| Notable French Britions: Augustus Charles Pugin, Dido, George du Maurier, Charles II of England, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Emma Watson, Henrietta Maria, Richard I of England |
| Total population |
|---|
| 200,000 - 300,000 (French born) Around 8 Million (of French descent) At least 0.5% of the UK population |
| Regions with significant populations |
| London, South East England |
| Languages |
| Religion |
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Mainly Roman Catholic, with French Reformed, other Christian, Jewish and non-religious minorities |
| Related ethnic groups |
French migration to the United Kingdom is a phenomenon that has occurred at various points in history. Today, many British people have French ancestry. French remains the foreign language most learned by Britons mostly because England and France are so close and the languages are quite similar.
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Much of the UK's mediaeval aristocracy was descended from Franco-Norman migrants to England at or after the time of the Norman Conquest. Well known families that originated from the Norman Conquest period, include the Grosvenor family whose original name was "Gros Veneur" meaning (in Norman) "great hunter" or "grand hunter". Their legacy can be found throughout much of London with at least five hundred roads, squares and buildings bearing their family names and titles, and the names of place and people connected with them, including Grosvenor Square and Grosvenor House. A large number of British people are also descended from the Huguenots, French Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries fled religious persecution in France. Although a substantial French Protestant community existed in London from the sixteenth century, the suppression of Protestantism in France in the 1680s led to a mass migration of predominantly Calvinist refugees, most of whom settled in London. Divided between Spitalfields in the east and Soho in the west, the French Protestant community was one of the largest and most distinctive communities of the capital.
A large proportion of the Black British and British Arab population came from former French as well as British colonies and many still speak French. People in these regions were French citizens until decolonization around 1960.
The number of French people living in the UK has increased every year since 1991, according to French government statistics.[1] It jumped by 8,716 in 2006, the biggest gain in at least twenty years. French people are situated throughout much of London, but are particularly found within the Kensington area. There are several French schools, some independent, and others: La Petite École Française in west London and the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, situated in South Kensington and run by the French state.
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