The ancestral background of presidents of the United States has been relatively consistent throughout American history. With the exception of Martin Van Buren and perhaps Dwight D. Eisenhower,[1] every president has ancestors from the British Isles, which in turn makes many of them distantly related to one another. John F. Kennedy was of pure Irish descent, Van Buren was of Dutch lineage; and Eisenhower was of German and Swiss heritage. Barack Obama is the only president to have ancestry from outside Western Europe; his paternal family is of the Luo people of East Africa. He is also believed to be a direct descendant of John Punch, a colonial-era slave born in modern-day Cameroon. Despite speculation, there is no evidence that any of the United States’ presidents have had any Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common ethnic groups in the Thirteen Colonies were those hailing from either Great Britain or Ulster which includes 9 counties of Ireland, 6 of which are in modern day Northern Ireland. Those of other backgrounds (such as Irish, Dutch, German, or French) would see attempts to assimilate them into the dominant English and predominately Protestant culture.[2]

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."[3]

Ancestry table

Summary: Dutch – 5 • English – 39 • French – 12 • German – 11 • Irish – 4 • Kenyan (Luo) – 1 • Scottish – 19 • Swiss – 3 • Ulster Scots – 21 • Welsh – 15

{{Debate: the distinction between Irish and Ulster Scots separate ethno-nationalist groups is a post-Great Irish Famine invention used by Irish-American Protestants to differentiate themselves from Irish Catholics at a time when Irish Catholic immigrants were widely discriminated against in the labour market, housing, and other areas. Prior to the 1840s, the early US presidents listed on this page as Ulster-Scots would not have described themselves as such And would likely in fact have considered themselves Irish and/or British. This table should not therefore identify the two as separate categories.}}

No.
 President
and parents









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)		 [4][5]
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)		 [6][7]
3 Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

Peter Jefferson

Jane Randolph

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Samuel Jefferson [7][8][9]
4 James Madison (1751–1836)

James Madison Sr.

Nelly Conway

 Yes
 Yes
 Isaac Madison (3rd great-grandfather)
London, England → Jamestown, Colony of Virginia (1608)		 [8][10][11]
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)		 [6][7][8][12]
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)		 [6][7]
7 Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)

Andrew Jackson Sr.

Elizabeth Hutchinson

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Andrew Jackson Sr. (father)
Boneybefore, Ireland → Waxhaws, Carolinas (1765)		 [9][13][14][15]
8 Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)

Abraham Van Buren

Maria Hoes

 Yes
 Cornelis Maessen van Buren (3rd great-grandfather)
Buurmalsen, Netherlands → New Netherland (1631)		 [16][17]
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)		 [6][7][18]
10 John Tyler (1790–1862)

John Tyler Sr.

Mary Armisted

 Yes
 Yes
 Henry Tyler (3rd great-grandfather)
Shropshire, England → Colony of Virginia (c.1652)		 [5][6]
11 James K. Polk (1795–1849)

Samuel Polk

Jane Knox

 Yes
 Yes
 Robert Bruce Polk (great-grandfather)
Lifford, Ireland → Province of Maryland (c.1680)		 [9][13]
12 Zachary Taylor (1784–1850)

Richard Taylor

Sarah Dabney Strother

 Yes
 James Taylor (2nd great-grandfather)
England → Colony of Virginia		 [19]
13 Millard Fillmore (1800–1874)

Nathaniel Fillmore

Phoebe Millard

 Yes
 John Fillmore Sr (2nd great-grandfather)
England → Massachusetts Bay Colony		 [19]
14 Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)

Benjamin Pierce

Anna Kendrick

 Yes
 Thomas Pierce (3rd great-grandfather)
Norwich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1634)		 [19]
15 James Buchanan (1791–1868)

James Buchanan Sr.

Elizabeth Speer

 Yes
 James Buchanan Sr. (father)
Ramelton, Ireland → Pennsylvania (1783)		 [13]
16 Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)

Thomas Lincoln

Nancy Hanks

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Samuel Lincoln (4th great-grandfather)
Hingham, England → Hingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony (1638)		 [6][7][13]
17 Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)

Jacob Johnson

Mary McDonough

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown [18][19]
18 Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885)

Jesse Root Grant

Hannah Simpson

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Matthew Grant (5th great-grandfather)
England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)		 [6][13][19]
19 Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893)

Rutherford Hayes Jr.

Sophia Birchard

 Yes
 Yes
 George Hayes (3rd great-grandfather)
Scotland → Windsor, Connecticut Colony(c.1680)		 [20]
20 James A. Garfield (1831–1881)

Abram Garfield

Eliza Garfield

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Edward Garfield (5th great-grandfather)
Hillmorton, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)		 [5][7][19]
21 Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886)

William Arthur

Malvina Stone

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 William Arthur (father)
Cullybackey, Ireland → Lower Canada (c.1820)
   Lower Canada → Vermont (c.1822)		 [8][18]
22/24 Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)

Richard Falley Cleveland

Ann Neal

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Moses Cleveland (5th great-grandfather)
Ipswich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1635)		 [8][13]
23 Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)

John Scott Harrison

Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Benjamin Harrison (5th great-grandfather)
England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630)		 [6][10][13]
25 William McKinley (1843–1901)

William McKinley Sr.

