French Population in Orange County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The French population in Orange County, CA is recorded at 45,907 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Orange County, CA has some French population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how French communities are spread across Orange County, CA and comparable counties throughout California.

Top 5 cities with the largest French population in Orange County

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  • 1
    Huntington Beach
    French population in Huntington Beach is 4,654
    2.37% of Huntington Beach population is French
  • 2
    Irvine
    French population in Irvine is 3,371
    1.09% of Irvine population is French
  • 3
    Newport Beach
    French population in Newport Beach is 2,958
    3.51% of Newport Beach population is French
  • 4
    San Clemente
    French population in San Clemente is 2,240
    3.53% of San Clemente population is French
  • 5
    Anaheim
    French population in Anaheim is 2,138
    0.62% of Anaheim population is French

Overview of French population in Orange County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Orange County contains 45,907 French residents (1.5% of 3.2 million total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 94th percentile within California for French demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS indicate Orange County's French population of 1.5% exceeds California's state average of 1.4% while remaining below the national average of 2%, placing the county above regional demographic benchmarks while below national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Orange County with 45,907 French residents, representing 8.4% of California's total French population of 546,919.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Orange County maintains 57.9 French Americans per square mile, representing sixteen and a half times California's average of 3.5 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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34 Cities in Orange County Ranked by French Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm French populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Huntington Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach, and San Clemente. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 34 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Orange County, CA ranked by French population count
Rank by French Population
City
French Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Orange County French Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Huntington Beach 4,654 2.37% 10.14%
2 Irvine 3,371 1.09% 7.34%
3 Newport Beach 2,958 3.51% 6.44%
4 San Clemente 2,240 3.53% 4.88%
5 Anaheim 2,138 0.62% 4.66%
6 Mission Viejo 1,972 2.13% 4.30%
7 Orange 1,959 1.41% 4.27%
8 1,856 1.68% 4.04%
9 1,811 1.28% 3.94%
10 1,593 2.49% 3.47%
11 1,546 1.80% 3.37%
12 1,376 2.04% 3.00%
13 1,222 2.38% 2.66%
14 1,210 0.39% 2.64%
15 1,185 1.50% 2.58%
16 1,056 0.62% 2.30%
17 1,045 2.21% 2.28%
18 1,043 1.99% 2.27%
19 883 3.88% 1.92%
20 825 1.33% 1.80%
21 803 1.62% 1.75%
22 788 2.40% 1.72%
23 738 0.89% 1.61%
24 718 1.27% 1.56%
25 643 1.36% 1.40%
26 628 1.79% 1.37%
27 601 1.94% 1.31%
28 545 3.14% 1.19%
29 531 0.59% 1.16%
30 529 2.13% 1.15%
31 197 1.67% 0.43%
32 168 0.43% 0.37%
33 98 0.64% 0.21%
34 38 0.66% 0.08%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Orange County, CA by their French population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines French population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having French ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as French alone, while others identify as French along with another race (such as French and German).
  • We’ve used the “French alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the French population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as French alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as French .
  2. % of Total Orange County French Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. French population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small French populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported French population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where French populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.