List of Canadians of English descent
Encyclopedia
The number of Canadians who are of English
descent is largely unknowable given the propensity of many Canadians to use the term "English Canadian
" or "English-Canadian" to mean anglophone
Canadian .
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
descent is largely unknowable given the propensity of many Canadians to use the term "English Canadian
English Canadian
An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...
" or "English-Canadian" to mean anglophone
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Canadian .
Notable English immigrants to Canada
- Roger AbbottRoger AbbottRoger Abbott was a Canadian comedian. A founding member of the comedy troupe Royal Canadian Air Farce, he was one of the troupe's stars and writers throughout its 29-year career on radio and television.-Early life:...
, comedian - born in BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool... - Steve ArmitageSteve ArmitageSteve Armitage is an English-born Canadian sports reporter for CBC Sports. He has covered such events as Hockey Night in Canada, the Canadian Football League and Grey Cup, the Olympics, and the World Cup of Football.Armitage won the 1982 ACTRA Foster Hewitt Award for Excellence in Sports...
, sports announcer - born in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe.... - Mackenzie BowellMackenzie BowellSir Mackenzie Bowell, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896.-Early life:Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England to John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall...
, 5th Prime Minister of Canada - Patrick BrownPatrick Brown (journalist)Patrick Brown is a Canadian journalist based in and living in Beijing, China.He was born in Birmingham, England and came to Canada in 1970. He was computer systems analyst, teacher and freelance journalist before joining Radio-Canada International as a news editor.He went to Montreal to work as a...
, broadcast journalist - Kim CattrallKim CattrallKim Victoria Cattrall is an English actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, and Porky's...
, actress - Michael CowplandMichael CowplandMichael Cowpland is a British-born entrepreneur, businessman, and the founder and one-time president, chairman and CEO of Corel, a Canadian software company.-Early life:...
, business CEO - Alfred Gardyne de ChastelainAlfred Gardyne de ChastelainAlfred George Gardyne de Chastelain, DSO, OBE was a British businessman, soldier, and secret agent, noted for his actions during World War II...
, father of Canadian general John de ChastelainJohn de ChastelainAlfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain is a retired Canadian soldier and diplomat.De Chastelain was born in Romania and educated in England and in Scotland before his family immigrated to Canada in 1954... - Dick HowardDick Howard (soccer)Richard James "Dick" Howard is a former Canadian international goalkeeper, NASL player, educator, long-time FIFA coaching instructor and Canadian national teams coach, author, and print and broadcast journalist on soccer in Canada and abroad.A goalkeeper, Howard made an appearance for Chester in...
, soccer commentator - raised in Birkenhead - Lennox LewisLennox LewisLennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
, former boxer - Peter MansbridgePeter MansbridgePeter Mansbridge, OC , a Canadian broadcaster and news anchor, is the CBC News Chief Correspondent and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. Mansbridge has received many awards and accolades for his journalistic work including an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison...
, broadcast journalist, television news anchor - Dave RidgwayDave RidgwayDavid "Dave" Ridgway was a placekicker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. His CFL career began in 1981 when he was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes. He did not make the squad that year and returned to the University of Toledo to complete his degree in Marketing...
, former CFL placekicker - John TurnerJohn TurnerJohn Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
, 17th Prime Minister of Canada - Frank YallopFrank YallopFrank Walter Yallop is an English-born Canadian former professional association football player. He is currently the head coach of San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer....
, former soccer player and current team manager - raised in WatfordWatfordWatford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
and VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,... - Richie HawtinRichie HawtinRichard Hawtin is an English-Canadian electronic musician and DJ who was an influential part of Detroit techno's second wave of artists in the early 1990s and a leading exponent of Minimal techno since the mid 1990s...
an Electronic music DJ.
Notable Canadians of English descent
- Bryan AdamsBryan AdamsBryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, popular music star performer - Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, fiction writer - Oswald AveryOswald AveryOswald Theodore Avery ForMemRS was a Canadian-born American physician and medical researcher. The major part of his career was spent at the Rockefeller University Hospital in New York City...
