Tamil Americans
Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
New Jersey, New York City, Los Angeles | |
Languages | |
Predominantly: Tamil & American English, Minority: Spanish & French | |
Religion | |
Predominantly: Hinduism (Shaivism & Vaishnavism), Minority: Christianity, Islam & Jainism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Tamil people · British Tamils · Tamil Canadians |
Tamil Americans or American Tamils are citizens of the United States who are of Tamil ethnic origins mostly from India and Sri Lanka and other countries such as Malaysia, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Fiji.
History
In the second half of the 20th century, Tamils from India migrated as skilled professionals to the United States, Canada (in Canada are concentrated in the cities of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver), Europe, and South East Asia.
Central New Jersey contains the largest population concentration of Indian Americans of Tamil descent. New Jersey houses its own Tamil Sangam. A sizeable population has also settled in New York City, as well as on the West Coast in the Silicon Valley, where there are Tamil associations such as the Bay Area Tamil Manram. On the other hand, the New York City and Los Angeles metropolitan areas are home to the largest concentrations of Tamil-speaking Sri Lankan Americans.
Notable people
- Ananda Coomaraswamy - Philosopher
- Aziz Ansari - Comedian
- Indra Nooyi - CEO of PepsiCo Incorporated.
- Jay Chandrasekhar - Actor and Director
- Kamala Harris - District Attorney of San Francisco
- Mary Anne Mohanraj - Writer
- Mindy Kaling - Actress
- M. Night Shyamalan - Film Director
- Raj Rajaratnam - Founder of Galleon Group
- Sendhil Ramamurthy - Actor
- S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan - Mathematician
- Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah - Social anthropologist
- Sunkrish Bala - Actor
See also
Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America