The French language is spoken as a minority language in the United States. French speakers are particularly located in southern Louisiana and in northern New England. French is the second most-spoken language in four states: Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Cajun French is spoken in some parts of Louisiana (a colony of France from 1682 to 1762 and again from 1800 until it was sold to the United States in 1803). Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians who were expelled by the British in 1755 from what is now Nova Scotia. Canadian French is also spoken in parts of northern New England in the form of either Quebec French or Acadian French, a legacy of significant immigration from Canada between 1880 and 1930. More than 13 million Americans claim some French ancestry, and 1.6 million over the age of five speak the language at home [1], making French either the third or fourth most-spoken language in the country, behind English, Spanish, and - if languages such as Mandarin and Cantonese are grouped together - Chinese. Some Americans of French heritage who have lost the language are currently attempting to revive it, with varying degrees of success^{[citation needed]}. The city of Miami is home to a large Francophone community, consisting of French expatriates, Haitians, and French Canadians (although the Haitians mainly speak French as their second language, their first being Haitian Creole); there is also a growing community of Francophone Arabs in and around Orlando. Many retired individuals from Quebec have moved to Florida or winter there.

Until the 1980s, French was the most popular foreign language studied in the United States. (Indeed, French has traditionally been the foreign language of choice for English-speakers across the globe.) That distinction has since been claimed by Spanish — likely a consequence of increased interest in Latin America and Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. French is currently the second-most studied foreign language in the country, behind Spanish and ahead of German. Most U.S. high schools and universities offer French-language courses, and degree programs in the language are common.

More than 1,000 inhabitants

• Madawaska, Maine (pop. 4,534) - 84% French-speaking
• Fort Kent, Maine (pop. 4,233) - 61% French-speaking
• Van Buren, Maine (pop. 2,631) - 79% French-speaking
• Frenchville, Maine (pop. 1,225) - 80% French-speaking

Fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

• Eagle Lake, Maine (pop. 815) - 50% French-speaking
• St. Agatha, Maine (pop. 802) - 80% French-speaking
• St. Francis, Maine (pop. 577) - 61% French-speaking
• Grand Isle, Maine (pop. 518) - 76% French-speaking
• Saint John Plantation, Maine (pop. 282) - 60% French-speaking
• Hamlin, Maine (pop. 257) - 57% French-speaking

Note: speakers of French-based creole languages are not included in percentages.

• St. Martin Parish, Louisiana (pop. 48,583) - 27.44% French-speaking
• Evangeline Parish, Louisiana (pop. 35,434) - 25.71% French-speaking
• Vermilion Parish, Louisiana (pop. 53,807) - 24.89% French-speaking
• Aroostook County, Maine (pop. 73,938) - 22.37% French-speaking
• Lafourche Parish, Louisiana (pop. 89,974) - 19.12% French-speaking
• Acadia Parish, Louisiana (pop. 58,861) - 19.04% French-speaking
• Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana (pop. 41,481) - 17.64% French-speaking
• Assumption Parish, Louisiana (pop. 23,388) - 17.58% French-speaking
• St. Landry Parish, Louisiana (pop. 87,700) - 16.70% French-speaking
• Coos County, New Hampshire (pop. 33,111) - 16.17% French-speaking
• Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana (pop. 31,435) - 16.15% French-speaking
• Lafayette Parish, Louisiana (pop. 190,503) - 14.37% French-speaking
• Androscoggin County, Maine (pop. 103,793) - 14.29% French-speaking

Florida, and a few other resort regions (most notably Old Orchard Beach, Maine and Cape May, New Jersey) popular are visited in large numbers by francophone Québecois during winter and summer breaks.

Many places in the United States have names of French origin, a legacy of past French exploration and rule over much of the land and in honor of French help during the founding of the country:

• Bay Minette, Alabama ("Cat Bay")
• Bayou la Batre, Alabama ("Bayou of the Battery")
• Belle Fontaine, Alabama ("Beautiful Fountain")
• Bon Secour, Alabama ("Safe Harbor")
• Citronelle, Alabama (named after the citrus trees.)
• Dauphin Island, Alabama (named after the Dauphin, French crown prince)
• Mobile, Alabama (French pronunciation of the indigenous Mauvilla tribe)

• Juneau, Alaska named after Joseph Juneau, French-Canadian prospector and gold miner
• La Chaussee Spit at the entrance of Lituya Bay. Named originally in charts prepared by French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse in 1786. La Chaussee means causeway.

