Irish Americans

Historical records show many Irish Americans are citizens of the United States and can trace their ancestry to Ireland . The Irish are widely dispersed in terms of geography, and demographics and there is a rich Irish history in America.

They are the second largest group in America, after the Germans. Presidents Reagan and Kennedy were Irish and Bill Clinton was half-Irish. Tougher than nails, they are regarded as great fighters and even greater writers. (Joyce, Yeats, Doyle, etc.)

Once looked down upon they rose up through the ranks of American society, many have Irish surnames instantly recognisable and are now one of the most popular and successful groups in the country.

If you are interested in tracing Irish Americans or Irish ancestry a good website to start is genesreunited which has an international and local search and was ranked number 1, family website in 2010.


Irish Americans-Fast Facts

The U.S. Census Bureau each year acknowledges Irish Americans Heritage Month (March) by releasing facts and figures about the Irish population. 

It is rumoured that Americans claim Irish ancestry more than any other. Well, close to the top-in fact second-the only self-reported ancestral group larger is German Americans.

So Irish is the second most popular ethnicity Americans claim. Still it is a very high figure as nearly 35 million Americans report having Irish heritage, according to the census. That’s actually about six times the population of Ireland! 

New York is home to the largest percentage of Irish Americans—New York.The state boasts an  population of 13 percent.Nationwide, the population averages 11.2 percent. 

New York City also has the distinction of being host to the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It took place on March 17, 1762.

150,000 Irish immigrants became naturalized U.S. residents in 2010 and are even more likely than the U.S. population as a whole to be college graduates!

While 33 percent aged 25 or older have at least earned a bachelor’s degree and 92.5 have at least a high school diploma, for Americans generally the corresponding numbers are only 28.2 percent and 85.6 percent, respectively.

The majority, 41 percent, work in management, professional and related occupations, the census reports. Next in line are sales and office occupations. Just above 26 percent of Irish Americans work in that field, followed by 15.7 percent in service occupations, 9.2 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations, and 7.8 percentin construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations.

According to the 2010 census, the average American is 37.2 years old. For Irish Americans the average is 39.2 years old.

John F. Kennedy the former US president became the first Irish-American Catholic president. But he wasn’t the president with the most direct ties to Ireland. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Andrew Jackson holds this distinction. Both of his parents were born in Country Antrim, Ireland. They relocated to the United States in 1765, two years before his birth.