What does French Canadian mean?

The meaning is ambiguous. The term Canadian was for a long time the exclusive name of the French colonial inhabitants (Créoles) of the royal province of Canada in New France. read more

French Canadians (including those who are no longer French-speaking) constitute the second largest ethnic group in Canada, behind the English Canadians, and ahead of Scottish Canadians and Irish Canadians, although there is a divide between those identifying as French Canadians and those simply identifying as French. read more

And, of course as Canada grew from the small colony centred on the St. Lawrence River, to the enormity it is today, “French-Canadian” is often used to simply mean any Canadian speaking the French language, but that is not the preferred use, “francophone” is more accurate. read more