People / group

Scotch-Irish Americans

Also known as Scots-Irish Americans

The Scotch-Irish, or Scots-Irish, are Americans descended from Presbyterian settlers from Ulster, most of them of Scottish origin, who emigrated in large numbers in the 18th century. Many landed at Philadelphia and moved into the backcountry of Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Carolinas, where they settled the frontier. They strongly shaped the culture of Appalachia and the American South.

Scotch-Irish Americans
Image: Lightandtruth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Scotch-Irish Americans. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scotch-irish-americans
MLA
“Scotch-Irish Americans.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scotch-irish-americans. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Scotch-Irish Americans.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scotch-irish-americans.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Scotch-Irish Americans’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scotch-irish-americans (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