Canadian Americans are American citizens or nationals who were born in and/or largely grew up in Canada, but later moved into the United States. It can also be used to refer to American-born citizens who either have parents who immigrated from Canada or have significant Canadian ancestry and/or identity. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives or were educated in Canada, and then relocated to the United States. To others, especially for those living in New England or the Midwest, a Canadian-American is one whose ancestors came from Canada.
The term Canadian refers to some as nationality, and to others as ethnicity. English-speaking Canadian immigrants easily integrate and assimilate into American culture and society as a result of the cultural similarities and in the vocabulary and accent in spoken English. French-speaking Canadians, because of language, culture, and religion, tend to take longer to assimilate. However, by the 3rd generation, the assimilation is complete, and the Canadian identity is more or less folklore. This took place, even though half of the population of the province of Quebec emigrated to the US between 1840 and 1930. Many New England cities formed Little Canadas, but many of these have gradually disappeared.
This cultural "invisibility" within the larger U.S. population is seen as creating stronger affinity amongst Canadians living in the U.S. than might otherwise exist. According to U.S. Census estimates the number of Americans of Canadian ancestry was around 640,000 in 2000. Some sources have cited the number to possibly be over 1,000,000.
Canadians who travel to the U.S. to escape their colder winter are known as "snowbirds". They sometimes have residences in the Southern half of the U.S. (e.g. Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia, Southern Texas, Southern California, and Arizona).
Max Baucus (born 1941), politician, former long-time U.S. Senator from Montana (1978-2014), and former U.S. Ambassador to China (2014-2017)Walter Chrysler (born 1875, d. 1940), automotive industry executive and founder of the Chrysler CorporationMadonna (full name Madonna Louise Ciccone) (born 1958), singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, and businesswoman also known as "The Queen of Pop"Marcus Chong (born 1967), actor and son of Tommy ChongWalt Disney (born 1901, d. 1966), animatorWill Durant (born 1885, d. 1981), historian and philosopherThomas Edison (born 1847, d. 1931), inventorMarcus Foligno (born 1991), ice hockey playerNick Foligno (born 1987), ice hockey playerMissy Franklin (born 1995), Olympic gold medal-winning swimmerBrendan Fraser (born 1968), film and stage actorRene Gagnon (born 1925, d. 1979), U.S. Marine heroRobert Goulet (born 1933, d. 2007), singer and actorMike Gravel (born 1930), politician, former U.S. Senator from Alaska (1969-1981), and 2008 Democratic presidential candidateMatt Groening (born 1954), cartoonist, writer, producer, animator, voice actor, and creator of The SimpsonsGene Hackman (born 1930), retired actor and novelistPhil Hendrie (born 1952), radio personality and comedianJimi Hendrix (born 1942, d. 1970), musician Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (born 1972), actor, semi-retired WWE wrestler, and producerJack Kerouac (born 1922, d. 1969), poet and writerPaul LePage (born 1948), 74th Governor of Maine since 2011Joel McHale (born 1971), comedian, actor, writer, television producer, and television hostGrace Metalious (born 1924, d. 1964), authorWalter Mondale (born 1928), politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States, and 1984 Democratic presidential nomineeElon Musk (born 1971), inventor, engineer, owner of SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and SolarCityTyler Myers (born 1990), ice hockey playerRudy Vallée (born 1901, d. 1986), saxophone playerMark Wahlberg (born 1971), actor, and retired rapperRobin Thicke (born 1977), R&B singer-songwriterPamela Anderson (born 1967), actressPaul Anka (born 1941), singer-songwriter and actorDan Aykroyd (born 1952), actor, comedian, producer, and musicianSamantha Bee (born 1969) comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, media critic, and television hostMarty Biron (born 1977), ice hockey goaltender and commentatorBrett Boyko (born 1992), professional football player with the San Diego ChargersDayana Cadeau (born 1966), Haitian-born Canadian/American professional bodybuilderJim Carrey (born 1962), comedian and actorRae Dawn Chong (born 1961), actress and daughter of TommyTommy Chong (born 1938), comedian, actor, writer, director, activist, musician, and contestant from Dancing with the Stars season 19Hayden Christensen (born 1981), actor and producerKim Coates (born 1958), actorAdam Cohen (born 1972), singer-songwriter, and son of LeonardLeonard Cohen (born 1934, d. 2016), singer-songwriter, poet, and novelistLaura Creavalle (born 1959), Guyanese-born Canadian/American female professional bodybuilderRafael Bienvenido Cruz (born 1939), Cuban-born Canadian/American Christian preacher and public speaker; father of TedTed Cruz (born 1970), politician, U.S. Senator from Texas since 2013, and 2016 Republican presidential candidateGeoff Davis (born 1958), politician and former U.S. Representative from Kentucky (2005-2012)Marie Dressler (born 1868, d. 1934), actressNathan Fillion (born 1970), actorBrent Fitz (born 1970), musician