View source for Latvian Americans

{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Latvian Americans
| native_name      = {{native name|lv|Amerikas latvieši}}
| image            = A press conference at the Committee for The Free Latvia in New York. CFL Representatives of newspaper "Latvija", "Amerikas Latvietis", "Laiks".png
| caption          = Latvian American activists in 1988
| pop              = '''85,723''' (2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=PEOPLE%20REPORTING%20ANCESTRY&t=Ancestry&d=ACS%201-Year%20Estimates%20Detailed%20Tables&tid=ACSDT1Y2019.B04006&hidePreview=false|title=American Community Survey 2019 1-Year Estimates|publisher=data.census.gov}}</ref>
| popplace         = [[California]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Illinois]], [[Michigan]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Minnesota]]
| langs            = [[American English]], [[Latvian language|Latvian]]
| rels             = Mostly [[Lutheranism]] with [[Roman Catholic]] and [[Jewish]] minority
| related          = [[Lithuanian Americans]], [[Estonian Americans]], [[Latvian Canadians]], [[Latvian New Zealanders]], [[Latvian Australians]], [[Scandinavian Americans]]}}

'''Latvian Americans''' ({{Langx|lv|Amerikas latvieši}}) are [[Americans]] who are of [[Latvian diaspora|Latvian ancestry]]. According to the 2019 [[American Community Survey]], there are 85,723 Americans of full or partial Latvian descent.

== History ==
The first significant wave of Latvian settlers who immigrated to the United States came in 1888 to [[Boston]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Saulītis|first=Andris|title=Latvian Emigrants in the United States: Different Waves, Different Identities?|date=2019|work=IMISCOE Research Series|pages=203–229|publisher=Springer International Publishing|isbn=9783030120917|last2=Mieriņa|first2=Inta|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-12092-4_10|doi-access=free}}</ref> By the end of the century, many of those Latvian immigrants had moved on to settle primarily in other East Coast and Midwest cities, such as [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Cleveland]], and [[Chicago]], as well as coastal cities on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]], such as [[Seattle]], [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Los Angeles]], and [[San Francisco]]. Although most Latvians settled in cities, in most of these (with the exception of the [[Roxbury, Boston|Roxbury]] district of Boston) they lived dispersed and did not form ethnic neighborhoods.

Some immigrants also established themselves in rural areas, but they were few and usually did not form long-lasting communities. The first [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] church built by Latvians in the United States was erected in 1906 in [[Lincoln County, Wisconsin]], where an agricultural colony had been established in 1897.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gaiss svaigs kā Kurzemes mūžamežā: Linkolnas kolonija Viskonsīnā|url=http://pedas.lapamuzejs.lv/?page_id=39|website=Latviešu pēdas pasaulē|publisher=Latvieši pasaulē – muzejs un pētniecības centrs|access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref>

A new wave of Latvian immigration began around 1906, after the failure of the [[1905 Russian Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lvi.lu.lv/lv/LVIZ_2014_files/2.numurs/E_Zalite_Sanfrancisko%20_latviesu_LVIZ_2014_2%2891%29.pdf|title=Exploring the library of Latvian socialists in San Francisco, California: activities of the early Latvian political emigration, 1905-1917|last=Zālīte|first=Elga}}</ref> Many of these immigrants were political leaders and rank-and-file revolutionaries who could be killed by Russian soldiers if they were discovered, so they emigrated to survive and continue the revolutionary movement in other countries. Most of the Latvian revolutionaries were more politically radical than the earlier immigrants to the United States, which increased social friction within a number of communities.

