Languages spoken in Tennessee

In October 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau released the "2009-2013 American Community Survey" which provides information on "languages spoken at home" and "ability to speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over" for the United States as a whole, states including Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., selected counties, and selected cities and urban areas. The following provides aggregated survey information on languages spoken in Tennessee

Table showing languages spoken in Tennessee

Population 5 years and over
Speak only English at home
Speak a language other than English at home
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES

French (incl. Patois, Cajun)

French Creole

Italian

Portuguese (incl. Portuguese Creole)

German (incl. Luxembourgian)

Yiddish

Other West Germanic languages

Scandinavian languages

Greek

Russian

Polish

Serbo-Croatian languages

Other Slavic languages

Other Indic languages

Other Indo-European languages

ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES

Chinese (incl. Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages)

Other Asian languages

Tagalog

Other Pacific Island languages

ALL OTHER LANGUAGES

Navajo

Other Native North American languages

Other and unspecified languages

BY STATE
BY COUNTY
BY CITY

Language	Number of speakers	Margin of Error	Speak English less than "Very Well"	Margin of Error
Population 5 years and over	5,998,956	708	168,938	3,389
Speak only English at home	5,601,411	4,691	(X)	(X)
Speak a language other than English at home	397,545	4,711	168,938	3,389
SPANISH AND SPANISH CREOLE	232,394	3,228	110,114	2,531
Spanish	232,395	3,228	110,115	2,531
OTHER INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES	73,653	2,636	18,961	1,495
French (incl Patois, Cajun)	11,974	997	2,641	414
French	11,750	989	2,615	412
Patois	130	160	(D)	(D)
Cajun	90	49	(D)	(D)
French Creole	1,710	649	356	181
Italian	2,482	370	412	141
Portuguese (incl Portuguese Creole)	2,317	443	661	269
Portuguese	2,315	443	660	269
German (incl Luxembourgian)	13,920	1,154	1,872	331
German	13,920	1,154	1,870	331
Yiddish	45	42	(B)	-
Other West Germanic languages	3,117	670	378	183
Pennsylvania Dutch	1,170	540	195	164
Dutch	1,290	369	150	106
Afrikaans	660	275	30	36
Scandinavian languages	926	219	105	55
Swedish	450	182	50	41
Danish	125	82	(D)	(D)
Norwegian	255	120	(D)	(D)
Icelandic	95	71	25	40
Greek	898	237	145	75
Russian	4,004	640	1,392	354
Polish	1,294	274	438	151
Serbo-Croatian languages	2,490	498	917	282
Serbocroatian	1,715	449	770	275
Croatian	320	145	40	43
Serbian	455	213	110	96
Other Slavic languages	1,737	487	595	239
Ukrainian	975	399	435	222
Czech	435	293	75	78
Slovak	155	121	(D)	(D)
Bulgarian	150	81	(D)	(D)
Macedonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Slovene	15	17	(B)	-
Armenian	250	191	135	120
Persian	2,935	684	1,109	463
Hindi	5,122	714	1,233	371
Gujarati	4,454	814	1,622	417
Urdu	1,712	535	337	151
Other Indic languages	6,682	978	2,658	613
India nec3	1,470	501	785	331
Bengali	1,810	485	420	150
Panjabi	800	264	260	137
Marathi	875	343	120	89
Assamese	45	52	(B)	-
Nepali	1,185	466	930	420
Sindhi	115	95	(D)	(D)
Pakistan nec3	255	322	(D)	(D)
Sinhalese	110	110	30	43
Romany	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Other Indo-European languages	5,584	780	1,955	374
Jamaican Creole	180	95	(D)	(D)
Krio	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Catalonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Romanian	1,555	481	570	207
Welsh	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Irish Gaelic	145	107	(B)	-
Scottic Gaelic	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Albanian	335	218	205	164
Lithuanian	90	107	(D)	(D)
Latvian	45	37	(B)	-
Pashto	105	99	(B)	-
Kurdish	3,065	596	1,135	272
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND LANGUAGES	59,919	1,857	27,293	1,310
Chinese (incl Cantonese, Mandarin, other Chinese languages4)	13,150	1,424	6,374	948
Chinese	10,770	1,298	5,360	906
Cantonese	415	204	160	111
Mandarin	1,675	401	775	264
