What Georgia's immigrant population looked like in 1900

Written by:
July 23, 2022
Historical // Getty Images

What Georgia's immigrant population looked like in 1900

Since the first successful English colony settled in Jamestown in 1607, flows of immigrants have arrived on American shores seeking a new life. From Irish immigrants fleeing famine to Chinese immigrants settling in California during the Gold Rush, more than 86 million people legally immigrated to the United States between 1783 and 2019.

There have been four major waves of immigration to the U.S., beginning with settlers from northern and western Europe seeking land on the frontier from 1820 to 1880. The immigrants counted in the 1900 Census hailed primarily from southern and eastern Europe, drawn by the call of industrialization in America. At the advent of the era of world wars, there was a dearth of immigration, but after 1965, individuals from Asia and Latin America began to move to the U.S. in droves.

Though the national immigrant population today and in 1900 is comparable by percentage, hovering around 14% of the overall U.S. population, the raw population tells a different story. Today, the U.S. is home to 44.7 million immigrants, whereas that number was just shy of 10.5 million at the time of the 1900 Census. Stacker compiled a list of the largest sources of immigrants in Georgia in 1900 by transcribing a previously untranscribed dataset from the U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by total residents who were born in that country.

Immigration to the U.S. was handled at the state level prior to 1890, with each state government designating its own processes and checkpoints. New York originally used Castle Garden (now Castle Clinton) as its immigration processing hub, but within a few decades realized that a massive influx of immigrants necessitated a larger venue. Ellis Island opened on Jan. 1, 1892, to the first of more than 12 million individuals who entered the U.S. through its doors.

Keep reading to find out more about the historical immigrant community in your home state or explore the data on your own on our site, GitHub, or data.world.

You may also like: Counties most concerned about climate change in Georgia

1 / 41
Lewis W. Hine // Getty Images

#1. Germany

Georgia
- Number of residents: 3,407
- Percent of foreign born residents: 27.47%
- Percent of total state population: 0.15%
National
- Number of residents: 2,669,164
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.52%
- #1 most common country of origin

2 / 41
FPG // Getty Images

#2. Ireland

Georgia
- Number of residents: 2,293
- Percent of foreign born residents: 18.49%
- Percent of total state population: 0.10%
National
- Number of residents: 1,619,409
- Percent of foreign born residents: 15.48%
- #2 most common country of origin

3 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#3. England

Georgia
- Number of residents: 1,514
- Percent of foreign born residents: 12.21%
- Percent of total state population: 0.07%
National
- Number of residents: 843,491
- Percent of foreign born residents: 8.06%
- #4 most common country of origin

4 / 41
Samuel Hopwood // Getty Images

#4. Russia

Georgia
- Number of residents: 1,232
- Percent of foreign born residents: 9.93%
- Percent of total state population: 0.06%
National
- Number of residents: 424,372
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.06%
- #7 most common country of origin

5 / 41
Hulton Archive // Getty Images

#5. Canada

Georgia
- Number of residents: 759
- Percent of foreign born residents: 6.12%
- Percent of total state population: 0.03%
National
- Number of residents: 1,183,225
- Percent of foreign born residents: 11.31%
- #3 most common country of origin

You may also like: Best counties to live in Georgia

6 / 41
Hulton Archive // Getty Images

#6. Scotland

Georgia
- Number of residents: 417
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.36%
- Percent of total state population: 0.02%
National
- Number of residents: 234,699
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.24%
- #11 most common country of origin

7 / 41
Universal History Archive // Getty Images

#7. France

Georgia
- Number of residents: 249
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.01%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 104,534
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.00%
- #18 most common country of origin

8 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#8. Italy

Georgia
- Number of residents: 218
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.76%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 484,703
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.63%
- #6 most common country of origin

9 / 41
Minnesota Historical Society // Getty Images

#9. Sweden

Georgia
- Number of residents: 204
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.64%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 574,625
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.49%
- #5 most common country of origin

10 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#10. Austria

Georgia
- Number of residents: 203
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.64%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 276,702
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.65%
- #10 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties with the oldest homes in Georgia

11 / 41
Interim Archives // Getty Images

#11. Greece

Georgia
- Number of residents: 191
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.54%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 8,655
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- #31 most common country of origin

12 / 41
FPG // Getty Images

#12. China

Georgia
- Number of residents: 184
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.48%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 106,659
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.02%
- #16 most common country of origin

13 / 41
UniversalImagesGroup // Getty Images

#13. Switzerland

Georgia
- Number of residents: 180
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.45%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 115,959
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.11%
- #15 most common country of origin

14 / 41
Minnesota Historical Society // Getty Images

#14. Poland

Georgia
- Number of residents: 169
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.36%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 383,595
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.67%
- #8 most common country of origin