In 1917, many Latvian revolutionaries returned to their homeland to work for the creation of a [[Bolshevik]] government. In 1918, when Latvia declared its independence, some nationalists also returned.<ref name=":0" />[[File:Latvian Lutheran Church, 76 Windham Rd, Willimantic, Connecticut LCCN2012630523.tif|thumb|Latvian Lutheran Church, [[Willimantic, Connecticut]]]]After [[World War I]], the promise of economic improvements in the newly independent nation, immigration quotas established in 1924 by the United States, and the [[Great Depression]] all contributed to reduced emigration from Latvia to the US. From 1920 to 1939, only 4,669 Latvians arrived in the United States.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and society|last=Schaefer, Richard T.|date=2008|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=9781412926942|pages=839|oclc=166387368}}</ref>

Toward the end of [[World War II]], tens of thousands of Latvians fled their country to [[Western Europe]] to escape [[Soviet re-occupation of the Baltic states (1944)|advancing Soviet troops]]. Most were held in [[Displaced persons camps in post-World War II Europe|Displaced Persons camps]]. About half were eventually repatriated to the then-[[Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic]], but the rest resettled to [[Germany]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Ireland]], [[Iceland]], [[France]], [[Belgium]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[New Zealand]], and the United States. From 1939 to 1951, 40,000 Latvians immigrated to the United States with the help of the U.S. government and various social service and religious organizations.<ref name=":1" /> Although many of these refugees had been professionals in their country, in the United States they often had to take jobs as farmhands, custodians, or builders until they could learn English and find better paying jobs.

Most Latvians settled in cities because of economic opportunities, such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago. They did not settle in ethnic neighborhoods and relied on social events and the press for a sense of community.<ref name=":0" /> Within a few years, Latvian organizations created schools, credit unions, choirs, dance groups, theater troupes, publishers and book sellers, churches, veterans' groups (e.g. the ''Daugavas vanagi'', Hawks of the Daugava), and political organizations to help continue their culture and language. Since the annexation of the Baltic states was not recognized by the United States and many other countries, many kept Latvian passports, issued by the [[Embassy of Latvia, Washington, D.C.|Latvian Embassy in Washington D.C.]], but most acquired American citizenship as well.

From 1980 to 1990, 1,006 Latvians arrived in the United States.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Reference Library of European America: Ethnic essays, Irish Americans to Welsh Americans|publisher=Gale Research|year=1998|pages=373–375|oclc=1011871166}}</ref>

Latvia [[On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia|reestablished its independence in 1991]]; however, few of the later immigrants or descendants of earlier generations have returned. They have made new lives in the United States.<ref name="everyculture: Latvians American">{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Latvian-Americans.html |title=Latvian Americans - History, The first Latvians in America, Significant immigration waves |website=Everyculture.com |access-date=2017-03-05}}</ref>

== Demography ==
[[File:Latvian Apostolate.jpg|thumb|290x290px|[[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]] Latvian Society (''Latviešu biedrība'') Hall and Latvian Apostolate]]
According to the 2000 census, a total of 87,564 people of Latvian descent lived in the United States. The larger populations are located in the states of [[California]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Illinois]], [[Florida]], and [[Massachusetts]]. Many Latvian Americans (about 9,000) have dual citizenship, which the country made available to emigrants after becoming independent of the Soviet Union. Since the late 20th century, more Latvian Americans have traveled back to Latvia. Others provide financial support and give material to various organizations. Some Latvian Americans have settled there and been elected to the Saeima, or Parliament, in Latvia.<ref name="everyculture: Latvians American"/>

The [[U.S. state|states]] with the largest Latvian-American populations are:

{| class="wikitable"
| {{flag|California}}{{nbsp|2}} || 11,443 </tr>
| {{flag icon|New York (state)}} [[New York (state)|New York]]   || 9,937 </tr>
| {{flag|Illinois}}   || 6,982 </tr>
| {{flag|Florida}}    || 4,921 </tr>
| {{flag|Massachusetts}}   || 4,706 </tr>
| {{flag|Michigan}}   || 4,265 </tr>
| {{flag|New Jersey}}   || 3,946 </tr>
| {{flag|Pennsylvania}}   || 3,754 </tr>
| {{flag|Washington}}   || 3,380 </tr>
| {{flag|Maryland}}   || 3,289 </tr>
| {{flag|Ohio}}   || 2,362 </tr>
|}

