Scotch-Irish Americans
Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) Americans are American descendants of Ulster Scots people (predominantly Ulster Protestants) who emigrated from Ulster (Ireland's northernmost province) to America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Their ancestors had originally migrated to Ulster mainly from the Scottish Lowlands and Northern England in the 17th century. In the 2017 American Community Survey, 5.39 million (1.7% of the population) reported Scottish ancestry, an additional 3 million (0.9% of the population) identified more specifically with Scotch-Irish ancestry, and many people who claim "American ancestry" may actually be of Scotch-Irish ancestry.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,500,076 (0.7%) alone or in combination 977,075 (0.3%) "Scotch-Irish" alone 27,000,000 (2004) Up to 9.2% of the U.S. population (2004) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| California, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and Pennsylvania Historic populations in the Upper South, Appalachia, the Ozarks and northern New England | |
| Languages | |
| English (American English dialects), Ulster Scots, Scots | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Calvinist (Presbyterian, Congregationalist), Baptist, Quaker, with a minority Methodist, Episcopalian | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ulster Protestants, Ulster Scots, Anglo-Irish, English, Huguenots, British Americans, Welsh, Manx, Irish Americans, Scottish Americans, English Americans, American ancestry |
The term Scotch-Irish is used primarily in the United States, with people in Great Britain or Ireland who are of a similar ancestry identifying as Ulster Scots people. Many left for North America, but over 100,000 Scottish Presbyterians still lived in Ulster in 1700. Many English-born settlers of this period were also Presbyterians. When King Charles I attempted to force these Presbyterians into the Church of England in the 1630s, many chose to re-emigrate to North America where religious liberty was greater. Later attempts to force the Church of England's control over dissident Protestants in Ireland led to further waves of emigration to the transatlantic colonies.