Cypriot Emigration

Cypriot emigration refers to people originating from the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus who have settled abroad. This diaspora share a common cultural and geographic heritage but live away from Cyprus. For some people the connection to Cyprus remains strong, even after several generations in their new homeland. For others their Cypriot ancestry may be little more that a genealogical curiosity. But either way a blood link to Cyprus is real and is of interest to family historians tracing the story of their ancestors.

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Background to Cypriot emigration

From ancient times Cyprus has been occupied by various contemporary powers from the Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans to the Venetians. The island fell under the Ottomans in the 16^th century. Britain gained control in 1878, before formally annexing the island in 1914. Cyprus gained its independence in 1960. In the years that followed tensions between the island's two major ethnic communities, Greek and Turkish, led to escalating inter-communal violence. In 1974, a coup d’état by Greek nationalists aimed at achieving enosis (union with Greece) prompted Turkey to invade. This resulted in its division into the Republic of Cyprus in the south, controlling about two-thirds of the island, and the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" controlling the remaining third in the north. The latter entity is only recognised internationally by Turkey. The Republic of Cyprus became a member of the European Union in 2004.

Cyprus divided after the 1974 Turkish invasion

Cyprus remains divided to this day, the two regions separated by a United Nations administered buffer zone.

The Cypriot diaspora therefore represents people from both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, as well as the much smaller communities of Maronite and Armenian origin.

Each community has its own emigration pattern. In particular Turkey has a key destination country just for Turkish Cypriots. Both Cypriot communities are found in the United Kingdom followed by significant populations in Australia, the United States and Canada with a smaller number in South Africa. It's estimated that overall there has been some Cypriot emigration to over 100 countries world-wide.

Estimates of the size of the Cypriot-origin population living abroad vary widely. For example in 2015 the UK Office for National Statistics put the number of Cypriot-born residents in the UK as a whole at 60,000. But around the same time the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, mainly made up of Greek Cypriots, claimed to represent more than 300,000 people, a figure also used by some academics. Meanwhile the Turkish Government and other researchers estimate the size of the Turkish Cypriot community in the UK alone as high as 400,000 and over 500,000 world-wide.

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Waves of Cypriot emigration

Cypriot emigrants, post-WW2

Cypriot emigration can be described in a series of waves driven by social, political and economic factors:

• During the Ottoman period (16^th-19^th centuries) many Cypriots emigrated to Egypt and other neighbouring countries fleeing economic hardship and political instability at home.
• British colonial rule from 1878 onwards saw increased migration to the UK and other British territories. It was common for these early migrants to work in textile factories, catering and various manual labour jobs in the West End of London and Camden. Meanwhile it also spurred more Turkish Cypriots moving to mainland Turkey. This latter trend accelerated from the 1930s due to what the Turkish Cypriot community saw as increasing agitation by the majority Greek Cypriot community for closer links to Greece.
• In the 1960s and early 1970s inter-communal tension between the two major communities post-Independence led to further significant migration. This was further encouraged to take advantage of economic opportunities in migrant-receiving countries like Australia, North America and South Africa.
• The 1974 Turkish invasion resulted in many Greek Cypriots, who were displaced from their homes in the north of the island, fleeing to Greece, the UK, and other countries. At the same time Turkish-Cypriots, displaced from the south, migrated to Turkey.
• EU Membership in the early 21^st century facilitated easier Cypriot emigration to other European countries for employment and education.

Counter emigration trends

A notable feature of the Cypriot diaspora over the last two decades has been that a significant number 2^nd and 3^rd generation emigres have relocated to Cyprus. This has been encouraged and incentivised by policies of the Cypriot government, especially post-Covid.

Over this period Cyprus has been further impacted by rapid upsurge in unauthorised arrival of economic migrants and asylum seekers from countries like Syria, Bangladesh and Cameroon. The result has been an ongoing humanitarian crisis and a powerful populist backlash within Cyprus.

Impact of emigration on Cyprus and destination countries

Emigration has had wide-ranging impacts on Cyprus as well as the countries in which Cypriots have settled:

• Emigration, especially among the younger population, has contributed to a decline in the overall population growth rate of Cyprus. Many young Cypriots leave in search of better job opportunities and living conditions abroad.
• With a significant portion of the younger workforce emigrating, Cyprus faces an aging population. This shift places additional pressure on social services and the healthcare system.
• Emigration patterns may have contributed to gender imbalance with a higher proportion of young males leaving in search of a better life. This has affected various aspects of society, including the labor market and family structures.
• The loss of skilled workers has contributed to labor shortages in certain sectors.
• On the positive side, remittances from Cypriots living abroad have become an significant source of foreign income for the Cypriot economy.
• Cypriot emigration has also made its mark on their new countries. A particular feature of Cypriot communities abroad has been their political influence. Both the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities have sought to encourage foreign governments and local public opinion to adopt or maintain an approach to the unresolved Cyprus dispute favourable to their community.

Organisations supporting the Cypriot diaspora

Many Cypriot communities abroad form cultural associations and clubs. These organisations host events, festivals, and gatherings that celebrate and promote Cypriot traditions, music, dance, and cuisine.

Such organisations are also of interest to the family historian researching Cypriot ancestry as they may provide valuable genealogical information not readily available from other sources. This includes community newspaper archives, databases or other historical records that document an ancestor's movements, living conditions or activities. They may also also be able to suggest further lines of inquiry that can help you break through a research roadblock.

Significant support organisations in various destination countries include:

• in the United Kingdom: National Federation of Cypriots in the UK and Cypriot Community Associations for Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriot Community Association for Turkish Cypriots.
• in the United States: the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations.
• in Greece: the Association of Cypriot Professionals as well as various cultural and student associations.
• in Turkey: the Association for Solidarity and Culture of Turkish Cypriots (Kıbrıs Türk Kültür Derneği) and the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce.
• in Australia: the Cyprus Community of Melbourne, and the Federation of Cyprus Communities of of Australia and New Zealand.
• in South Africa: the Cyprus Brotherhood.

Notable figures in the Cypriot diaspora

George Savvides

Here are some notable members of the Cypriots diaspora who have excelled in various fields:

• Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou: Founder of easyJet, one of Europe's most successful low-cost airlines.
• Marcos Baghdatis: professional tennis player.
• Theo Paphitis: British retail magnate.
• George Savvides: businessman recognised for a leadership role in the Australian healthcare and insurance sectors.
• Andreas Panayiotou: prominent British property developer.
• Sophia Hadjipanteli: model and social media influencer known for promoting body positivity and challenging beauty norms in the fashion industry.

See also

• Cyprus
• Greek emigration
• Turkish emigration

Explore more about Cypriot emigration

MyHeritage offers a number of tools to assist you with research on the Cypriot diaspora:

• The Cyprus family history research page lists data collections relevant to Cyprus, assisting you to find ancestors originating from Cyprus and to research historical records pertaining to Cyprus
• MyHeritage databases include over 720,000 records for Cypriot surnames. You can learn more about specific Cyprus families, where they lived and what they did for a living. You can search for birth records and death certificates among other information in these historical collections. You can find the names and birth dates of Cypriot family members, different addresses of residence, family members' occupations as well as death and burial information.
• Over 230 million Immigration and Travel records are available in over 100 collections through MyHeritage. These cover citizenship, passport, naturalisation, immigration/emigration and shipping passenger records. They offer a powerful source of information about Cypriots who have left their island for new homelands.
• DNA testing available through MyHeritage can enable you to uncover any Cypriot ethnic origins and potentially find new Cypriot-connected relatives.

References

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