The Census Bureau & My Viking Ethnicity

I got a survey from the census bureau a few weeks ago. I love filling out surveys, so of course I sat right down and filled it out. I got to the question of my ethnic background. It only gave me two spaces to let them know what my ethnic background was. Well, this is a pickle. I have MULTIPLE ethnic backgrounds like so many Americans. But, the survey required me to pick only two. How could I put my French background over my Swedish? What about my English and Swiss? I couldn't say I was German without also mentioning English and I couldn't say I was English without also including French. Well, what do all these ethnicities have in common? Yep. Vikings. So, I put Viking as my ethnic background.

Then I got the call from the Census Bureau. They wanted to know what "viking" meant. Are they serious? Just because it isn't a currently recognized ethnicity, does that mean I can't claim it as my own? Isn't it plausible that someone may claim to be Yugoslavian? I felt it was perfectly rational. I'm not sure how the Bureau will categorized my response.

But just to prove that I am not selecting Viking willy-nilly as my ethnicity, my sister was doing some genealogical research and discovered an ancestor of ours that goes to the year 822 and includes Richard Sans Peur, the Duke of Normandy. Our ancestors include "The Longsword," William 1, Second Duke of Normandy and Rollo, "The Dane", 1st Duke of Normandy, all the way back to King Halfdan HUITHEIN "The Old" of Norway, and then to The Viking OLAF King of Vermeland, and then Ilgiald King of Sweden , Onund King of Sweden, YNGVAR King Of Sweden, Eystein King of Sweden, and ADELIS "The Great Of Sweden."

HA!