Swiss Americans

Swiss Americans are Americans who have ancestors from Switzerland.

Emigration from Switzerland to the United States occurred prior to the establishment of the United States of America, particularly in relation to the persecution of Anabaptism during the Swiss Reformation and the establishment of the Amish community in America. In the 19th century, there was a significant influx of Swiss farmers who favoured rural areas in the Midwest. These immigrants came to the United States. After 1930, the number of people moving to Switzerland decreased, although some people still move there today. There are around one million people living in the United States who have Swiss ancestry. In 2015, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs estimated that there were 80,218 Swiss citizens living permanently in the United States. In 2015, individuals who were born in Switzerland declared to the United States Census Bureau that they were of Swiss ancestry, 3,047 individuals who were born in Switzerland declared that they were of German ancestry, 1,255 individuals who were born in Switzerland declared that they were of French ancestry, and 2,555 individuals who were born in Switzerland declared that they were of Italian ancestry.

Theobald (Diebold) von Erlach was the first Swiss person to step foot on land that is currently considered to be part of the United States (1541–1565). The history of the Amish church started in 1693 with a split in Switzerland among a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists that was headed by Jakob Ammann, a native of Erlenbach im Simmental. This event marked the beginning of the history of the Amish church.

In spite of the rapid development of Swiss communities such as Highland (Illinois), New Glarus (Wisconsin), New Bern (North Carolina), Gruetli (Tennessee), and Bernstadt (Kentucky), the majority of Swiss immigrants chose to settle in more rural areas of the Midwest and the Pacific Coast, particularly in California's winegrowing regions, or they moved to more industrial and urban areas such as New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, or elsewhere Because the Swiss way of life and political institutions were compatible with those of the United States, most Swiss had little trouble establishing a new life in their area of the New World, and as a result, they grew connected to both nations.

Traditions of the Swiss immigrants arrived in this country together with them. Camaraderie and the sharing of customs and traditions of the Heimat were provided by the establishment of Swiss Vereine (Clubs) in the late 1800s, when there were already a significant number of Swiss immigrants to warrant such a move (Homeland). Clubs such as the William Tell Verein in Oakland and the Helvetia Verein in Sacramento, both of which began operations in the 1890s, are examples of organisations that came into being during this time period. After a significant amount of time had passed, the Swiss wrestling heritage, known as schwingen (Swiss wrestling), was brought to the West Coast of the United States with the formation of the West Coast Swiss Wrestling Association.