Ancestral background of presidents of the United States

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 Trump are the only known presidents who did not have ancestors who arrived during the colonial period. Barack Obama, the country's first and so far only African American president, is the only president to have ancestry from outside of Europe; his paternal family is descended from the Luo people of Kenya. 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 of American Presidents

Summary:

• (British) English – 38
• (British) Scottish – 23
• (British) Ulster Scots – 23
• (British) Welsh – 17
• French – 13
• German – 11
• Irish – 8
• Dutch – 6
• Swiss – 3
• Swedish – 2
• (British) Guernsey – 1
• Kenyan (Luo) – 1
• Polish – 1

No.	President and parents	Dutch	English	French	German	Guernsey	Irish	Luo	Polish	Scottish	Swedish	Swiss	Ulster Scots	Welsh	Patrilineal emigrant ancestor	Citations
1	George Washington (1732–1799) Augustine Washington Mary Ball		Yes	Yes											John Washington (great-grandfather) Sulgrave, England → Colony of Virginia (1656)	[5] [6]
2	John Adams (1735–1826) John Adams Sr. Susanna Boylston		Yes											Yes	Henry Adams (2nd great-grandfather) Braintree, England → Braintree, [Massachusetts Bay Colony (c. 1633)	[7] [8]
3	Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) Peter Jefferson Jane Randolph		Yes							Yes				Yes	Samuel Jefferson	[8] [9] [10]
4	James Madison (1751–1836) James Madison Sr. Nelly Madison		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	Patrick Andrew Monroe (2nd great-grandfather) Scotland → Colony of Virginia (c. 1650)	[7] [8] [9] [13]
6	John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) John Adams Abigail Smith		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) Abraham Van Buren Maria Hoes	Yes													Cornelis Maessen van Buren (3rd great-grandfather) Buurmalsen, Netherlands → New Netherland (1631)	[14] [15]
9	William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) Benjamin Harrison V Elizabeth Bassett		Yes										Yes	Yes	Benjamin Harrison (3rd great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c. 1630)	[7] [8]
10	John Tyler (1790–1862) John Tyler Sr. 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) Samuel Polk Jane Knox									Yes			Yes		Robert Bruce Polk (great-grandfather) Lifford, Ireland → Province of Maryland (c. 1680)	[10] [16]
12	Zachary Taylor (1784–1850) Richard Taylor Sarah Dabney Strother		Yes												James Taylor (2nd great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia	[17]
13	Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) Nathaniel Fillmore Phoebe Millard		Yes												John Fillmore Sr. (2nd great-grandfather) England → Massachusetts Bay Colony	[17]
14	Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) Benjamin Pierce Anna Kendrick		Yes											Yes	Thomas Pierce (3rd great-grandfather) Norwich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c. 1634)	[17]
15	James Buchanan (1791–1868) James Buchanan Sr. Elizabeth Speer									Yes			Yes		James Buchanan Sr. (father) Ramelton, Ireland → Pennsylvania (1783)	[16]
16	Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) Thomas Lincoln Nancy Hanks		Yes										Yes	Yes	Samuel Lincoln (4th great-grandfather) Hingham, England → Hingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony (1638)	[7] [8] [16]
17	Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) Jacob Johnson Mary McDonough		Yes							Yes			Yes		Edward Johnston (2nd great-grandfather) Aberdeen, Scotland → New Kent, Colony of Virginia (1664)	[17] [18] [19]
18	Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) Jesse Root Grant Hannah Simpson		Yes	Yes						Yes			Yes		Matthew Grant (5th great-grandfather) England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)	[7] [16] [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] [17]
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]
22/24	Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) Richard Falley Cleveland Ann Neal		Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes						Yes		Moses Cleveland (5th great-grandfather) Ipswich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1635)	[9] [16]
23	Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) John Scott Harrison Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin		Yes							Yes			Yes	Yes	Benjamin Harrison (5th great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c. 1630)	[7] [11] [16]
25	William McKinley (1843–1901) William McKinley Sr. Nancy Campbell Allison		Yes							Yes			Yes		John McKinley (2nd great-grandfather) Dervock, Ireland → Province of Pennsylvania (1742)	[7] [10] [16]
26	Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) Theodore Roosevelt Sr. Martha Bulloch	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) Alphonso Taft Louise Torrey		Yes										Yes		Robert Taft Sr. (4th great-grandfather) County Louth, Ireland → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (c. 1675)	[17]
28	Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) Joseph Ruggles Wilson Janet E. Woodrow									Yes			Yes		James Wilson (grandfather) Ulster, Ireland → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (c. 1795)	[10]
29	Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) George Tryon Harding 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) John Calvin Coolidge Sr. 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	Andreas Huber (3rd great-grandfather) Ellerstadt, Holy Roman Empire → Province of Pennsylvania (1738)	[21] [22] [23]
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) James Roosevelt I Sara Delano	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 Martha Ellen Young		Yes	Yes	Yes					Yes			Yes		Unknown	[16] [24]
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) David Jacob Eisenhower Ida Stover				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) Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Rose Fitzgerald						Yes								Patrick Kennedy (great-grandfather) New Ross, Ireland → Boston, Massachusetts (c. 1848)	[27]
36	Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. Rebekah Baines		Yes	Yes	Yes					Yes			Yes		Unknown	[28]
37	Richard Nixon (1913–1994) Francis A. Nixon Hannah Milhous		Yes		Yes								Yes	Yes	Unknown	[8]
38	Gerald Ford (1913–2006) Leslie Lynch King Sr. Dorothy Ayer Gardner		Yes						Yes	Yes					Philip King Devonshire, England → Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania (1730)	[29] [30]
39	Jimmy Carter (1924–2024) James Earl Carter Sr. Lillian Gordy		Yes							Yes			Yes		Thomas Carter (8th great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c. 1635)	[9] [16]
40	Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) Jack Reagan Nelle Wilson		Yes				Yes			Yes					Michael O'Regan (great-grandfather) County Tipperary, Ireland → London, England (1852) London, England → Carroll County, Illinois (1856)	[31] [32]
41	George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) Prescott Bush Dorothy Wear Walker	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes			Yes	Yes		Yes		John Bush (7th great-grandfather) Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c. 1640)	[9] [16] [33] [34] [35] [36]
42	Bill Clinton (born 1946) William Jefferson Blythe Jr. Virginia Cassidy		Yes				Yes						Yes		Unknown	[9] [16]
43	George W. Bush (born 1946) George H. W. Bush Barbara Pierce	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes			Yes	Yes		Yes		John Bush (8th great-grandfather) Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c. 1640)	[9] [16] [33] [34] [35] [36]
44	Barack Obama (born 1961) Barack Obama Sr. Ann Dunham		Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Barack Obama Sr. (father) Nyang'oma Kogelo, Kenya Colony → Honolulu, Hawaii (1959)	[2] [37] [38] [39]
45/47	Donald Trump (born 1946) Fred Trump Sr. Mary Anne MacLeod				Yes					Yes					Frederick Trump (grandfather) Kallstadt, Germany → New York City, New York (1885)	[10] [40]
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)	[41]

