spanish, but they only know the most recent migrations of the 18 century onwards.

  10. One of my mums friends went to the USA, and people would go up to her and say “oohhh I’m Scottish too!!! My great great great great great grandparent was Scottish!”

  11. in the 1970(ish) census, Americans all said they were from English and German heritage (which is largely correct).

    By the 1980s they had all decided they were Irish.

    I know Irish taxi drivers who make good money driving American tourists to some random cottage and saying yeah that’s where your ancestors used to live…

  12. I did an ancestry DNA test to find out what flavour of European I am (pale Canadian). Thanks to wars and the mass leaving of Mormons in the 1880s, I am mostly of English, German, Danish and yes, Irish descent. I boggles my mind when Americans identify with a country they have no personal connection to – my ghostly pale skin tone and last name is the only connection I have. Hope to visit Germany and Denmark one day, just to see where the bloodline started.

  13. Love the old, I am an Irish American, from seven generations ago.. Most Brits would be four or five different nationalities that many generations ago and somehow claim to be pure English..

  14. I didn’t realize how bitter Europeans were about this, especially the Irish, until recently.

    The constant waves of immigration from countries are what make the US a giant melting pot of cultures, primarily grouped in specific regions.

    But please Irish, be pissy. Although, the U.S. Is the only thing that even remotely keeps you relevant. If it helps any, I deliberately leave off my Irish ancestry and only focus on the German side when asked.

    Also, what’s next to be mad about?

    Edit: Also of note, this Ukraine conflict has made me feel closer and more “appreciative” of European “allies”. But then stuff like this just takes the blinders off.

  15. I’m American and I’m of mostly Ukrainian descent. My AncestryDNA confirms. My paternal grandparents were born in the Ukraine. I wasn’t born there and have no other connections to it besides my family members having a strong connection to it (had aunts who loved celebrating their heritage) and apparently my appearance. I don’t tell people I have Ukrainian ancestry–they tell me! I am sometimes stopped by strangers and asked if I’m from Eastern Europe and specifically Ukraine. Just happened to me last month. Guy said “you look like you’d have an accent.” People basically force me to say I’m “something” other than American! So clearly my appearance connects me to this area….that’s really the only reason I’ve researched it at all.

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