Ancestry of U.S. Population by Rank
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
Discover the top 25 ancestry groups for those people who self-identified ancestry in 2000 and 2014.
| 2000 Rank | Ancestry group | Number | 2014 Rank2 | Ancestry group3 | Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | German | 42,841,569 | 1. | German | 46,874,293 |
| 2. | Irish | 30,524,799 | 2. | Irish | 33,918,058 |
| 3. | African American1 | 24,903,412 | 3. | English | 25,181,294 |
| 4. | English | 24,509,692 | 4. | American | 22,365,250 |
| 5. | American1 | 20,188,305 | 5. | English | 17,330,315 |
| 6. | Mexican | 18,382,291 | 6. | Polish | 9,452,375 |
| 7. | Italian | 15,638,348 | 7. | French | 8,431,568 |
| 8. | Polish | 8,977,235 | 8. | Scottish | 5,401,397 |
| 9. | French | 8,309,666 | 9. | Norwegian | 4,451,906 |
| 10. | American Indian1 | 7,876,568 | 10. | Dutch | 4,387,814 |
| 11. | Scottish | 4,890,581 | 11. | Swedish | 3,984,136 |
| 12. | Dutch | 4,541,770 | 12. | European | 3,689,403 |
| 13. | Norwegian | 4,477,725 | 13. | Scotch-Irish | 3,102,082 |
| 14. | Scotch-Irish | 4,319,232 | 14. | Subsaharan African | 2,987,143 |
| 15. | Swedish | 3,998,310 | 15. | Russian | 2,895,600 |
| 16. | White1 | 3,834,122 | 16. | West Indian | 2,756,752 |
| 17. | Puerto Rican | 2,652,598 | 17. | French Canadian | 2,052,979 |
| 18. | Russian | 2,652,214 | 18. | Welsh | 1,779,664 |
| 19. | Hispanic1 | 2,451,109 | 19. | Arab | 1,769,645 |
| 20. | French Canadian | 2,349,684 | 20. | African | 1,758,640 |
| 21. | Chinese | 2,271,562 | 21. | Czech | 1,479,588 |
| 22. | Spanish | 2,187,144 | 22. | Hungarian | 1,440,762 |
| 23. | Filipino | 2,116,478 | 23. | Portuguese | 1,380,904 |
| 24. | European1 | 1,968,696 | 24. | Danish | 1,323,182 |
| 25. | Welsh | 1,753,794 | 25. | Greek | 1,285,866 |
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.
3. Source did not report comparable data for the year 2014 for the following ancestry groups: Asian (and subgroups), Hispanic (and subgroups), American Indian/Alaskan native, African American.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Ancestry: 2000, issued June 2004; American Community Survey.