See also

• Ancestral background of vice presidents of the United States
• African 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

1. Roberts, Gary (1995). Ancestors of American Presidents. New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 8. ISBN   0-936124-19-9 . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
2. Plante, Bill (July 30, 2012). "Surprising link found in Obama's family tree". cbsnews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
3. 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.
4. Siegel, Robert; Silverman, Art (April 7, 2017). "During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture". NPR . Retrieved July 18, 2018.
5. Hardy, Rob. "Ancestry". The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. Mount Vernon, Virginia: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
6. Taylor, Maureen A. (June 2001). "The French Connection". Family Tree Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. "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.
11. "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.
12. Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 92.
13. Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: the quest for national identity. Internet Archive. New York, McGraw-Hill. ISBN   978-0-07-001582-1.
14. 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.
15. Simkin, John (January 2020). "Dutch Immigration". spartacus-educational.com. Spartacus Educational Publishers. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
16. Kennedy, Billy. "Ulster-Scots and the United States Presidents" (PDF). Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: The Ulster-Scots Agency. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
17. Vinmont, Rolf Benjamin, ed. (1933). Our Presidents At A Glance. New York City: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 77.
18. "A whistlestop tour of every US president's ancestry | Blog". www.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
19. Gormley, Myra Vanderpool (1989-07-06). "Tracing Lineage of American Presidents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
20. "Hayes Family Genealogy". rbhayes.org. Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
21. Burner, David (1979). Herbert Hoover: The Public Life. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 4. ISBN   978-0-394-46134-2.
22. 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.
23. Whyte, Kenneth (2017). Hoover: an extraordinary life in extraordinary times (First ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN   978-0-307-59796-0.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. "Eisenhower Ancestry". eisenhowerlibrary.gov. Abilene, Kansas: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
27. "John F. Kennedy and Ireland". jfklibrary.org. Boston: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
28. 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.
29. "Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information". fordlibrarymuseum.gov. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
30. Edward Pinkowski, "President Ford was Sadowski Descendant", Poles in America Foundation, 2007
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. Dowd, Maureen (July 18, 1989). "Dutch, Digging Deep, Find Bush's Pilgrim Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
34. "Ancestry of George W. Bush". Wargs.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
35. "George W Bush har svenska rötter". SVT. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
36. "Ancestry of George W. Bush (B. 1946)".
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. "Obama receives Scots invitations". BBC News UK.
40. Schubert, Atika (February 16, 2016). "Donald Trump's German roots: Inside the town that spawned a dynasty". cnn.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
41. 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

• Roberts, Gary Boyd (2009). Ancestors of American Presidents (2nd ed.). Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society. ISBN   978-0-88082-220-6.

External links

• Presidential Family Trees and Famous Kin, famouskin.com