Aidan Gallagher

Gallagher in 2019, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Aidan R. Gallagher

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 18, 2003

Ethnicity:
*father – English, Scottish, Irish, Norwegian, Swiss-German, distant Dutch [likely converted to Judaism]
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish

Aidan Gallagher is an American actor, musician, and U.N. Environment Goodwill Ambassador for North America. He is known for his leading roles on the shows Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn and The Umbrella Academy. He was the most searched-for person on IMDB for much of August 2020.

Aidan has stated that he is Jewish. It appears that Aidan’s father and paternal grandparents, who were of LDS (Mormon) origin, had converted to Judaism. Aidan’s mother was born to Ashkenazi Jewish parents.

Aidan is a fourth cousin, once removed, of actress Michelle Williams and filmmaker Jerusha Hess. Aidan’s paternal great-great-great-great-grandparents, Samuel Schenk and Magdalena Aebersold, were also Michelle’s and Jerusha’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents.

Aidan’s paternal grandfather was William Kneeland Gallagher (the son of Leonard Wines Gallagher and Sara Bertha “Sally” Roberts). William was born in California, and was an author. He was an LDS missionary in his youth; and had his funeral at a Jewish temple. Leonard was born in Butte, Silverbow, Montana, the son of Frank Melville Gallagher and Margaret Julia Hall. Sara was the daughter of Nathaniel Embury Roberts and Selma Cecelia Hanson, whose own father was born in Oslo, Norway.

Aidan’s paternal grandmother is the daughter of Robert Elmer Jones and Meryl Dunn. Robert was the son of Thomas M. Jones, Jr. and Matilda McFarland, whose own father was born in Dysart, Fife, Scotland, and whose own mother was born in Málaga, Andalusía, Spain, to an English father and a Scottish mother. Aidan’s great-grandmother Meryl was the daughter of Charles Welch Dunn and Lula Magdalena Schenk, whose own parents were Swiss, of Swiss-German descent, her father from Eggiwil, Bern and her mother from Walkringen, Bern.

Aidan’s maternal grandfather was Michael Spencer Rifkin (the son of Arthur Rifkin and Anna/Anne/Ann Swirsky). Michael was born in New York, and was of Russian Jewish descent.

Aidan’s maternal grandmother was Anita Haimowitz (the daughter of Joseph Haimowitz and Rose I. Potash). Anita was born in New Jersey, to a Romanian Jewish father and a Polish Jewish mother. Rose was the daughter of Morris Potash and Anna Listow.

Sources: Genealogy of Aidan Gallagher – https://www.geni.com

Obituary of Aidan’s paternal great-grandmother, Meryl (Dunn) Jones – https://archives.lib.byu.edu

Obituary of Aidan’s maternal grandmother, Anita (Haimowitz) Rifkin – https://www.legacy.com