Assimilation by the third generation? Marital choices of white ethnics at the dawn of the twentieth century

It is well known that marital ethnic endogamy declines by immigrant generation, but there is little information on how many generations are required for full marital assimilation. This study for 1880–1910 includes information on the birthplace of men’s grandparents, so we can compare the first, second, third, and later generations. We estimate the odds of marrying a native white woman with native-born parents (NWNP) for Irish, Germans, British, and men of other ethnicities. Most groups even in their third generation still show a significantly lower rate of marital assimilation than native stock men. But mixed ancestry (having at least one NWNP parent or grandparent) can result in nearly complete marital assimilation by the third generation.

Highlight
► This historical study distinguishes 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation men from 4+ generation natives.
► Marriage with a 3+ generation woman is used as an indicator of ethnic assimilation.
► Even in the 3rd generation marital assimilation is incomplete.
► Having intermarried parentage results in nearly complete assimilation by the third generation.