===Latvian-born population===
Latvian-born population in the US since 2010:<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_1YR_B05006&prodType=table | title=American FactFinder - Results | access-date=2018-04-23 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214060704/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_1YR_B05006&prodType=table | archive-date=2020-02-14 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:80px;"|Year
! scope="col" style="width:160px;"|Number
|- align=center
| 2010
| 23,218
|- align=center
| 2011
| {{decrease}}22,257
|- align=center
| 2012
| {{decrease}}24,131
|- align=center
| 2013
| {{increase}}24,497
|- align=center
| 2014
| {{decrease}}21,097
|- align=center
| 2015
| {{increase}}21,364
|- align=center
| 2016
| {{increase}}24,691
|-
|}

== Education ==
The majority of Latvians immigrants to the United States after World War II were university graduates. Many were academics or belonged to [[intelligentsia]].<ref name="everyculture: Latvians American"/>

== Languages and religions ==
Most Latvian Americans speak only English due to intermarriage. As for religion, although most Latvians Americans are [[Lutherans]], there are also [[Catholicism|Catholic]] communities, represented by the American Latvian Catholic Association,<ref name="everyculture: Latvians American"/> as well as American Latvian Baptists and American [[Latvian Jewish]] communities.

== Notable people ==
*[[Rutanya Alda]] (Rūta Skrastiņa, born 1942), actress (''Mommy Dearest'', ''The Deer Hunter'')
*[[Jessie Andrews]] (born 1992), pornographic actress, model, and club DJ
*[[Elya Baskin]] (Ilya Zalmanovich Baskin, born 1950), character actor (''Moscow on the Hudson'', ''Spider-Man 2'', ''Spider-Man 3'')
*[[Aldis Berzins]] (Aldis Bērziņš, born 1956), member of the [[United States men's national volleyball team]] that won the gold medal at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]]
*[[Gunnar Birkerts]] (Gunārs Birkerts, 1925–2017), architect ([[Corning Museum of Glass]], [[Marquette Plaza]] in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]], the [[Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art]], the [[U.S. Embassy]] in [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]], [[National Library of Latvia]], [[Riga]])<ref name="Latvia's Famous People">{{cite web|url=http://www.latvia.lv/library/latvias-famous-people|title=Latvia's Famous People|publisher=Latvia.lv|access-date=September 23, 2013}}</ref>
*[[Sven Birkerts]] (Svens Birkerts, born 1951), essayist and literary critic
*[[David P. Boder]] (born Aron Mendel Michelson, 1886–1961), psychologist known for the first audio recordings of [[Holocaust survivors]] (''I Did Not Interview the Dead'', 1949)
*[[Aris Brimanis]] (Āris Brīmanis, born 1972), ice hockey player
*[[Chase Budinger]] (Čeiss Badingers, born 1988), NBA basketball player
*[[Christopher Zarins]] (born 1943), surgeon, researcher
*[[Eric Cantor]] (born 1963), [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[United States House of Representatives|Representative]] of [[Virginia's 7th congressional district]] from 2001 to 2014, and [[Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Leader]] from 2011 to 2014, until his historic primary defeat by [[Dave Brat]].
*[[Vija Celmins]] (Vija Celmiņš, born 1938), painter; won a Fellow Award in the Visual Arts from United States Artists in 2009
*[[David Cohen (military)|David Cohen]] (1917–2020), a member of the [[US Army]], a liberator of the [[Ohrdruf concentration camp]], and a schoolteacher
*[[Jacob Davis (inventor)|Jacob Davis]] (Jēkabs Jufess, 1831–1908), tailor, inventor of [[denim]]
*[[Burkards Dzenis]] (1879–1966), artist
*[[Buddy Ebsen]] (1908–2003), actor and dancer; known for his role as [[Jed Clampett]] in the popular television series ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Latvian-Americans.html |title=Latvian Americans - History, The first latvians in america, Significant immigration waves |website=Everyculture.com |access-date=2017-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.actorbuddyebsen.info/bebio.htm |title=Buddy Ebsen Biography |website=Actorbuddyebsen.info |access-date=2017-03-05}}</ref>
*[[Andrievs Ezergailis]] (1930–2022), historian of the [[Holocaust]]
*[[Paul Grasmanis]] (Pols Grasmanis, born 1974), former NFL American football player
