Bengali Americans (Bengali: মার্কিন বাঙালি) are American nationals or residents who identify as Bengalis based on their ethnicity, language, and family history. They trace their roots to the historic region of Bengal, which is now split between Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Bengali Americans also belong to the broader group of modern-day Bangladeshi Americans and Indian Americans. Demographic census (2020) suggest that around 453,191 people in the United States speak Bengali as their main language or alongside other languages. This makes up about 0.14% of the population. Additionally, there are more than 600,000 non-resident Bangladeshi Bengalis living in the United States. New York City has long been the main center for Bengali settlement. By 2025, the city had over 250,000 Bangladeshi-born immigrants living in New York State. The number increases further when Bengalis originating from India are included. Since the 1970s, New York has become a key destination for Bengali immigrants. In terms of population, after Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, the United States is the fourth country where Bengalis have established permanent settlements and have either acquired citizenship or are in the process of applying for it.

Available historical records indicate that immigration from Bengal to the United States began in the late nineteenth century. Over subsequent decades, individuals of Bengali origin arrived in diverse occupational and social contexts, including as textile traders, maritime workers who remained ashore after their vessels arrived, and, in later periods, as professionals with formal education.

Documented evidence indicates that Bengalis arrived in the United States in the 1880s. This period is commonly described in historical accounts as an early phase of Bengali immigration. During this time, migration occurred primarily through two occupational groups: silk traders, commonly known as chikondars, and maritime workers, known as lascars.

In the mid-1880s, a group of Bengali Muslim traders from the Hooghly district of undivided Bengal (now in West Bengal) arrived at the ports of New York and Baltimore. Contemporary accounts describe them as dealing in silk textiles, including embroidered shawls, tablecloths, and cushion covers. The embroidery style associated with these goods was known in Bengal as chikan (or chikkan), and vendors engaged in this trade were referred to in American sources as chikondars.

Contemporary sources indicate that, during this period, certain categories of imported goods described at the time as “Oriental” attracted consumer interest in the United States. Within this commercial context, Bengali chikondars established trading activities along the New Jersey shoreline, including resort towns such as Asbury Park, Atlantic City, and Long Branch. Seasonal patterns of commerce are documented, with trading activity concentrated in northeastern resort areas during the summer months and shifting southward during the winter. Over time, New Orleans emerged as a central hub in this trade network. Contemporary newspaper reports document the presence of these traders in areas such as the French Market and Canal Street.

By 1910, contemporary records indicate that at least 50 Bengali merchants had established residences in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans. Silk textiles imported through these trading networks were used in local cultural events, including Mardi Gras celebrations. During the 1930s, this commercial activity diminished amid broader economic disruptions associated with the Great Depression and changes in textile production methods. These developments marked the decline of this early phase of Bengali commercial activity in the United States.

From the second decade of the twentieth century, a distinct pattern of Bengali migration became evident. Bengali sailors employed in the boiler rooms of British steamships, a labor category often associated with difficult working conditions, sometimes remained in the United States after their vessels arrived at American ports. These seamen, commonly referred to as lascars (or khalasis), predominantly originated from eastern Bengal, including the regions of Sylhet, Noakhali, and Chittagong.

In 1900, the New York Post reported the presence of Indian sailors in the port areas of New York City. The report described instances of sailors remaining ashore after their vessels arrived, a practice referred to at the time as “ship jumping.” Similar patterns of maritime desertion were recorded in other major port cities, including New York, Boston, and San Francisco, where affected individuals relied on informal social networks while living outside formal immigration channels.