White Trinidadians and Tobagonians (sometimes Euro-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or local-whites) are Trinidadians of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an descent. However, while the term White Trinidadian is used to refer collectively to all Caucasians who are Trinidadian, whether by birth or naturalization, the term local-white is used to refer more specifically to Trinidad-born Caucasians and in particular, those who trace their roots back to Trinidad's early settlers. White Trinidadians and Tobagonians account for less than 1% of the population of

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. However, the classification is primarily a superficial description based on

phenotypic In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological pr ...

description opposed to

genotypical The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...

classification. Most white Trinidadians and Tobagonians are of Portuguese stock. Trinidad and Tobago was colonized by the Spanish, the French and the British.

History

The first Europeans to discover and settle in Trinidad and Tobago were the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. Trinidad was originally a

colony and was under Spanish rule. Until the british took hold of Trinidad in 1797. The French and the English later colonized the islands. The French arrived during Spanish colonization. Portuguese people were brough to replace freed African slaves. Europeans makeup 0.6% of Trinidad and Tobago’s population. Many live in

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...

. Many Europeans in Trinidad and Tobago are of British, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and German heritage.

Origins

Many white Trinidadians originate from the colonial era, in which English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, German, and Corsican people filled the gap required to work as overseers on estates, farming sugarcane, cocoa and to fill the gap required for labor on agricultural estates at the time.

Notable European Trinidadians and Tobagonians

* Allan Alvarez (also known as Cheese), speedrunner * Stephen Ames, golfer *

Ralph de Boissière Ralph Anthony Charles de Boissière (6 October 1907 – 16 February 2008) was a Trinidad-born Australian social realist novelist. Described as "an outspoken opponent of racism, injustice, greed and corruption, a passionate humanist with a vision ...

, novelist *

George Bovell George Richard Lycott Bovell (born 18 July 1983) is an Olympic bronze medalist swimmer and former world record holder from Trinidad and Tobago. Bovell is also a two-time World Championship bronze medalist. Olympic career George Bovell represen ...

, swimmer *

Chris Birchall Christopher Birchall CM (born 5 May 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He scored 21 goals in 322 league and cup appearances in a 16-year professional career, and scored four goals in 44 international matches ...

, footballer *

Mercedes Carvajal de Arocha Mercedes Carvajal de Arocha known as Lucila Palacios (8 November 1902 – 31 August 1994) was a Trinidadian-Venezuelan writer, politician and diplomat. She was the first female elected to the Venezuelan Senate and the first female member of the V ...

, first female elected to the

Senate of Venezuela The Senate of Venezuela was the upper house of Venezuela's legislature under its 1961 constitution. Under the 1999 constitution, the bicameral system was replaced by the unicameral National Assembly of Venezuela. However, since 1999 the former cham ...

Arthur Andrew Cipriani Captain Arthur Andrew Cipriani (31 January 1875 – 18 April 1945) was a Trinidad and Tobago labour leader and politician. He served as mayor of Port of Spain, elected member of the Legislative Council, leader of the Trinidad Workingmen's Associa ...

, politician *

Danny Cipriani Danny Cipriani (; born 2 November 1987) is an English professional rugby union player currently unattached. He most recently played for Premiership Rugby side Bath and previously played for Gloucester, Sale Sharks and Wasps in the Premiership ...

, rugby player *

Albert Gomes Albert Maria Gomes (25 March 1911 – 13 January 1978) was a Trinidadian unionist, politician, and writer of Portuguese descent, was the first Chief Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He was the founder of the Political Progress Groups and later l ...

, unionist, politician and writer *

Justin Guillen Justin Christopher Guillen (born January 2, 1986) is a West Indian cricketer who plays for the Trinidad and Tobago national cricket team. He made his debut for the side in the 2008 Stanford Super Series, and has since played over fifteen first-cla ...

, cricketer * Stephen Hart, footballer and manager of Trinidad and Tobago national team *

Francesca Hawkins Francesca Hawkins is a television news presenter and public relations specialist in Trinidad and Tobago. She is a frontline presenter for CNC3 Television. She is the current President of the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago. Media career ...

, filmmaker, news anchor * David Jenkins, sprinter * Andrew Lewis, sailor * Alfred Mendes, writer *

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was knighted in the 2020 New Years Honours List. That s ...

, director *

Peter Minshall Peter Minshall (born 16 July 1941) is a Trinidadian Carnival artist (described colloquially in Trinidad and Tobago as a "mas-man"). Early life and career beginnings Minshall was born in Georgetown, Guyana, but moved to Trinidad as a small child ...

, artistry *

Sean De Silva Sean de Silva (born 17 January 1990) is a Trinidadian professional footballer. Club career Born in Port-of-Spain, De Silva played youth football in his native Trinidad and Tobago for St. Ann's Rangers, before attending the College of Charleston ...

, footballer * Jeff Stollmeyer, cricketer, senator, journalist, businessman * Lowell Yerex, founder of

BWIA BWIA West Indies Airways Limited, known locally as "Bee-Wee" and also as British West Indian Airways and BWIA International, was the national airline based in Trinidad and Tobago. At the end of operations, BWIA was the largest airline operating o ...

Joshua Da Silva Joshua Da Silva (born 19 June 1998) is a Trinidadian cricketer. He made his domestic debut in 2018 for Trinidad and Tobago, and his international debut for the West Indies cricket team in December 2020. Personal life Da Silva is of Portuguese ...

, West Indian and Trinidadian cricketer

References

{{Ethnic groups in Trinidad and Tobago Ethnic groups in Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago people of European descent White Caribbean