The ancestral background of presidents of the United States has been relatively consistent throughout American history. The most common ancestry of U.S. presidents is English, due to its origins as a group of former English colonies. With the exception of Martin Van Buren and possibly Dwight D. Eisenhower,[1] every president has ancestors from the British Isles; Van Buren was of Dutch (New Netherlander) lineage and Eisenhower was of German (Pennsylvania Dutch) and Swiss heritage. John F. Kennedy and Donald J. Trump are the only known presidents who did not have ancestors who arrived during the colonial period. Barack Obama is thus far the only president to have ancestry from outside of Europe; his paternal family is of Kenyan Luo ancestry. He is also believed to be a direct descendant of John Punch, a colonial-era slave born in modern-day Cameroon.[2] There is no evidence that any president has had Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common ethnic groups in the Thirteen Colonies were those from either Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) or Ulster (north Ireland). Those of Irish, Dutch, German, or French backgrounds would see attempts to assimilate them into the dominant English and predominately Protestant culture.[3] A majority of presidents trace their ancestries to the American colonists, in which they are known as Old Stock Americans.
Some nativist political groups within the United States were adamantly opposed to identifying with a foreign nation and would coin those who did as hyphenated Americans. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were outspoken opponents of hyphenated Americans, with Wilson once remarking, "Any man who carries a hyphen about with him, carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic when he gets ready."[4]
Ancestry table
editSummary:
- (British) English – 38
- (British) Scottish – 23
- (British) Ulster Scots – 23
- (British) Welsh – 17
- French – 12
- German – 11
- Irish – 9
- Dutch – 6
- Swiss – 3
- Swedish – 2
- Canadian – 1
- (British) Guernsey – 1
- Kenyan (Luo) – 1
No.
|
President and parents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrilineal emigrant ancestor | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Washington (1732–1799) | Yes
|
Yes
|
John Washington (great-grandfather) Sulgrave, England → Colony of Virginia (1656) |
[5][6] | |||||||||||
| 2 | John Adams (1735–1826) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Henry Adams (2nd great-grandfather) Braintree, England → Braintree, [Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1633) |
[7][8] | |||||||||||
| 3 | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Samuel Jefferson | [8][9][10] | ||||||||||
| 4 | James Madison (1751–1836) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Isaac Madison (3rd great-grandfather) London, England → Jamestown, Colony of Virginia (1608) |
[9][11][12] | |||||||||||
| 5 | James Monroe (1758–1831)
Spence Monroe Elizabeth Jones |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Andrew Monroe (2nd great-grandfather) Scotland → Colony of Virginia (c.1650) |
[7][8][9][13] | |||||||||
| 6 | John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Henry Adams (3rd great-grandfather) Braintree, England → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1633) |
[7][8] | |||||||||||
| 7 | Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)
Andrew Jackson Sr. Elizabeth Hutchinson |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Andrew Jackson Sr. (father) Boneybefore, Ireland → Waxhaws, Carolinas (1765) |
[7][8][9][13] | ||||||||||
| 8 | Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)
Maria Hoes |
Yes
|
Cornelis Maessen van Buren (3rd great-grandfather) Buurmalsen, Netherlands → New Netherland (1631) |
[14][15] | ||||||||||||
| 9 | William Henry Harrison (1773–1841)
Elizabeth Bassett |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Benjamin Harrison (3rd great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630) |
[7][8][16] | ||||||||||
| 10 | John Tyler (1790–1862)
Mary Marot Armisted |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Henry Tyler (3rd great-grandfather) Shropshire, England → Colony of Virginia (c.1652) |
[6][7] | |||||||||||
| 11 | James K. Polk (1795–1849)
Jane Knox |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Robert Bruce Polk (great-grandfather) Lifford, Ireland → Province of Maryland (c.1680) |
[10][17] | |||||||||||
| 12 | Zachary Taylor (1784–1850)
Sarah Dabney Strother |
Yes
|
James Taylor (2nd great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia |
[18] | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Millard Fillmore (1800–1874)
Phoebe Millard |
Yes
|
John Fillmore Sr (2nd great-grandfather) England → Massachusetts Bay Colony |
[18] | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)
Anna Kendrick |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Thomas Pierce (3rd great-grandfather) Norwich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1634) |
[18] | |||||||||||
| 15 | James Buchanan (1791–1868)
James Buchanan Sr. Elizabeth Speer |
Yes
|
Yes
|
James Buchanan Sr. (father) Ramelton, Ireland → Pennsylvania (1783) |
[17] | |||||||||||
| 16 | Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Samuel Lincoln (4th great-grandfather) Hingham, England → Hingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony (1638) |
[7][8][17] | ||||||||||
| 17 | Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)
Mary McDonough |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Edward Johnston (2nd great-grandfather) Aberdeen, Scotland → New Kent, Colony of Virginia (1664) |
[19][16][18] | |||||||||
| 18 | Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Matthew Grant (5th great-grandfather) England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630) |
[7][17][18] | ||||||||||
| 19 | Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893)
Rutherford Hayes Jr. Sophia Birchard |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