*[[Dave Grusin]] (born 1934), jazz musician; known for his musical score in the movies such as ''[[Tootsie]]'' and ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]''
*[[Natalie Gulbis]] (born 1983), LPGA golfer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nataliegulbis.com/all_about_natalie/heritage.aspx|title=Country Profile|access-date=7 October 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403031223/http://www.nataliegulbis.com/all_about_natalie/heritage.aspx|archive-date=3 April 2008}}</ref>
*[[Morris Halle|Moriss Halle]] (1923–2018), linguist
*[[Philippe Halsman]] (Filips Halsmans, 1906–1979), photographer
*[[Juris Hartmanis]] (1928–2022), computer scientist, [[Turing Award]] winner (1993)
*[[Rashida Jones]] (born 1976), actress
*[[Kristaps Keggi]] (1934–2023), orthopedic surgeon
*[[Martin Kersels]] (born 1960), artist, professor of sculpture and director of graduate studies at the Yale School of Art
*[[Mike Knuble]] (Maiks Knuble, born 1972), NHL ice hockey player
*[[Mārtiņš Krūmiņš]] (1900–1992), Impressionist painter
*[[Edward Leedskalnin]] (Edvards Liedskalniņš, 1887–1951), amateur sculptor;, builder of Coral Castle in Florida; claimed to have discovered the ancient magnetic levitation secrets used to construct the Egyptian pyramids<ref name="Latvia's Famous People"/>
*[[Ari Leff]] (Ari Steprenss Līfs, born 1994), singer, songwriter and record producer
*[[DJ Lethal]] (Leors Dimants, born 1972), DJ for rap-rock band [[Limp Bizkit]], of Jewish descent
*[[Martins Licis]] (born 1990), professional strongman
*[[Peggy Lipton]] (1946–2019), actress
*[[Juris Luzins]] (Juris Luziņš, born 1947), 1971 US National Championship winner in the men's 800-meter run
*[[Cynthia Lynn]] (Zinta Valda Ziemelis, 1937–2014), actress
*[[Leo Michelson|Leo Mihelsons]] (1887–1978), artist
*[[J. George Mikelsons]] (born 1938), airline executive
*[[Nils Muižnieks]] (born 1964), [[human rights activist]] and [[political scientist]]
*Peters Munters, musician with the bands Over it and [[Runner Runner (band)|Runner Runner]]
*[[Fred Norris]] (Fred Leo Nukis, born 1955), ''Howard Stern'' show personality
*[[Lucia Peka]] (Lūcija Pēka, 1912–1991), artist, painter of "Flowers", "Riga", and "The Well"<ref>{{cite web|title="Latvian Art in Exile," The Latvian Institute |url=http://www.li.lv |date=2008|quotation=Elizabetes iela 57, Rīga, LV 1050, LATVIA|website=Li.lv|access-date=7 October 2017}}</ref>
*[[Brita Petersons]] (Brita Pētersone, born 1979), model
*[[Andrejs Plakans]], historian (1940–2024)
*[[Gundaris Pone]] (1932–1994), composer and conductor
*[[Eugene Revitch]] (1909–1996), psychiatrist
*[[Lolita Ritmanis]] (born 1962), orchestrator, composer
*[[Laila Robins]] (Laila Robiņa, born 1959), stage, film and television actress
*[[Henry Rollins]] (born 1961), musician, performance artist
*[[Mark Rothko]] (Markus Rotkovičs, 1903–1970), painter<ref name="Latvia's Famous People"/>
*[[Raimonds Staprans]] (Raimonds Staprāns, born 1926), Latvian/American painter and playwright (''The Freezing'', 1979; ''Four Days in June'', 1989)
*[[Harold Snepsts]] (Haralds Šnepsts, born 1954), NHL ice hockey player
*[[Esther Sans Takeuchi]] (Estere Sāns-Takeuči, born 1953), Greatbatch Professor of Advanced Power Sources at University of Buffalo; recipient of the [[National Medal of Technology and Innovation]], 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/education/?doc=19329 |title=Daughter of Latvian refugees receives top technological award at White House :: The Baltic Course &#124; Baltic States news & analytics |publisher=The Baltic Course |date=2009-10-14 |access-date=2017-03-05}}</ref>
*[[Eva Saulitis]] (1963–2016), marine biologist and poet
*[[Andrew Smith (basketball, born 1992)|Andrew Smith]] (born 1992), American-Latvian basketball player in the [[Israeli Basketball Premier League]]
*[[Peter Tillers]] (Pēteris Tillers, 1943–2015), legal scholar
*[[Juris Upatnieks]] (born 1936), physicist; co-inventor of three-dimensional [[holography]]; created the first working [[hologram]] in 1962<ref name="Latvia's Famous People"/>
*[[Max Weinreich]] (Makss Veinreihs, 1893–1969), linguist
*[[Tati Westbrook]] (born 1982), YouTuber, makeup artist and Internet personality
*[[DeAndre Yedlin]] (born 1993), soccer player for the Seattle Sounders and the United States National Soccer team
*[[Markus Zusevics]] (Markuss Zuševics, born 1989), NFL football player