15 / 41
Smith Collection/Gado // Getty Images

#15. Hungary

Georgia
- Number of residents: 166
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.34%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 145,815
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.39%
- #14 most common country of origin

You may also like: Lowest-earning counties in Georgia

16 / 41
Buyenlarge // Getty Images

#16. Norway

Georgia
- Number of residents: 155
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.25%
- Percent of total state population: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 338,426
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.24%
- #9 most common country of origin

17 / 41
Universal History Archive // Getty Images

#17. West Indies (except Cuba and Puerto Rico)

Georgia
- Number of residents: 99
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.80%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 14,468
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.14%
- #26 most common country of origin

18 / 41
Print Collector // Getty Images

#18. Asia (except China, Japan, and India)

Georgia
- Number of residents: 93
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.75%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 11,928
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #27 most common country of origin

19 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#19. Denmark

Georgia
- Number of residents: 88
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.71%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 154,616
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.48%
- #13 most common country of origin

20 / 41
David RUBINGER // Getty Images

#20. Roumania

Georgia
- Number of residents: 86
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.69%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 15,043
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.14%
- #25 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Georgia

21 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#21. Wales

Georgia
- Number of residents: 65
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.52%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 93,744
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.90%
- #20 most common country of origin

22 / 41
ullstein bild // Getty Images

#22. Spain

Georgia
- Number of residents: 65
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.52%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 7,284
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- #33 most common country of origin

23 / 41
Hulton Deutsch // Getty Images

#23. Cuba

Georgia
- Number of residents: 58
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.47%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 11,159
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #28 most common country of origin

24 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#24. Africa

Georgia
- Number of residents: 50
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.40%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 2,577
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #40 most common country of origin

25 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#25. Europe (not otherwise specified)

Georgia
- Number of residents: 41
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.33%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 2,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #41 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties with the highest COVID-19 death rate in Georgia

26 / 41
Universal History Archive // Getty Images

#26. Holland

Georgia
- Number of residents: 38
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.31%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 105,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.00%
- #17 most common country of origin

27 / 41
ullstein bild Dtl. // Getty Images

#27. South America

Georgia
- Number of residents: 37
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.30%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 4,814
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.05%
- #35 most common country of origin

28 / 41
FPG // Getty Images

#28. Belgium

Georgia
- Number of residents: 25
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.20%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 29,848
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.29%
- #24 most common country of origin

29 / 41
FPG // Getty Images

#29. Bohemia

Georgia
- Number of residents: 23
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.19%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 156,999
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.50%
- #12 most common country of origin

30 / 41
Lewis W. Hine // Getty Images

#30. Born at Sea

Georgia
- Number of residents: 21
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.17%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 8,310
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- #32 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties with the lowest home prices in Georgia

31 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#31. Turkey

Georgia
- Number of residents: 21
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.17%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 9,949
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.10%
- #30 most common country of origin

32 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#32. Central America

Georgia
- Number of residents: 16
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.13%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 3,911
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
- #36 most common country of origin

33 / 41
Universal History Archive // Getty Images

#33. Australia

Georgia
- Number of residents: 16
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.13%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 7,041
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- #34 most common country of origin

34 / 41
Alexander Alland, Jr. // Getty Images

#34. Mexico

Georgia
- Number of residents: 14
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 103,445
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.99%
- #19 most common country of origin

35 / 41
David RUBINGER // Getty Images

#35. Portugal

Georgia
- Number of residents: 12
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.10%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 37,144
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.36%
- #23 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties with the most renters in Georgia

36 / 41
Hulton Archive // Getty Images

#36. India

Georgia
- Number of residents: 12
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.10%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 2,069
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #42 most common country of origin

37 / 41
Keystone-France // Getty Images

#37. Finland

Georgia
- Number of residents: 10
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 63,440
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.61%
- #22 most common country of origin

38 / 41
Bettmann // Getty Images

#38. Other Countries

Georgia
- Number of residents: 9
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 2,587
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #39 most common country of origin

39 / 41
ullstein bild Dtl. // Getty Images

#39. Pacific Islands (except Phillipine Islands)

Georgia
- Number of residents: 7
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.06%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 2,659
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
- #38 most common country of origin

40 / 41
Historical // Getty Images

#40. Atlantic Islands

Georgia
- Number of residents: 5
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 10,955
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.10%
- #29 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties with the highest rate of food insecurity in Georgia

41 / 41
Historical // Getty Images

#41. Japan

Georgia
- Number of residents: 1
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
- Percent of total state population: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 81,590
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.78%
- #21 most common country of origin

Trending Now