George Hayes (3rd great-grandfather) Scotland → Windsor, Connecticut Colony (c.1680) |
[20] | ||||||||||
| 20 | James A. Garfield (1831–1881)
Abram Garfield Eliza Ballou |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Edward Garfield (5th great-grandfather) Hillmorton, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630) |
[6][8][18] | ||||||||||
| 21 | Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886)
William Arthur Malvina Stone |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
William Arthur (father) Cullybackey, Ireland → Lower Canada (c.1820) Lower Canada → Vermont (c.1822) |
[9][16] | |||||||||
| 22/24 | Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)
Ann Neal |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Moses Cleveland (5th great-grandfather) Ipswich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1635) |
[9][17] | ||||||||
| 23 | Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Benjamin Harrison (5th great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630) |
[7][11][17] | |||||||||
| 25 | William McKinley (1843–1901)
Nancy Campbell Allison |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
John McKinley (2nd great-grandfather) Dervock, Ireland → Province of Pennsylvania (1742) |
[7][10][17] | ||||||||||
| 26 | Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (5th great-grandfather) Netherlands → New Amsterdam, New Netherland (c.1649) |
[6][8][9][15] | ||||||
| 27 | William Howard Taft (1857–1930) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Robert Taft Sr. (4th great-grandfather) County Louth, Ireland → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1675) |
[18] | |||||||||||
| 28 | Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
Janet E. "Jessie" Woodrow |
Yes
|
Yes
|
James Wilson (grandfather) Ulster, Ireland → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (c.1795) |
[10][16] | |||||||||||
| 29 | Warren G. Harding (1865–1923)
Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Richard Harding (8th great grandfather) Northampton, England → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (1623) | [9] | |||||||||
| 30 | Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)
Victoria Josephine Moor |
Yes
|
Yes
|
John Coolidge (7th great-grandfather) Cottenham, England → Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1635) |
[7][11] | |||||||||||
| 31 | Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
Jesse Clark Hoover Hulda Randall Minthorn |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Andreas Huber (3rd great-grandfather) Ellerstadt, Holy Roman Empire → Province of Pennsylvania (1738) |
[21][22] | ||||||||
| 32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (5th great-grandfather) Netherlands → New Amsterdam, New Netherland (c.1649) | ||||||||||
| 33 | Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)
John Anderson Truman |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Unknown | [17][24] | ||||||||
| 34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969)
David Jacob Eisenhower |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Johann Peter Eisenhauer (2nd great-grandfather) Karlsbrunn, Holy Roman Empire → York, Province of Pennsylvania (1741) |
[22][25][26] | |||||||||||
| 35 | John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) | Yes
|
Patrick Kennedy (great-grandfather) New Ross, Ireland → Boston, Massachusetts (c.1848) |
[16][27] | ||||||||||||
| 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)
Rebekah Baines |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Unknown | [28] | ||||||||
| 37 | Richard Nixon (1913–1994) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Unknown | [8][16] | |||||||||
| 38 | Gerald Ford (1913–2006) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Philip King Devonshire, England → Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania (1730) |
[29] | |||||||||||
| 39 | Jimmy Carter (born 1924) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Thomas Carter (8th great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c.1635) |
[9][17] | ||||||||||
| 40 | Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Michael O'Regan (great-grandfather) County Tipperary, Ireland → London, England (1852) London, England → Carroll County, Illinois (1856) |
[30][31] | ||||||||||
| 41 | George H. W. Bush (1924–2018)
Dorothy Wear Walker |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
John Bush (7th great-grandfather)
Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1640) |
[9][17][32][33] | |||||
| 42 | Bill Clinton (born 1946) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Unknown | [9][17] | ||||||||||
| 43 | George W. Bush (born 1946) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
John Bush (8th great-grandfather)
Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1640) |
[9][17][32][33] | |||||
| 44 | Barack Obama (born 1961) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Barack Obama Sr. (father) Nyang'oma Kogelo, Kenya Colony → Honolulu, Hawaii (1959) |
[2][36] | ||||
| 45 | Donald Trump (born 1946) | Yes
|
Yes
|
Friedrich Trump (grandfather) Kallstadt, Germany → New York City, New York (1885) |
[10][39] | |||||||||||
| 46 | Joe Biden (born 1942)
Joseph Robinette Biden Sr. Catherine Eugenia Finnegan |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
William Biden (3rd great-grandfather) Westbourne, England → Baltimore, Maryland (c.1820) |
[40] |
See also
edit- Ancestral background of vice presidents of the United States
- African-American heritage of presidents of the United States
- Most royal candidate theory
- Lists of Americans (lists of people from the United States by various criteria, including ethnic or national origin)
References