• Picket Wire, Arizona (Corruption of the French Purgatoire, "Purgatory")

• Arkansas (named by French explorers from Indian word meaning "south wind")
• Belleville, Arkansas
• Bois D'arc, Arkansas (local wood traded by the Native Americans)
• Fayetteville, Arkansas (named for French general, Marquis de LaFayette)
• Petit Jean, Arkansas (named after a French sailor on the Arkansas river)
• La Petite Roche, Arkansas (state capital, translated into "Little Rock"]
• Maumelle, Arkansas
• Ozark, Arkansas (phonetic rendering of either aux Arks, "of the Ark(ansas)" or aux Arcs, "of the arches", or possibly aux arcs-en-ciel, "of the rainbows")
• Paris, Arkansas
• Smackover, Arkansas (Anglicization of Sumac Couvert, "covered in sumac")
• Terre Rouge, Arkansas

• Artois, California (named after Artois, France)
• Bel Air, California ("Good Air")
• Fremont, California (named for John C. Frémont, American soldier, explorer and politician of French ancestry)

• Lafayette, California (named for the French general, Marquis de Lafayette)
• Montclair, California ("Clear Mountain")

• Laporte, Colorado (from la porte, "the door." One of several American communities named "La Porte," "Laporte" or "LaPorte.")

• Delaware (named after Lord de la Warre (originally de la Guerre meaning; "of the war"),

• Belandville, Florida (failed "colony" in northern Santa Rosa County, approximately one mile south of its border with Escambia County, Alabama)
• Duval County, Florida (named for William Pope DuVal)
• La Belle, Florida ("The Beauty")

• LaGrange, Georgia (named for the French Estate of Marquis de Lafayette)

• Fort DeRussy (named for Lewis and René Edward De Russy, soldiers of Huguenot ancestry)

• Boise, Idaho (from boisé, "Wooded")
• Coeur d'Alene, Idaho ("Heart of the Awl")

• Illinois French version of Illini, a local Native American tribe
• Belleville, Illinois ("Beautiful City")
• Creve Coeur, Illinois ("Broken Heart")
• Des Plaines, Illinois ("of the Plains")
• Joliet, Illinois (named after explorer Louis Jolliet)
• La Grange, Illinois ("The Barn")
• La Salle, Illinois (named after explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. La Salle literally means "the Room.")
• Marseilles, Illinois
• Prairie du Rocher, Illinois ("Prairie of the Rock")
• Versailles, Illinois

• Des Moines, Iowa ("of the Monks")
• Dubuque, Iowa (named after explorer Julien Dubuque)

• Lafayette, Indiana (named for the French general, Marquis de Lafayette)
• La Porte, Indiana (named by French explorers travelling up from the south, this area was the first clearing or "door" out of the heavy woods to the south.)
• Terre Haute, Indiana ("High Ground")
• Vincennes, Indiana (named for François Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes)
• Versailles, Indiana
• Delaware County, Indiana (Muncie, Indiana is the county seat)
• Fayette County, Indiana
• Dubois County, Indiana
• Lagrange County, Indiana

• La Cygne, Kansas ("The Swan"; after the Marais des Cygnes River, which was named by French explorers)

Cities

• Louisville, Kentucky (named in honor of King Louis XVI in 1778)
• Paris, Kentucky
• Versailles, Kentucky
• La Grange, Kentucky
• Bellefonte, Kentucky
• Bellemeade, Kentucky
• Bellevue, Kentucky
• Frenchburg, Kentucky
• La Center, Kentucky
• LaFayette, Kentucky

Counties

• Bourbon County, Kentucky (name for House of Bourbon, European Royal House)
• Fayette County, Kentucky (named for Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette)
• Gallatin County, Kentucky (named for Albert Gallatin,Swiss American & Secretary of State)
• Larue County, Kentucky (named for John LaRue early Kentucky settler)
• Marion County, Kentucky (named for Francis Marion)

• Louisiana (named in honor of King Louis XIV in 1682)
• Abbeville, Louisiana (after Abbeville, France) (One of several communities in the United States named "Abbeville".)
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana ("Red Stick")
• Bayou Gauche, Louisiana ("Left Bayou")
• Belle Chasse, Louisiana ("Good Hunting")
• Chalmette, Louisiana ("Pasture land, fallow land")
• Chataignier, Louisiana ("Chestnut tree")
• Des Allemands, Louisiana ("of the Germans")
• Destrehan, Louisiana (named in honor of Jean N. Destréhan, Creole politician)
• Dulac, Louisiana ("of the lake")
• Grosse Tête, Louisiana ("big head")
• Jean Lafitte, Louisiana (named for Jean Lafitte, a famous pirate)
• Lafayette, Louisiana (named for the Marquis de La Fayette. There are a number of cities named either "Lafayette" or "Fayetteville" in the United States.)
• Lafourche Parish, Louisiana (from la fourche, referring to a forked path)
• La Place, Louisiana (named for early settler Basile LaPlace.)
• Mandeville, Louisiana (named for developer Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville)
• Metairie, Louisiana (from a French word for sharecropping)
• New Orleans, Louisiana (named for Philip II, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of France at the time of the city's founding)
• Paradis, Louisiana ("Paradise")
• Pointe à la Hache, Louisiana ("Axe Point")
• Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana (from pointe coupée, "cut point")
• Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana ("Good Earth")

