most french americans are believed descended from colonists of catholic new france; exiled huguenots, much fewer in number and settling in the eastern english colonies in the late 1600s and early 1700s, needed to assimilate into the majority culture and have intermarried over generations. isleños of louisiana and the hispanos of the southwest have had, in part, direct spanish ancestry; most self-reported white hispanics are of mexican, puerto rican, argentine, and cuban origins, each of which are multi-ethnic nations. hispanic immigration has increased from nations of central and south america.