and multi-instrumentalistMichael Fougere (born 1956), politician and Mayor of Regina, Saskatchewan since 2012Michael J. Fox (born 1961), actor, author, producer, and advocateDavid Frum (born 1960), speechwriter and journalistFrank Gehry (born 1929), architectDrake (real name Aubrey Graham) (born 1986), rapper, singer-songwriter, and actorJennifer Granholm (born 1959), politician and former Governor of Michigan (2003-2011)Wayne Gretzky (born 1961), ice hockey playerBret Hart (born 1957), professional wrestlerOwen Hart (born 1965, d. 1999), professional wrestlerPhil Hartman (born 1948, d. 1998), actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artistErnest “Tommy” Hughitt (born 1892, d. 1961), professional football playerChris Irvine (born 1970), professional wrestler known as Chris Jericho; lead singer of FozzyRick Jeanneret (born 1942), sportscaster. Jeanneret has full residency rights in the U.S. and identifies as Canadian-American; he has not made it clear whether or not he secured citizenship.Peter Jennings (born 1938, d. 2005), TV journalist and anchor for ABCJason Jones (actor) (born 1973), actor and comedian known for The Daily Show with John Stewart,Stana Katic (born 1978), actressBrittany Kennell (born 1987), singer and contestant from NBC's The Voice season 10Mario Lemieux (born 1965), retired ice hockey player and current owner of the Pittsburgh PenguinsGuy Lombardo (born 1902, d. 1977), bandleader and violinistWilliam Lyon Mackenzie (born 1795, d. 1861), Scottish-born Canadian/American journalist, politician, and the 1st Mayor of TorontoSean Patrick Maloney (born 1966), politician and U.S. Representative from New York since 2013Louis B. Mayer (born 1884, d. 1957), film producerEric McCormack (b. 1963), actor, comedian, singer, voice actorBurt Metcalfe (born 1935), television and film producer, director, and writerJoni Mitchell (born 1943), singer-songwriter and painterAlanis Morissette (born 1974), singer-songwriterElon Musk (born 1971), South African-born Canadian/American businessman, investor, engineer, and inventor; founder of Tesla MotorsJames E. Murray (1876-1961), politician and longtime U.S. Senator from Montana (1934-1961)Mike Myers (born 1963), Canadian-born British/American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producerJames Naismith (born 1861, d. 1939), inventor of basketballLeslie Nielsen (born 1926, d. 2010), actor, comedian, and producerJustin Nozuka (born 1988), singer-songwriterCatherine O'Hara (born 1954), actress, writer and comedianDustin Penner (born 1982), ice hockey playerMary Pickford, actress and film executiveJason Pominville (born 1982), ice hockey player with the Minnesota WildJason Priestley (born 1969), actor and directorKeanu Reeves (born 1964), Lebanese-born Canadian/American actor, producer, and musicianCharles Revson (born 1906, d. 1975) cosmetics pioneer, founder of RevlonJoe Sakic (born 1969), retired hockey player and current general manager of the Colorado AvalancheJack Scott (born 1936), singer and songwriterMack Sennett (born 1880, d. 1960), film directorPatrick Sharp (born 1981), ice hockey player with the Dallas StarsGeorge Beverly Shea (born 1909, d. 2013), gospel music singer-songwriterMartin Short (born 1950), actor, comedian, singer, voice actorJoe Shuster (born 1914, d. 1992), comic book artist, co-creator of SupermanHank Snow (born 1914, d. 1999), country music singer-songwriterPaul Stastny (born 1985), ice hockey player with the St. Louis BluesStan Stephens (born 1929), politician, broadcaster, and former Governor of Montana (1989-1993)Tara Strong (born 1973), voice actress for various film and television seriesThe Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) (born 1990), singer-songwriter, record producer, and actorDaniel Thompson (born 1921, d. 2015), inventor of the automatic bagel maker and the folding ping pong tableAlex Trebek (born 1940), host of the syndicated game show Jeopardy!Jack L. Warner (born 1892, d. 1978), film executiveRichard Verma (born 1968), politician and former U.S. Ambassador to India (2015-2017)Jason Wu (born 1982), Taiwanese-born Canadian/American fashion designer; dress designer of former First Lady Michelle ObamaBiloxi, founded by Pierre LeMoyne d'IbervilleBourbonnais, named after François BourbonnaisChandler, founded by Dr. Alexander J. (A.J.) ChandlerDubuque, founded by and named after Julien DubuqueJuneau, named after Joe JuneauMilwaukee, founded by Solomon JuneauMobile, founded by Pierre LeMoyne d'IbervilleNew Orleans, founded by Lemoyne de BienvilleOntario, founded by George ChaffeySaint Paul, first settled by Pierre ParrantVincennes, founded by François-Marie BissotThe Connecticut State Senate unanimously passed a bill in 2009, making June 24 Canadian American Day in the state of Connecticut. The bill allows state officials to hold ceremonies at the capitol and other places each year to honor Americans of Canadian ancestry.
As a consequence of Article 3 of the Jay Treaty of 1794, official First Nations status, or in the US Native American status, also confers the right to live and work on either side of the border.
Some institutions in the United States focus on Canadian-American studies, including the Canadian-American Center at the University of Maine, the Center for Canadian American studies at Western Washington University, and the SUNY University at Buffalo Canadian-American Studies Committee.