• Maine (one theory suggests the state was named after the historic French province of Maine)
• Calais, Maine
• Frenchville, Maine
• Isle Au Haut, Maine
• Paris, Maine
• Presque Isle, Maine (from the French word "presqu'île"meaning "peninsula"--- from presque meaning "almost", and isle meaning "island". The town is surrounded on three sides by water, and therefore is "almost an island")

• Havre de Grace, Maryland (named after Le Havre (originally Le Havre de Grâce, lit. harbour/haven of grace), France)

• Orleans, Massachusetts (named for Louis Philippe II, the Duke of Orleans )
• Revere, Massachusetts (from Paul Revere, of Huguenot ancestry; his family name originally was Rivoire)

• Belleville, Michigan ("Beautiful City;" named for a Paris district)
• Berrien County, Michigan
• Cadillac, Michigan (named after explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac)
• Charlevoix, Michigan (named for Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix (1682-1761), a French Jesuit in New France)
• Detroit, Michigan ("Strait")
  • Dozens of Detroit streets are named after early French settlers
• Ecorse, Michigan (from Rivière aux Écorces, "Bark River")
• Grand Blanc, Michigan ("Large White")
• Grand Marais, Michigan ("Large Marsh")
• Gratiot County, Michigan
• Grosse Ile, Michigan ("Big Island")
• Grosse Pointe, Michigan ("Big Point")
• Isle Royale National Park, Michigan ("Royal Island")
• L'Anse, Michigan ("The Cove")
• Marquette, Michigan (named after explorer Jacques Marquette)
• Montcalm County, Michigan (named for Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French military commander in the French and Indian War).
• Montmorency County, Michigan (named for the Montmorency family, a noble family influential in the administration of New France)
• Presque Isle, Michigan (from presqu'île, "peninsula")
• Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan ("St. Mary's Rapids")
• St. Clair County, Michigan
• St. Ignace, Michigan (French translation of St. Ignatius)
• St. Joseph, Michigan

• Baudette, Minnesota
• Duluth, Minnesota (named after Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut)
• Grand Marais, Minnesota ("Big Marsh"; some speculate "Big Harbor" in founders' accent)
• Hennepin County, Minnesota (named in honor of the 17th-century French explorer Father Louis Hennepin.)
• St. Cloud, Minnesota (named after a Paris suburb)
• Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota (named after the French-Canadian explorers)

• Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
• Biloxi, Mississippi
• D'Iberville, Mississippi (named after Pierre Lemoyne, Sieur d'Iberville, governor of New France)
• Gautier, Mississippi (Named for the Gautier family, who established a homestead on the site in 1867.)

• Creve Coeur, Missouri ("heart break")
• Portage des Sioux, Missouri
• St. Louis, Missouri (named in honor of King Louis IX, later canonized as Saint Louis)
• Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
• Versailles, Missouri

• Chouteau County, Montana (named for Auguste and Pierre Chouteau, fur traders who established a trading post in the area)
• Havre, Montana (named after Le Havre, France)

• Du Bois, Nebraska ("of the Woods")
• Papillion, Nebraska (from papillon, "butterfly")

• Lamoille, Nevada
• Pioche, Nevada (named for François Louis Alfred Pioche, financier who purchased the town in 1869)

• Fremont, New Hampshire (named for John C. Fremont, French-American pioneer and politician)

• Bayonne, New Jersey (according to tradition, from Bayonne, France)
• Montclair, New Jersey ("Clear Mountain")

• Bayard, New Mexico (named for George D. Bayard, Union general in the Civil War of French ancestry)
• Clovis, New Mexico (named for Clovis, first Christian king of the Franks)

• Chateaugay, New York (named after Chateauguay, Quebec.)
• Dunkirk, New York (named after the city of Dunkerque, France, because of the similar harbor.)
• Massena, New York (named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's field marshals.)
• New Rochelle, New York (named after La Rochelle, France.)
• Rouses Point, New York (named after early settler Jacques Rouse.)