Nancy Allison

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 John McKinley (2nd great-grandfather)
Dervock, Ireland → Province of Pennsylvania (1742)		 [6][9][13]
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)		 [5][7][8][17]
27 William Howard Taft (1857–1930)

Alphonso Taft

Louise Torrey

 Yes
 Robert Taft Sr. (4th great-grandfather)
County Louth, Ireland → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1675)		 [19]
28 Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)

Joseph Ruggles Wilson

Jessie Janet Woodrow

 Yes
 Yes
 James Wilson (grandfather)
Ulster, Ireland → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (c.1795)		 [9][18]
29 Warren G. Harding (1865–1923)

George Tryon Harding

Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Richard Harding (8th great grandfather) Northampton, England → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (1623) [8]
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)		 [6][10]
31 Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)

Jesse Hoover

Hulda Randall Minthorn

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Andreas Huber (3rd great-grandfather)
Ellerstadt, Holy Roman Empire → Province of Pennsylvania (1738)		 [21][22]
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)

James Roosevelt I

Sara Ann Delano

 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 [13][23]
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969)

David Jacob Eisenhower

Ida Stover

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Johann Peter Eisenhauer (2nd great-grandfather)
Karlsbrunn, Holy Roman Empire → York, Province of Pennsylvania (1741)		 [22][24][25]
35 John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.

Rose Fitzgerald

 Yes
 Patrick Kennedy (great-grandfather)
New Ross, Ireland → Boston, Massachusetts (c.1848)		 [18][26]
36 Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)

Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr.

Rebekah Baines

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown [27]
37 Richard Nixon (1913–1994)

Francis A. Nixon

Hannah Milhous

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown [7][18][28]
38 Gerald Ford (1913–2006)

Leslie Lynch King Sr.

Dorothy Ayer Gardner

 Yes
 Yes
 Philip King
Devonshire, England → Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania (1730)		 [29]
39 Jimmy Carter (born 1924)

James Earl Carter Sr.

Lillian Gordy

 Yes
 Yes
 Thomas Carter (8th great-grandfather)
England → Colony of Virginia (c.1635)		 [8][13]
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)		 [30][31]
41 George H. W. Bush (1924–2018)

Prescott Bush

Dorothy Walker

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 [8][13][32][33] [8][13][32][33]
42 Bill Clinton (born 1946)

William Jefferson Blythe Jr.

Virginia Cassidy

 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown [8][13]
43 George W. Bush (born 1946)

George H. W. Bush

Barbara Pierce

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 [8][13][32][33] [8][13][32][33]
44 Barack Obama (born 1961)

Barack Obama Sr.

Ann Dunham

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Barack Obama Sr. (father)
Nyang'oma Kogelo, Kenya Colony → Honolulu, Hawaii (1959)[34][35]
45 Donald Trump (born 1946)

Fred Trump

Mary Anne MacLeod

 Yes
 Yes
 Friedrich Trump (grandfather)
Kallstadt, Germany → New York City, New York (1885)		 [9][36]
46 Joe Biden (born 1942)

Joseph R. Biden Sr.

Catherine Eugenia Finnegan

 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 William Biden (3rd great-grandfather)
Westbourne, England → Baltimore, Maryland (c.1820)		 [37]

See also

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. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Siegel, Robert; Silverman, Art (April 7, 2017). "During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture". NPR. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ Hardy, Rob. "Ancestry". The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. Mount Vernon, Virginia: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Taylor, Maureen A. (June 2001). "The French Connection". Family Tree Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 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.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 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.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 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.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "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.
  10. 1 2 3 "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.
  11. ↑ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 92.
  12. ↑ Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: the quest for national identity. Internet Archive. New York, McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-001582-1.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Kennedy, Billy. "Ulster-Scots and the United States Presidents" (PDF). Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: The Ulster-Scots Agency. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  14. ↑ Elmer, Martin Jackson (1885). Keeping the Lamp of Remembrance Lighted: A Genealogical Narrative with Pictures and Charts about the Jacksons and Their Allied Families. Hagerstown, Maryland: Hagerstown Bookbinding & Printing Co. p. 9.
  15. ↑ "US Presidents with Irish Heritage".
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. 1 2 Simkin, John (January 2020). "Dutch Immigration". spartacus-educational.com. Spartacus Educational Publishers. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Murphy, Sean. "American Presidents with Irish Ancestors". Bray, Ireland: Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vinmont, Rolf Benjamin, ed. (1933). Our Presidents At A Glance. New York City: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 77.
  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. 1 2 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. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ 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.
  25. ↑ "Eisenhower Ancestry". eisenhowerlibrary.gov. Abilene, Kansas: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  26. ↑ "John F. Kennedy and Ireland". jfklibrary.org. Boston: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  27. ↑ 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.
  28. ↑ Klein, Christopher (August 30, 2018). "10 Things You May Not Know About Richard Nixon". history.com. New York City: A&E Television Networks. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information". fordlibrarymuseum.gov. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  30. ↑ 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.
  31. ↑ 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.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Dowd, Maureen (July 18, 1989). "Dutch, Digging Deep, Find Bush's Pilgrim Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "Ancestry of George W. Bush". Wargs.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  34. ↑ Plante, Bill (July 30, 2012). "Surprising link found in Obama's family tree". cbsnews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  35. ↑ 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.
  36. ↑ Schubert, Atika (February 16, 2016). "Donald Trump's German roots: Inside the town that spawned a dynasty". cnn.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  37. ↑ 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

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