, medical researcher - born in Halifax, N.S. to English immigrant family - R.B. Bennett, 11th Prime Minister of Canada - of New England PlanterNew England PlantersThe New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign of the Acadian Expulsion...
descent; Bennett family had migrated to Connecticut in the 17th century - Billy BishopBilly BishopAir Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace, and according to some sources, the top ace of the British Empire.-Early life:Bishop was born in Owen Sound,...
, flying aceFlying aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more... - Robert BordenRobert BordenSir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
, 8th Prime Minister of Canada - of New England Planter descent; paternal ancestor Richard Borden settled in Portsmouth, Rhode Island in 1638 - John CarlingJohn CarlingSir John Carling, PC, KCMG of the Carling Brewery was a prominent politician and businessman from London, Ontario, Canada...
, son of English migrant to Upper Canada and brewery founder Thomas Carling, politician and along with his brother ran brewery - Hayden ChristensenHayden ChristensenHayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
, actor - portrayed the teen-aged and adult Anakin Skywalker in the Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
prequels - David EdgarDavid Edgar (footballer)David Edward Edgar is a Canadian football player who currently plays for Championship side Burnley. He can play as a centre back, right back, left back or defensive midfielder.-Early life:Edgar was born to Eddie Edgar and Christine Edgar...
, soccer player - father is former pro Eddie EdgarEddie EdgarEddie Edgar is an English former professional football goalkeeper.-Career:Edgar was born in Jarrow and most notably played professionally for Newcastle United, although he made only one appearance for the club in a 4-2 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Derby County in 1976... - Owen HargreavesOwen HargreavesOwen Lee Hargreaves is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Premier League club Manchester City and the English national football team....
, soccer player - son of immigrant English mother (and Welsh father) - Joseph HoweJoseph HoweJoseph Howe, PC was a Nova Scotian journalist, politician, and public servant. He is one of Nova Scotia's greatest and best-loved politicians...
, prominent Nova Scotia leader and father of Confederation - son of an United Empire Loyalist, the Howe family were descendant of PuritanPuritanThe Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
migrants - Michael IronsideMichael IronsideMichael Ironside is a Canadian-born actor. He has also worked as a voice actor, producer, film director, and screenwriter in movie and television series in various Canadian and American productions. He is best known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, though he has also portrayed...
, Canadian actor of EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, ScottishScottish peopleThe Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, and IrishIrish peopleThe Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent - Sonija KwokSonija KwokSonija Kwok is a Hong Kong actress, currently working for TVB.She was born in Hong Kong and is of mixed Cantonese and British parentage. Kwok immigrated to Vancouver, Canada from Hong Kong. She initially attended the University of British Columbia but she transferred to Simon Fraser University and...
, Hong Kong actress, born there to English and Chinese parentage - Jack LaytonJack LaytonJohn Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
, New Democratic PartyNew Democratic PartyThe New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
leader - Laytons immigrated to Canada - Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
, actor - parents immigrated to Canada from the LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
area - Steve NashSteve NashStephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
, star basketball player - born to English expatriates in South Africa, raised along with soccer player brother Martin in Victoria, B.C. - Keanu ReevesKeanu ReevesKeanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
, film actor - Glenn StetsonGlenn StetsonGlenn Stetson was Canadian singer, concert promoter and television producer. Glenn Campbell Stetson was born in the Ottawa Valley of eastern Ontario and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a lead singer with The Diamonds, whose hits included "The Stroll", "Silhouettes", and "Little Darlin'", from...
, singer and member of The DiamondsThe DiamondsThe Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with sixteen Billboard hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville , Ted Kowalski , Phil Levitt , and Bill Reed .-1950s:...
- family origins are in DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with... - Trish StratusTrish StratusPatricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
, Canadian wrestler with English descent