New York City taxi drivers hail from more than 130 countries, and America is one of the five most common countries of origin, according to records for 2006 obtained from the Taxi & Limousine Commission.

Just two drivers indicated on their applications that they were originally from Switzerland, making them as rare a breed on the city streets as the new hybrid Lexus taxis. More than 5,200 drivers were originally from Bangladesh, making the South Asian country the most common country of origin among cabbies, followed by Pakistan, India, and Haiti.

America was fifth, with about 2,300 drivers, and New York natives made up more than half of the American-born drivers, according to the Taxi & Limousine Commission documents.

“A lot of people get in my cab, and they think I’m an emperor or something,” a Jewish taxi driver born and raised in Brooklyn, Roy Seligson, said. “People are impressed with an American driver who speaks English. But we’re still out there more than you think.”

More than 1,300 drivers indicated on their applications that they were originally from New York.

Before the mid-1980s, the people who drove taxis were often off-duty police officers, college students, and artists who drove part-time to earn extra cash, according to the head of the Mutual League of Taxi Drivers, Vincent Sapone. An increase in crime in the 1980s drove away the profession people who had other options, a transportation consultant who studies taxi driver origins, Bruce Schaller, said.

“There are a fair amount of old-timers left,” a cab driver for more than 35 years who was born and raised in Brooklyn, Joseph Morrone, said. “The other fellows got it rough. I can’t imagine my own situation if I went to India to drive a cab.”

While many immigrant cab drivers are attracted to the profession because it puts a premium on entrepreneurial drive and requires only minimal language skills, many Americans with no language barrier to conquer say they drive taxis because of the freedom of the job and the social aspects it provides.

“I like being outdoors,” Mr. Morrone said. “I like talking to people, although the majority of the trips are short, and everyone’s on the cell phone these days.”

For some Americans, driving a taxi is an appealing job because it allows for side projects. Taxi driver Abraham Mittleman’s business card lists him as an “actor, pool player, and raconteur.” Luis Molina describes himself as a disc jockey who drives a cab to pay the bills.

Many New Yorkers interviewed about their perceptions of cab drivers harbor stereotypes that do not necessarily reflect the diversity of taxi drivers. Tasheem Jones, who lives in Midtown and estimates that she rides in a taxi at least three times a week, describes her typical cab driver as a “rude Arab guy.” Kheeny Khan, a Pakistani who lives in Queens, said he has the impression that most cabbies hail from the same Punjabi districts of Pakistan he still calls home.

“Today, cab driving is the second or third job someone has in this country,” Mr. Schaller said. “They’re often coming from being a cook, or working in a factory. It’s a stepping stone job.” The Taxi & Limousine Commission administers about 129 exams a week. About 48% of applicants pass the test, according to statistics obtained from the commission.

There are currently 43,402 medallion taxicab licensees, according to the Taxi & Limousine Commission, and 13,000 yellow cabs on the streets.

“There’s a lot of guys who renew their licenses every year in case something happens with their day job,” Mr. Sapone said. “It’s a backup plan for a lot of people. Some guys aren’t driving, but they never give the license up.”