• Beaufort, North Carolina ("Beautiful Fort")
• Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Lenoir, North Carolina

• Bottineau, North Dakota (named for Pierre Bottineau, Métis pioneer, hunter, and trapper)
• Des Lacs, North Dakota ("of the Lakes")

• Auglaize River (corruption of the French eau glaise, meaning "muddy water")
• Bellefontaine, Ohio ("Beautiful Fountain")
• Belmont County, Ohio
• Champaign County, Ohio
• Clermont County, Ohio
• Fayette County, Ohio (for Marquis de Lafayette)
• Gallia County, Ohio (Latin for Gaul, Roman name for France)
• Huron County, Ohio (French word given to the Wyandot tribe)
• LaRue, Ohio
• Lorain County, Ohio (for the French province of Lorraine)
• Marietta, Ohio (to honor Marie Antoinette)
• Marseilles, Ohio
• Vermilion River

• Le Flore, Oklahoma ("The Flora")
• Poteau, Oklahoma ("Stake")

• Deschutes County, Oregon
• Deschutes River from rivere des chutes meaning river of (water) falls
• La Grande, Oregon
• La Pine, Oregon
• Malheur County, Oregon ("Misfortune")
• Terrebonne, Oregon
• The Dalles, Oregon from les dalles meaning flagstones

• Bellefonte, Pennsylvania ("Beautiful Fountain")
• Charleroi, Pennsylvania ("Charles King" -- in reference to King Charles II of Spain)
• Du Bois, Pennsylvania ("Of the Woods")
• Versailles, Pennsylvania (Named after the Palace of Versailles)

• Abbeville, South Carolina (from Abbeville, France)
• Bonneau, South Carolina (from bonne eau, "good water")
• Eau Claire, South Carolina ("Clear Water")

• Belle Fourche, South Dakota ("Beautiful Fork")
• Flandreau, South Dakota (named for Charles Eugene Flandrau, judge of Huguenot ancestry)
• Fort Pierre, South Dakota
• Pierre, South Dakota

• Lafayette, Tennessee
• La Follette, Tennessee
• La Vergne, Tennessee
• Lenoir City, Tennessee (named for William Lenoir, Revolutionary War general of Huguenot ancestry, and his son)
• Sevierville, Tennessee (named for John Sevier, Tennessee governor of Huguenot ancestry)

• Beaumont, Texas ("beautiful mountain")
• Grand Prairie, Texas ("large prairie")
• Paris, Texas

• Provo, Utah (named after Étienne Provost)

• Vermont (Originally Vert Mont, or "Green Mountain")
• Lamoille County, Vermont - Either for a misspelling of Champlain's intended name of Lake Champlain, or for the Old French la Moelle ("the marrow").
• Montpelier, Vermont (named after Montpellier, France)
• Orleans County, Vermont
• Orleans, Vermont (named after Orléans, France)

• La Crosse, Virginia
• Crozet, Virginia

• Beaux Arts Village, Washington (from "fine arts")
• Bellevue, Washington ("Beautiful View")
• Des Moines, Washington ("of the Monks")
• Grand Coulee, Washington (from coulée or couler, meaning "to flow")
• La Crosse, Washington
• Loup Loup from loup, meaning "wolf"
• Normandy Park, Washington (named after Normandy)
• Palouse, Washington (from pelouse, meaning "lawn")
• Pend Oreille County, Washington (named after the Pend d'Oreilles tribe. French for "earring")

• Despard, West Virginia
• Montcalm, West Virginia (named for Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French military commander in the French and Indian War).

• Allouez, Wisconsin (Named after Claude-Jean Allouez)
• Calumet County, Wisconsin (French word for a Menominee peace pipe)
• Couderay (From Lac Courte Oreilles, "Short Ears")
• De Pere, Wisconsin (from "Les Rapides des Pères," The Rapids of the Fathers)
• Eau Claire, Wisconsin ("Clear Water")
• Fond du Lac, Wisconsin ("Bottom of the Lake")
• La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin
• Lac La Belle, Wisconsin
• Lake Butte des Morts ("Hill of the Dead")
• Lac Courte Oreilles ("Lake Short Ears")
• Marquette, Wisconsin
• Nicolet National Forest
• Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin ("Dog Prairie")
• Racine, Wisconsin ("Root", named after the Root River)

• Grand Teton National Park (from French grands tétons, "large breasts" - presumably referring to the mountains' shape)

• Lycée Français de New York
• International School of Arizona
• International School of Louisiana (ISL) [2]

• Vivre en Orange County - French Community in Orange County, California
• Council for the Development of French in Louisiana - a state agency.

• Acadiana
• List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population
• French colonization of the Americas
• New France
• La Francophonie
• Bilingual education
• Languages in the United States