French Canadian

French Canadian (also Canadien in Canadian English or in Canadian French) generally refers to the descendants of French colonists who arrived in New France (Canada) in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, French Canadians constitute the main French-speaking population of Canada.

During the mid-18th century, Canadian colonists born in French Canada expanded across North America and colonized various regions, cities, and towns. Today, the majority of French Canadians live across North America, including the United States and Canada. The province of Quebec has the largest population of French Canadian descent, although smaller communities of French Canadians exist throughout Canada and in the American region of New England, where between 1840 and 1930, roughly 900,000 French Canadians emigrated to the United States and New England, in particular.

Other terms for French Canadians that continue to reside in the province of Quebec, are Quebeckers or Québécois. French Canadians (including those who are no longer French-speaking) constitute the largest ethnic group in Canada, followed by English Canadians, Scottish Canadians and Irish Canadians.