 Distribution by regional area at the 2011 census | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
 French-born residents in the United Kingdom: 165,871 – 0.2% (2021/22 Census)[note 1]  England: 152,697 – 0.3% (2021)[1] Scotland: 9,348 – 0.2% (2022)[2] Wales: 2,625 – 0.08% (2021)[1]Northern Ireland: 1,201 – 0.06% (2021)[3] French citizens/passports held: 163,517 (England and Wales only, 2021)[4] Other estimates: 189,000 (2020 ONS estimate) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| London, South East England | |
| Languages | |
| English, French | |
| Religion | |
| Mainly Roman Catholicism and Protestantism; Judaism, Irreligious and other minority faiths | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
French people
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| French people |
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| British people |
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French migration to the United Kingdom is a phenomenon that has occurred at various points in history. The Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 resulted in the arrival of Normans, while in the 16th and 17th centuries Protestant Huguenots fled religious persecution to East London. Other waves (but less likely to have put down permanent roots) are associated with monasticism, particularly post-conquest Benedictines and Cistercians, aristocracy fleeing the French Revolution, expulsion of religious orders by Third Republic France, and current expats.
The 2011 UK Census recorded 137,862 French-born people living in the UK. Almost half of these were resident in the capital, London. Many more British people have French ancestry.
French remains the foreign language most learned by Britons. It has traditionally been spoken as a second language by the country's educated classes and its popularity is reinforced by the close geographical proximity between Great Britain and France.
- ^ a b "TS012: Country of birth (detailed)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Table UV204 - Country of birth: Country by Country of Birth by Individuals". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 24 May 2024. '2022' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Country of birth: UV204'
- ^ "MS-A17: Country of birth - intermediate detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "TS005: Passports held". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.