The term Anglo can be used as a prefix to indicate a relation to England and the United Kingdom, as in the phrases 'Anglo-American' or 'Anglo-Indian'.

It is also used, somewhat loosely, to refer to a person or people of English/Anglo-Saxon ethnicity in North America, Australasia and Southern Africa. It is also used, in non-English-speaking countries, to refer to someone from any English-speaking country.

Anglo is a Late Latin prefix used to denote "English-" in conjunction with another toponym or demonym. The word is derived from Anglia, the Latin name for England, and still the modern name of its southeastern portion. Anglia and England both mean "Land of the Angles", a Germanic people originating in the north German peninsula of Angeln.

Specialized usage

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Canada

In Canada, and especially in Quebec, the term anglophone is widely used to designate someone whose everyday language is English, as contrasted to francophone (someone whose everyday language is French) and allophones (those who use any other language).

United States

In the Southwest United States, Anglo is a shorthand referring to non-Hispanic whites, most of who are not of English ancestry. The term has been regularly used by mainstream media such as the Los Angeles Times.

Some Americans who speak English but are not of English ancestry do not consider themselves Anglo. For instance, some Cajuns in south Louisiana use the term to refer to area whites who do not have Francophone backgrounds.

Australia

In Australia "Anglo" is the abbreviation of Anglo-Celtic or Anglo-Irish, which refers to the majority of Australians who are of mixed English and Irish stock. Roughly one third of Australians are of Irish ancestry. In contemporary Australian usage "Anglo" is often used to denote the dominant ethnic group in Australia, either neutrally or as a slur. The slur equivalent is generally "Skip" taken from the title character of the Skippy the Bush Kangaroo television series who, as a kangaroo, fit stereotypical mainstream concepts of Australia.

Scotland

In Scotland the term Anglo-Scot, often shortened to "Anglo", is used to refer to people born in England with Scottish ancestry such as Rod Stewart and Sandy Lyle.

In general, the term is used to refer to the "white" ethnic group within a mixed-race context and rarely connotes specific ancestral or cultural origins (compare WASP). Nonetheless, some consider broad uses erroneous, particularly if they feel that it does connote English ancestry or culture.

For the term's use in a global context, see Anglosphere

See also

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• Anglo-Burmese
• Anglo-Indian
• Anglophile

England | Ethnic groups in Australasia | Ethnic groups in Canada | Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom | Ethnic groups in the United States | Mexican-American history