Formosan	275	118	75	45
Wu	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Japanese	3,845	566	1,745	405
Korean	8,831	1,207	4,309	622
Mon-Khmer, Cambodian	1,364	504	582	215
Hmong	208	99	64	43
Thai	1,445	365	635	188
Laotian	5,544	882	2,502	458
Vietnamese	10,539	1,304	6,643	830
Other Asian languages	7,446	946	2,282	483
Uighur	130	187	130	187
Azerbaijani	40	72	(D)	(D)
Turkish	640	338	240	168
Mongolian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Gondi	25	38	(D)	(D)
Telugu	2,560	569	475	188
Kannada	555	239	65	50
Malayalam	1,355	391	320	178
Tamil	1,165	332	270	134
Tibetan	70	70	(B)	-
Burmese	720	361	575	286
Karen	165	209	165	209
Tagalog	5,921	910	1,618	408
Other Pacific Island languages	1,626	371	539	225
Indonesian	170	134	120	122
Balinese	70	106	70	106
Malay	240	103	110	66
Bisayan	210	123	85	76
Sebuano	145	81	50	52
Ilocano	85	67	(D)	(D)
Pampangan	50	52	(D)	(D)
Micronesian	90	91	(B)	-
Chamorro	85	110	(D)	(D)
Palau	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Trukese	105	125	(D)	(D)
Samoan	185	116	(D)	(D)
Tongan	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Hawaiian	170	127	(B)	-
ALL OTHER LANGUAGES	31,579	2,630	12,570	1,668
Navajo	32	35	(B)	-
Other Native North American languages	804	211	69	44
Blackfoot	35	64	(B)	-
Miami	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Ojibwa	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Shawnee	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Apache	40	54	(B)	-
Walapai	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Dakota	35	33	(D)	(D)
Choctaw	120	75	20	27
Muskogee	20	28	(B)	-
Keres	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Mohawk	15	21	(B)	-
Cayuga	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Seneca	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cherokee	300	105	30	23
American Indian	135	90	(D)	(D)
Hungarian	512	216	126	97
Arabic	16,535	2,081	7,270	1,019
Hebrew	1,042	263	121	90
African languages	12,044	1,618	4,783	1,151
Amharic	3,610	1,011	1,995	822
Chadic	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Cushite	2,105	648	915	350
Sudanic	140	160	35	52
Nilotic	590	356	120	128
Nilo-Hamitic	30	151	(D)	(D)
Swahili	1,015	345	310	162
Bantu	1,075	445	480	330
Mande	305	167	85	75
Fulani	715	360	485	284
Kru, Ibo, Yoruba	2,290	631	345	138
Efik	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
African	110	124	(D)	(D)
Other and unspecified languages	610	274	201	136
Finnish	115	76	(B)	-
Estonian	(D)	(D)	(B)	-
Caucasian	125	150	(D)	(D)
Syriac	50	83	40	80
Aztecan	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Mayan languages	120	133	70	73
Oto - Manguen	(D)	(D)	(D)	(D)
Uncodable	125	67	(B)	-

Notes

Number of speakers and Speak English less than "Very Well": Detailed-language estimates are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Aggregate estimates ("language category" and "language sub-category" entries) are unrounded and appear in table B16001. Detailed-language estimates may not sum to aggregate estimates because of rounding.
Margin of Error and Margin of Error: Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data. The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.
(D): Data withheld to avoid disclosure.
(B): Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute an estimate.
(X): Question does not apply.
-: Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute a standard error and thus the margin of error. A statistical test is not appropriate.
3 N.E.C. stands for not elsewhere classified. These are languages where respondents indicated they spoke either Indian or Pakistan. For Indian, it cannot be determined if the respondent spoke a native American language or spoke a language from India. For Pakistan, respondents wrote in Pakistan but it cannot be determined which one of the languages spoken in Pakistan is actually being spoken. To distinguish these languages, n.e.c. is used to indicated they are not classified in any other language code.
This category includes literal write-ins of Chinese as well as Hakka, Kan, Hsiang, Cantonese, Mandarin, Fuchow, Formosan, and Wu.