# Who are your ancestors? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582 "2002-03-16T05:20:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/21 "2002-03-16T18:24:49Z")
I’m about half Norwegian - mom’s side came over ~ 1900 to Minnesota - I figure that makes her pretty close to “pure” Scandanavian, at least. The other half? Dad’s side came over in 1635 and from what I’ve been able to trace, my paternal ancestors weren’t too picky about nationality. Definites are English (originally), Irish, and some sort of Amerindian (unfortunatley, I haven’t been able to determine exactly which). And I’m sure I’m missing several more. Famous ancestors? None of which I’m aware, though if you go back far enough I’m sure anyone can find someone. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/22 "2002-03-16T18:41:40Z")
Castillian(from Majorca), Basque, German, Italian, African, Taíno, maybe Moor and Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/23 "2002-03-16T19:12:10Z")
I’m 100% Ukrainian, for both sides of my family as far back as we can trace. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/24 "2002-03-16T19:36:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by galen ubal \* > \*\*I’m about half Norwegian - mom’s side came over ~ 1900 to Minnesota - I figure that makes her pretty close to “pure” Scandanavian, at least. > > The other half? Dad’s side came over in 1635 and from what I’ve been able to trace, my paternal ancestors weren’t too picky about nationality. Definites are English (originally), Irish, and some sort of Amerindian (unfortunatley, I haven’t been able to determine exactly which). \*\* Uff da! If you switch grandfather and grandmother around, and switch German for Irish, you’ve pretty much got my lineage. BTW—my Amerindian is Choctaw, 1/64th. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/25 "2002-03-16T20:12:32Z")
I’m not sure what I am on my mother’s side, 'cause she was adopted. But on my dad’s side I’m mostly Norwegian (grandfather’s side) and English (grandmother’s side); more Norwegian than anything else. As for famous ancestors, the only ones I can think of are Erik the Red and Leif Erikson. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/26 "2002-03-16T20:27:31Z")
German on my Mom’s side, German and Polish on my Dad’s. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/27 "2002-03-16T20:34:50Z")
My mom’s side is a Norwegian-German mix. On my dad’s side, I’m cleanly 50% Czech; my grandfather came over in 1924. He was from the region known as Bohemia, so I can actually call myself a Bohemian without having to follow Edie Brickell around. My dad speaks Czech, but I don’t. I kinda want to, though. He has fun playing with the grandkids and saying old Czech nursery rhymes and games. To the best of my knowledge, there are 11 people in America with my last name, and four of those are my brother’s kids. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/28 "2002-03-16T20:45:57Z")
Boring old English and Scottish I’m afraid. It’s pretty cool to be able to claim a convict in your ancestry here in Oz, but as far as I’m aware, I can’t even do THAT. There are a couple of semi-famous dudes though…William Hogarth (the artist) and Charles Burgess Fry (the captain of the first English test cricket team). Pity I can’t draw and I hate cricket! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/29 "2002-03-16T21:27:46Z")
I usually say that the majority of my ancestors are German, but it might be more accurate to say central European. Way back when the borders changed around just as fast as they do now, depending on who won the war or what prince married which princess. My surname came from a region that has been German for some time, but was occasionally French. And some of the Germans came from a lot further east. For three generations though all of my family, in all lines, has been born in the USA so I am actually American. Back in the 1600’s there was one family line that left France during the period of Protestant persecutions, lived in Ireland for a genaration or so, and came the the Americas in 1722. My aunt, who wants to get into the DAR, is deperately trying to find hard documention on one of the grandsons of the immigrant couple, who fought in the Revolution. We already have documentation on one of his uncles, who also fought, but that guy was court-martialed when he refused to fight with the French soldiers(who were Catholic, he was a rabid Protestant) ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/30 "2002-03-16T23:56:02Z")
My immigrant ancestors were Polish. In spite of the fact that Poland did not exist when they emigrated, they considered themselves thoroughly Polish. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/31 "2002-03-17T01:44:39Z")
_deep breath_ French-Canadian, Greek, Spanish, Austrian, German, possibly Irish (I’ve heard conflicting things on that), Romany, Hungarian/Transylvanian, and Native American (Cree). Meh, what can I say–I’m a mutt :). ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/32 "2002-03-17T01:48:31Z")
Oh, yeah; one of my uncles was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop of Montreal, actually. Kinda neat. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/33 "2002-03-17T01:56:18Z")
French-Canadian, Scot, Welsh, Norman, Irish, English, Seminole ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/34 "2002-03-17T02:05:25Z")
1/2 German 1/4 Russian 1/4 Polish. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/35 "2002-03-17T02:40:10Z")
Basically 1/5 on all of these: German Welsh English French Serbian My fifth great uncle was Daniel Boone, also. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/36 "2002-03-17T04:30:24Z")
I’m 3/8 Irish and 5/8 German, according to my cousin. We’ve traced the German immigrants back to the middle of the 18th century, when they arrived in Pennsylvania. They were called “Pennsylvania Dutch.” The Irish were on my dad’s side. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/37 "2002-03-17T05:06:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vivalostwages \* > \*\*I’m 3/8 Irish and 5/8 German, according to my cousin. > > We’ve traced the German immigrants back to the middle of the 18th century, when they arrived in Pennsylvania. They were called “Pennsylvania Dutch.” The Irish were on my dad’s side. \*\* IIRC, the “Dutch” was a corruption of Deutsch. ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/38 "2002-03-17T05:23:13Z")
Well, from my mother I get mostly Irish and a little French. My father is 100% WASP, which makes me half WAS (I’m an atheist :)). As far as famous ancestors go, there aren’t any I’m aware of, but my father’s ex-girlfriend’s grandfather invented artificial turf. Boring, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Daowajan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Daowajan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daowajan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/39 "2002-03-17T05:27:25Z")
Some kind of German/Irish/English/Scottish/whatever mix. Interesting ancestors: On one side of the family: Robert the Bruce. On the same side but in a different branch: Edward the Longshanks. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bedrosian_Bixby)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582/40 "2002-03-17T05:36:17Z")
My father is a Sicilian immigrant. Come to think of it, Sicilians have been raped and pillaged for so many thousands of years that I’m not sure that THEY know their ancestory. My mother is Welsh. I have not given much time to learning about this part of my heritage. But now that I’m older, I find myself wanting to know about the Welsh people.One day I hope to travel there, it looks so beautiful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-ancestors/98582.md?page=3)