Bulgarian Americans
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Total population | |
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100,557[1] (2019 Census) 250,000 + 30,000 students General assessments ofBulgariandiplomatic representations in the US (2010)[2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
California,with smaller communities inOhio,Indiana,Illinois,New York,New Jersey, Georgia,Pennsylvania,Missouri,andMichigan | |
Languages | |
Bulgarian,American English | |
Religion | |
PredominantlyEastern Orthodox Christianity (Bulgarian Orthodox Church) MinorityAtheism,other Christian groups, Islam (mainlyPomaks), &Judaism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Bulgarians,Bulgarian Canadians,Bulgarians in South America,Greek Americans,Macedonian Americans,Serbian Americans |
Part ofa serieson |
Bulgarians Българи |
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Culture |
By country |
Subgroups |
Religion |
Language |
Other |
Bulgarian Americans(Bulgarian:Американски българи,romanized:Amerikanski balgari) areAmericansofBulgariandescent.[3]
For the2000 United States Census,55,489 Americans indicated Bulgarian as their first ancestry,[4]while 92,841 persons declared to have Bulgarian ancestry.[5]Those can include Bulgarian Americans living in the United States for one or several generations, dual Bulgarian American citizens, or any other Bulgarian Americans who consider themselves to be affiliated to both cultures or countries.
Bulgarian Americans include persons born inBulgaria,in the United States, and in other countries with ethnic Bulgarian population. Because some Bulgarians are not American citizens, others are dual citizens, and still others' ancestors moved to the U.S. several generations ago, some of these people consider themselves to be simply Americans, Bulgarians, Bulgarians living in the United States or American Bulgarians.
After the 2000 U.S. census, the population grew significantly — according to the general assessments ofBulgariandiplomatic representations in the US for 2010, there were 250,000Bulgariansresiding in the country, and more than 30,000 students.[2]
History[edit]
Bulgarianimmigration to the United Statesbegan in the mid 19th century.[6]According to Mihaela Robila they tended to settle in Slavic enclaves in the Midwest or Northeast.[7]David Cassens has published a study of 'The Bulgarian Colony of Southwestern Illinois 1900-1920'.[8]To Chicago and Back,(Bulgarian:"До Чикаго и назад" ) by the eminent Bulgarian authorAleko Konstantinov;first published in 1894 mostly concerns attendance at atrade fair,not emigration per se.
The United States has one of the highest numbers of Bulgarians of any country in the world. As many as 250,0001Bulgarians live in the country. From theEastern Europeancountries,Bulgariahas the second highest number of students who study in the United States, afterRussia.[9]
Demographics[edit]
The2000 United States Censusshows that there were 63,000 people of Bulgarian descent in the US. According to the same source, the state with the largest number of Bulgarians isCalifornia,followed byIllinois,New York,Florida,Ohio,andIndiana.Texas,more specificallyHouston,also has a growing population. According to the2000 US censusthe cities with the highest number of Bulgarian Americans areNew York,Los Angeles,ChicagoandMiami.Approximately 60% of Bulgarian Americans over the age of 25 hold a bachelor's degree or higher.[10]In 2015, out of 61,377 ethnic Bulgarians born outside the United States, 57,089 were born in Bulgaria, 37 in North Macedonia and 46 in Greece.[11]
Bulgarian Americans have an annual median household income of $76,862.[10]Following the 2000 US census when Bulgarians were 50-100,000, during the last 10 years their number has grown significantly to over 250,000.[2]
Bulgarian-born population[edit]
Bulgarian-born population in the US since 2010:[12]
Year | Number |
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2010 | 62,684 |
2011 | ![]() |
2012 | ![]() |
2013 | ![]() |
2014 | ![]() |
2015 | ![]() |
2016 | ![]() |
Language[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Bulgarian_church_in_USA.jpg/220px-Bulgarian_church_in_USA.jpg)
According to the 2000 US Census, 28,565 people indicated that they speakBulgarianat home. But in the recent years the number grew significantly to over 250,000 people.[2]Some Bulgarian Americans speakBulgarian,especially the more recent immigrants, while others might not speak the language at all, or speak Bulgarian mixed with English to a lesser or greater extent.
Some Bulgarian Americans understand Bulgarian even though they might not be able to speak the language. There are cases where older generations of Bulgarians or descendants of Bulgarian immigrants from the early part of the 20th century are fluent in the Bulgarian language as well.
Notable people[edit]
- John Vincent Atanasoff(1903–1995) – inventor of the first automatic electronic digitalcomputer
- Miroslav Barnyashev–professional wrestlerwho worked as "Rusev" and currently, "Miro"
- Christo– world-famous artist known for projects such asThe GatesandThe Wrapped Reichstag
- Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev– writer, art historian, and curator
- Stoyan Chrstowe– author, journalist and noted Vermont political figure[note 1]
- Bill Danoff– singer-songwriter [Bill does not have Bulgarian heritage, despite the name, according to the man himself.]
