Icelandic Canadian
Total population | |
---|---|
Icelandic 94,205 (by ancestry, 2011 Census)[1] 0.3% of Canada's population |
|
Regions with significant populations | |
Canada | |
Manitoba | 30,025 |
British Columbia | 22,600 |
Alberta | 17,075 |
Ontario | 13,130 |
Languages | |
Canadian English · Icelandic | |
Religion | |
Christianity (Predominantly Protestant) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Icelandic Americans Faroese Canadians, Norwegian Canadians Greenlandic Canadians Scandinavian Canadians See Icelanders |
Icelandic Canadians are Canadian citizens of Icelandic ancestry or Iceland-born people who reside in Canada.
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 Guðríður, 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 in Manitoba, 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]
Contents
Icelandic population in Canada[edit]
The provinces with the most reported Icelandic-Canadians in 2011 are:
Province or territory | 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[edit]
Settlements in Canada which are notably Icelandic by foundation or ethnicity:
- Markerville, Alberta
- Arborg, Manitoba
- Baldur, Manitoba
- Elfros, Saskatchewan
- Erickson, Manitoba
- Gimli, Manitoba
- Glenboro, Manitoba
- Lakeview, Manitoba
- Lundar, Manitoba
- Morden, Manitoba
- New Iceland
- Riverton, Manitoba
- Reykjavik, Manitoba
- Wynyard, Saskatchewan
Notable Icelandic Canadians[edit]
- Stefan Arngrim, actor
- David Arnason, writer
- Paul Bardal, politician
- Walter Byron, ice hockey player
- Konnie Johannesson, ice hockey player
- Tom Cochrane, musician
- Kristjana Gunnars, writer
- Sturla Gunnarsson, film director
- Christian Halldorson, politician
- Wally Johannson, politician
- Donald K. Johnson, philanthropist
- Haldor Halderson, ice hockey player
- Gordon Sigurjonson, ice hockey coach
- Byron Johnson, former Premier of British Columbia
- Janis Johnson, politician
- k.d. lang, musician
- Guy Maddin, film director
- Philip Petursson, politician
- Frank Fredrickson, ice hockey player
- Magnus Goodman, olympic athlete
- John K. Samson, musician
- Baldur Stefansson, agricultural scientist
- Vilhjalmur Stefansson, explorer
- Stephan G. Stephansson, poet
- William Stephenson, secret agent
- Steinn O. Thompson, politician
- Charles Thorson, cartoonist
- Paul Thorlakson, physician
- Torfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir, writer
- Gunnar Thorvaldson, politician
- Bjarni Tryggvason, astronaut
- W. D. Valgardson, writer
- Lindy Vopnfjörð, musician
- Cully Wilson(Karl Erlendson), ice hockey player
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/07/06/136-new-iceland-a-forgotten-nordic-colony-in-canada/
- ^ Smithsonian Magazine | History & Archaeology | The Vikings: A Memorable Visit to America
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan - ICELANDIC SETTLEMENTS". University of Regina. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
- ^ a b "Icelandic anchor makes Manitoba connection". Winnipeg Free Press, July 26, 2008.
Bibliography[edit]
- Boultbee, Paul G., "Icelandic-Canadian bibliography", Canadian Ethnic Studies. 29(3):82-94, 1997.
External links[edit]
|
|