Middle Eastern Americans are Americans of Middle Eastern background. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the term "Middle Eastern American" applies to anyone of West Asian or North African origin. This includes people whose background is from the various Middle Eastern and West Asian ethnic groups, such as the Kurds and Assyrians, as well as immigrants from modern-day countries of the Arab world, Iran, Israel, and sometimes Armenia and Turkey. Although once considered Asian Americans, the modern definition of "Asian American" now excludes people with West Asian backgrounds.