Icelandic Canadian

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Iceland Icelandic Canadian Canada

Total population
94,205[1]
0.3% of Canada's population
Regions with significant populations
Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan
Languages
Canadian English, Icelandic
Religion
Predominantly Protestant
Related ethnic groups
Icelandic Americans
Faroese Canadians, Norwegian Canadians
Scandinavian Canadians
See Icelanders

Canada has the largest ethnic Icelandic population outside Iceland, with about 94,205 people of Icelandic descent as of the Canada 2011 Census.[1] Many Icelandic Canadians are descendants of people who fled an eruption of the Icelandic volcano Askja in 1875.[2]

The history between Icelanders and North America dates back approximately one thousand years. The very first Europeans to reach North America were Icelandic Norsemen, who made at least one major effort at settlement in what is today Newfoundland (L'Anse aux Meadows) around 1009 AD. Snorri Þorfinnsson, the son of Þorfinnr Karlsefni and his wife Guðríðr, is the first European known to have been born in the New World.[3] In 1875, over 200 Icelanders immigrated to Manitoba establishing the New Iceland colony along the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, this is the first part of a large wave of immigrants who settled on the Canadian prairies.[4]

Notably, Icelandic Canadians do not typically follow traditional Icelandic naming customs, by which people do not have surnames but are instead distinguished by the use of a parent's given name as a patronymic; instead, Icelandic immigrants to Canada have largely adapted to North American customs by adopting a true surname.[5] Icelandic surnames in Canada most commonly represent the patronymic of the person's first ancestor to settle in Canada.[5]

Icelandic population in Canada

The provinces with the most reported Icelandic-Canadians in 2011 are:

Province Icelandic Canadian Percent Icelandic Canadian
 Canada 94,205[1] 0.3%
 Manitoba 30,025 2.6%
 British Columbia 22,600 0.5%
 Alberta 17,075 0.5%
 Ontario 13,130 0.1%
 Saskatchewan 9,010 0.9%
 Quebec 835 0.01%
 Nova Scotia 620 0.07%
 New Brunswick 325 0.04%
 Yukon 200 0.6%
 Newfoundland and Labrador 155 0.03%
 Northwest Territories 120 0.3%
 Prince Edward Island 95 0.07%
 Nunavut 20 0.06%

Communities

Map illustrating the distribution of people of Icelandic ethnic origin or ancestry in North America
Gimli, Manitoba, pop. 5,797 is home to the largest concentration of Icelanders outside of Iceland.

Settlements in Canada which are notably Icelandic by foundation or ethnicity:

List of Icelandic-Canadians

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables - Ethnic Origin (264), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age Groups (10) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2013-06-07. 
  2. ↑ http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/07/06/136-new-iceland-a-forgotten-nordic-colony-in-canada/
  3. ↑ Smithsonian Magazine | History & Archaeology | The Vikings: A Memorable Visit to America
  4. ↑ "Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan - ICELANDIC SETTLEMENTS". University of Regina. Retrieved 2011-08-07. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Icelandic anchor makes Manitoba connection". Winnipeg Free Press, July 26, 2008.

Bibliography

  • Boultbee, Paul G., "Icelandic-Canadian bibliography", Canadian Ethnic Studies. 29(3):82-94, 1997.

External links

Americas
Europe
Oceania
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