Chechen Americans

Chechen Americans are Americans of Chechen descent. Chechen people have origins from Chechnya, a federal subject of Russia.

Chechen Americans
Чеченские Американцы
Нохчийн Америкин
Noxҫiyn Amerikin

Total population
1,000 (approximately)
Regions with significant populations
New Jersey, New York City, Miami, Boston, Los Angeles
Languages
Chechen, American English, Russian
Religion
Sunni Islam

Demographics

The first Chechen settlers arrived in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s. They are a small minority group with a population numbering only several hundred, as of 2013. Exact statistics are difficult to obtain because Chechens are categorized as Russians in asylee reports. The estimated 150 Chechen families live mainly in Paterson, New Jersey, and form part of the larger North Caucasian community there. Other most significant Chechen communities are in Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles areas.^[1]

Notable people

• Ilyas Akhmadov, foreign minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
• Salavdi Gugaev, political activist, and one of the first Chechen immigrants to the US.
• Khassan Baiev, trauma surgeon.
• Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston Marathon bomber.
• Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Boston Marathon bomber