edit- ^ Roberts, Gary (1995). Ancestors of American Presidents. New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 8. ISBN 0-936124-19-9. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b Plante, Bill (July 30, 2012). "Surprising link found in Obama's family tree". cbsnews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ B. Moniz, Amanada (September 7, 2018). "Culture in the colonial classroom: A failed attempt at assimilation". National Museum of American History. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ Siegel, Robert; Silverman, Art (April 7, 2017). "During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture". NPR. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Hardy, Rob. "Ancestry". The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. Mount Vernon, Virginia: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Taylor, Maureen A. (June 2001). "The French Connection". Family Tree Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fischer, David Hackett (1989). Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 834–839. ISBN 978-0-19-506905-1. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Williamson, David (October 27, 2017). "The American Presidents with family links to Wales". walesonline.co.uk. Cardiff, Wales, UK: Media Wales. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cullen, Niall (February 21, 2020). "A whistlestop tour of every US president's ancestry". findmypast.com. Dundee, Scotland, UK: DC Thomson. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Your Queries: From Scotland to the White House… Six presidents with Scottish ancestry". sundaypost.com. Glasgow, Scotland, UK: DC Thomson & Co. September 11, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c "The Welsh in America". nawf.wales. Penarth, Wales, UK: North America Wales Foundation. 2016. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 92.
- ^ a b Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: the quest for national identity. Internet Archive. New York, McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-001582-1.
- ^ Silbey, Joel (October 4, 2016). "Martin Van Buren: Life Before the Presidency". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Simkin, John (January 2020). "Dutch Immigration". spartacus-educational.com. Spartacus Educational Publishers. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Murphy, Sean. "American Presidents with Irish Ancestors". Bray, Ireland: Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kennedy, Billy. "Ulster-Scots and the United States Presidents" (PDF). Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: The Ulster-Scots Agency. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Vinmont, Rolf Benjamin, ed. (1933). Our Presidents At A Glance. New York City: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 77.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
familysearch.orgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Hayes Family Genealogy". rbhayes.org. Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ Burner, David (1979). Herbert Hoover: The Public Life. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-394-46134-2.
- ^ a b Yang, Philip Q. (2000). Ethnic Studies: Issues and Approaches. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-7914-9311-3. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Whyte, Kenneth (2017). Hoover: an extraordinary life in extraordinary times (First ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-59796-0.
- ^ Johnson, Niel; Johnson, Verna Gail (1999). "Rooted In History: The Genealogy of Harry S. Truman". trumanlibrary.gov. Independence, Missouri: Harry S. Truman Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ Barnett, Lincoln (November 9, 1942). "General "Ike" Eisenhower". Life. Vol. 13, no. 19. New York City: Time Inc. pp. 112–124. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Eisenhower Ancestry". eisenhowerlibrary.gov. Abilene, Kansas: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "John F. Kennedy and Ireland". jfklibrary.org. Boston: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ Wheeler, Keith; Lambert, William (August 14, 1964). "The Man Who Is President". Life. Vol. 57, no. 7. New York City: Time Inc. pp. 25–29, 77–80. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information". fordlibrarymuseum.gov. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Gormley, Myra V. (February 17, 1986). "Digging Up a Potential Presidential Pedigree: 5 Chief Executives Identified as Most Likely Candidates". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Golway, Terry (2008). Ronald Reagan's America: His Voice, His Dreams, and His Vision of Tomorrow. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks MediaFusion. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4022-1258-1.
- ^ a b Dowd, Maureen (July 18, 1989). "Dutch, Digging Deep, Find Bush's Pilgrim Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ancestry of George W. Bush". Wargs.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ a b "George W Bush har svenska rötter". SVT. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ a b http://www.wargs.com/political/bush.html
- ^ Kenneally, Christine (2014). The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures. Melbourne, Victoria: Schwartz. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-670-02555-8.
- ^ Stead Sellers, Frances; Blake, Aaron. "Our first black president plays up his Scots-Irish heritage — and it has everything to do with Trump". Washington Post. No. July 28, 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Obama receives Scots invitations". BBC News UK.
- ^ Schubert, Atika (February 16, 2016). "Donald Trump's German roots: Inside the town that spawned a dynasty". cnn.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Witcover, Jules (2010). Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption. New York City: William Morrow. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-06-179198-7.
Further reading
edit- Roberts, Gary Boyd (2009). Ancestors of American Presidents (2nd ed.). Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society. ISBN 978-0-88082-220-6.
External links
edit- Presidential Family Trees and Famous Kin, famouskin.com