- Kiradjieff brothers,creators ofCincinnati chili[note 1]
- Stephane Groueff(1922–2006) – writer and journalist who wrote the bookManhattan Project: The Untold Story of the Making of the Atomic Bomb
- Assen Jordanoff(1896–1967) – aviation constructor with a global recognition[13]
- Dan Kolov(1892–1940) – early 20th centurywrestler
- Ted Kotcheff– film and television director and producer (First Blood,Weekend at Bernie's)
- Leah LaBelle(1986–2018) – singer and finalist onAmerican Idol
- Alex Maleev–comic bookillustratorandartistbest known for theMarvel Comics' seriesDaredevil(vol. 2), collaborating with writerBrian Michael Bendis
- Martin P. Mintchev– engineering professor
- Angela Nikodinov–figure skater
- Victor Ninov–nuclear physicist
- Peter Petroff(1919–2003) – inventor, engineer,NASAscientist, and adventurer
- Maria Popova– writer, critic, and blogger; named among the "100 Most Creative People in Business" byFast Companyin 2012
- Svetla Protich– classicalpianist
- Vladimir Tenev– billionaire, co-founder ofRobinhood,entrepreneur
- Andre Roussimoff(1946–1993) – professional wrestler known as André the Giant
- Dimitar Sasselov–astronomerand professor atHarvard University
- Kyril Vassilev(1908–1987) –portrait painterof royalty and American society during the mid-20th century
- Sam Voinoff(1907–1989) – college golf coach atPurdue University,with 10Big Ten,and 1NCAAchampionships.
- Sophia Popov– professional golfer, of Bulgarian and German ancestry
- Pete George–weightlifterand Olympic and World champion[note 1]
- Jim George– weightlifter
See also[edit]
- Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia
- European Americans
- Macedonian Patriotic Organization
- St. John of Rila Church (Chicago)
- Bulgaria–United States relations
Notes[edit]
^Estimates of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad for the numbers of ethnic Bulgarians living for the country in question based on data from the Bulgarian Border Police, the Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and reports from immigrant associations. The numbers include members of the diaspora (2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Bulgarian immigrants), legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, students and other individuals permanently residing in the country in question as of 2004.
- ^abcAlso considered asMacedonian.
References[edit]
- ^"PEOPLE REPORTING ANCESTRY. American Community Survey B04006 2019 1-Year Estimates".data.census.gov.
- ^abcdПосолство на Република България, Вашингтон, САЩ - Българска общност[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in the US] (in Bulgarian). Mfa.bg. Archived fromthe originalon May 6, 2011.RetrievedDecember 25,2014.
- ^Yu, Eleanor. "Bulgarian Americans."Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America(3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp. 357-371.
- ^"Ancestry: Census 2000, Census 2000 Summary File 3".U.S. Census Bureau.Archived fromthe originalon February 10, 2020.
- ^"2006 American Community Survey: Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported".U.S. Census Bureau.
- ^G. Traichev, History of the Bulgarian Emigration to North America. From Its Beginning in mid 19th century to the 1980s, Sofia 1993
- ^Eastern European Immigrant Families, 2013
- ^Illinois Historical Journal Vol. 84, No. 1 (Spring, 1991), pp. 15-24
- ^Robila, Mihaela (2013).Eastern European Immigrant Families.p. 31.
- ^ab"US Census".Global Advertising Strategies, Inc.2004.
- ^"Census data on Bulgarians".data.census.gov.2015.Retrieved9 April2023.
- ^Bureau, U.S. Census."American FactFinder - Results".factfinder.census.gov.Archived fromthe originalon 2020-02-14.Retrieved2018-04-23.
- ^Assen Jordanoff - the man who contributed to America's airpowerArchived2017-07-29 at theWayback Machineat www.pantonov.com
Further reading[edit]
- Altankov, Nikolay G.The Bulgarian-Americans.Palo Alto, Calif.: Ragusan Press, 1979.
- Auerbach, Susan (ed.).Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism.New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1994.
- Carlson, Claudia and David Allen.The Bulgarian Americans.New York: Chelsea House, 1990.ISBN0-87754-865-X
- Moody, Suzanna, Joel Wurl; Rudolph J Vecoli (eds.).The Immigration History Research Center: A Guide to Collections.New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
- Riggs, Thomas.Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, Vol. 1.3rd ed. Farmington Hills: Gale, 2000.
- Yankoff, Peter Dimitrov.Peter Menikoff: The Story of a Bulgarian Boy in the Great American Melting Pot.Nashville, Tenn.: Cokesbury Press, 1928.
External links[edit]
- "Bulgarian Americans" by Eleanor Yu. Material on Everyculture.com
- Bulgarian Children's Chorus and SchoolGergana,New York
- Helping Hands Bulgaria
- Immigration History Research Center Archives,University of Minnesota Libraries
- The 90th Birthday of Professor Raphael Mechoulam, a Top Cannabinoid Scientist and Pioneer