==See also==
{{Portal|Latvia|United States}}
* [[European Americans]]
* [[List of Latvians]]
* [[Latvians]]
* [[Latvia–United States relations]]
* [[White Americans]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Andersons, Edgars, and M. G. Slavenas. "The Latvian and Lithuanian Press." in ''The Ethnic Press in the United States: A Historical Analysis and Handbook,'' edited by Sally M. Miller. (Greenwood Press, 1987).
* Kārklis, Maruta, Līga Streips, and Laimonis Streips. ''The Latvians in America, 1640–1973: A Chronology and Fact Book'' (Oceana Publications, 1974).
* Straumanis, Andris. "Latvian Americans." in  ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America,'' edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014), pp.&nbsp;65–78. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273300112/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=7afe56c7 Online]
* Anderson, Edgar. "Latvians" in [[Stephan Thernstrom|Thernstrom, Stephan]]; Orlov, Ann; [[Oscar Handlin|Handlin, Oscar]], eds. ''Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups'', Harvard University Press, {{isbn|0674375122}}, (1980), pp.&nbsp;638–642, [https://archive.org/details/harvardencyclope00ther Online]
*{{Cite book|title=American Latvians : Politics of a Refugee Community|last=Zake|first=Ieva|publisher=Routledge|year=2017|isbn=9781351532563}}

==External links==
*[http://www.alausa.org/ American Latvian Association]
*[http://www.alja.org/ American Latvian Youth Association]
*[https://www.cikaga.com Čikāgas latviešu vēsture - Chicago Latvian History]
*[http://www.daugavasvanagi.org/ Daugavas Vanagi ASV]
*[http://www.biletens.com/ Dienvidkalifornijas Latviešu Informācijas Biļetens]
*[http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/usa Embassy of Latvia to the United States of America]
*[http://latvianbusiness.us/ Kalifornijas Latviešu Uzņēmēju Biznesa Saiets "KLUBS"]
*[http://www.laiks.us/ Laiks]
*[http://garezers.org/ Latvian Center "Gaŗezers"]
*[http://www.tilts.org/ Latvian Cultural Association TILTS]
*[http://www.nydraudze.org/ Latvian Ev. Luth. Church of New York & Community]
*[http://lelba.org/ Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]
*[http://www.latviansonline.com/ Latvians Online]
*[http://lrfa.org/ Latvian Relief Fund of America]
*[http://www.latviesiamerika.com/ Latvieši Amerikā]
*[http://www.pbla.lv/ Pasaules Brīvo Latviešu Apvienība]
*[http://www.latviansociety.com/ The Philadelphia Society of Free Letts]
*[http://www.latvianbaptistsinamerica.org/ Union of Latvian Baptists in America]

{{European Americans}}
{{Latvian diaspora}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Latvian diaspora in the United States| ]]
[[Category:American people of Latvian descent| ]]
[[Category:European diaspora in the United States]]