# Are there Kennedys who are not Catholic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758 "2014-11-27T12:45:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/1 "2014-11-27T12:45:14Z")
I wonder if there are people (or maybe rather: whole families) who bear the family name _Kennedy_ and who are **not** Roman Catholic? Note that this is about a general, historical perspective, not about individuals whose faith may have lapsed or who have converted to other religions or denominations for personal reasons. For instance, are there Kennedys in Ireland who for generations have been members of the Church of Ireland? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/2 "2014-11-27T13:49:22Z")
I’m sure there must be many thousands of Protestant Kennedys. [Michael Kennedy](http://www.coigazette.net/?m=201211) for one is Canon of the Church of Ireland in Armargh. William Lafayette Kennedy founded a [Baptist orphanage in North Carolina.](http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/07/04/3983401/kinstons-kennedy-home-celebrates.html) [William Kennedy](http://webjournals.ac.edu.au/journals/adeb/k/kennedy-william-1868-1929/) founded Baptist organizations in Western Australia. There would be no more reason that all Kennedys should be Roman Catholic than any other Irish name. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/3 "2014-11-27T16:05:33Z")
I had a friend named Kennedy who was training to be a Baptist minister. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/4 "2014-11-27T21:40:48Z")
My wife’s business partner was a Protestant Kennedy. ---
**Author:** ![DingoelGringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DingoelGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DingoelGringo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/5 "2014-11-27T21:44:56Z")
Could one invent a more stupid question? My sister married a John Kennedy who was a loud atheist but his father was a minister in the Seventh Day Adventist church. All 3 of my sisters kids carry the name Kennedy also of course and none of them are Catholic. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/6 "2014-11-27T22:07:32Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > Could one invent a more stupid question? […] Who knows? But there usually also is a useless answer. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/7 "2014-11-28T00:07:35Z")
It’s not like Judaism, you are not automatically a Catholic because of your birth. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/8 "2014-11-28T05:00:26Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > Could one invent a more stupid question? **Moderator Warning** **DingoelGringo** , you’ve been warned previously for responses like this. This is an official warning for being a jerk. Your posting privileges will be under discussion by the staff. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Cardboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/9 "2014-11-28T07:01:02Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > Could one invent a more stupid question? Are potatoes meat? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/10 "2014-11-28T07:48:11Z")
I’m a Kennedy. My five siblings and I were raised Catholic, but of the six of us, only one sister is still at all practicing. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/11 "2014-11-28T09:55:29Z")
Not all Kennedys are of Irish descent - it is also a Scottish name. That Scottish family is particularly associated with Ayrshire, an area that historically had a reputation for being strongly Protestant, and the heads of the senior branch, the Earls of Cassillis and Marquesses of Ailsa, have mostly been Protestant. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/12 "2014-11-28T16:22:56Z")
Kennedy, the former MTV VJ, is Eastern Orthodox. ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/13 "2014-11-28T18:32:14Z")
Did the OP perhaps refer to the Kennedy political dynasty family? Nowadays, one can’t assume that the traditionally Roman Catholic ethnic groups are still Roman Catholic, be it in name only or practicing. I, for one, am an Italian episcopalian and I know many many Hispanics who are non RC as well. Demographics have changed, as many abandon traditional religions or the denomination of their upbringing ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/14 "2014-11-28T18:40:13Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Kennedy, the former MTV VJ, is Eastern Orthodox. That’s just a stage name, though. Her real name is Lisa Kennedy Montgomery. ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/15 "2014-11-28T23:08:29Z")
I remember a story about an Eastern European Jewish immigrant family entering the US via Ellis Island by way of Canada. When asked their name they misunderstood the question thinking they were being asked what country they were arriving from, and answered “Canada” but with their thick accent that’s how they became the first American jewish family named “Kennedy”. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/16 "2014-11-28T23:49:12Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > Could one invent a more stupid question? My sister married a John Kennedy who was a loud atheist but his father was a minister in the Seventh Day Adventist church. All 3 of my sisters kids carry the name Kennedy also of course and none of them are Catholic. This post is a clear example of threadfarting. I, for one, aways find it annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/17 "2014-11-28T23:50:53Z")
> [@fighting\_ignorant](#): > > I remember a story about an Eastern European Jewish immigrant family entering the US via Ellis Island by way of Canada. When asked their name they misunderstood the question thinking they were being asked what country they were arriving from, and answered “Canada” but with their thick accent that’s how they became the first American jewish family named “Kennedy”. You know about Sam Rose, Henry Wise, and Sean Fergesen? ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/18 "2014-11-29T12:04:38Z")
My question was actually inspired by watching a documentary some time ago about the role of Protestantism in Irish society. The film included an interview in which a man (from Dublin) claimed that there were “typical” Irish and “typical” English family names in Dublin, the former usually associated with Catholic families. At least to some degree, this is the case in other countries, for instance when I hear a German name which sounds typically Northern German as opposed to, let’s say, from Bavaria, I can make an educated guess as to the religious affiliation of this individual. It’s still a guess, though. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/19 "2014-12-01T01:32:11Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > My question was actually inspired by watching a documentary some time ago about the role of Protestantism in Irish society. The film included an interview in which a man (from Dublin) claimed that there were “typical” Irish and “typical” English family names in Dublin, the former usually associated with Catholic families. Yes, there are both surnames and forenames which are considered characteristically Catholic, or characteristically Protestant, in Ireland. But there are always exceptions, both ways. Very often, once you know somebody’s name, you can predict their religious heritage with some degree of reliablity, but not with total reliability. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758/20 "2014-12-01T02:29:04Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > This post is a clear example of threadfarting. > > I, for one, aways find it annoying. **Moderator Note** **Leo Bloom** , considering the post has been moderated, there is no further reason for you to comment on it. That’s kind of the point of moderating such comments. Don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-kennedys-who-are-not-catholic/705758.md?page=2)