Ariana Grande
Grande in 2011, s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Ariana Grande-Butera
Place of Birth: Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 26, 1993
Ethnicity: Italian [including Sicilian]
Ariana Grande is an American singer and actress.
She is the daughter of Joan Grande and Edward Butera. Her parents are of Italian descent. She stated on her Twitter account that she is of half Sicilian and half Abruzzese Italian ancestry. Her maternal half-brother, Frankie Grande, is an actor, dancer, and musician. Ariana is married to real estate agent Dalton Gomez.
A picture of Ariana’s father can be seen here, and a picture of some of her father’s family can be seen here. A picture of Ariana’s mother can be seen here. A picture of Ariana’s paternal grandfather can be seen here, and a picture of Ariana with her maternal grandparents can be seen here.
Ariana’s paternal grandfather was Anthony Vincent Charles Butera (the son of Carlos/Charles Antonio Butera and Marie/Mary Passalaqua/Passalacqua). Anthony was born in New Jersey. Ariana’s great-grandfather Charles was born in New Jersey, to Italian parents, Antonino Butera and Magherita Azzara/Azzala, from Menfi, Provincia di Agrigento, Sicily. Marie was Italian. The surname Butera is Sicilian.
Ariana’s paternal grandmother is named Florence P. Citrano. Florence was born in New Jersey. The surname Citrano is Sicilian.
Ariana’s maternal grandfather was Frank Anthony Grande (the son of Antonio “Anthony” Grande and Filomena/Felmino “Philomena”/”Phyllis” Lavenditti). Frank was born in New York, to Italian parents. Antonio was born, c. 1900, the son of Raffaela/Raffaele V. Grande (b. 1876) and Sabato/Rose Cardalisca (b. July 1877, in Lanciano, Province of Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy), and moved to the U.S. in May 1903. Ariana’s great-grandmother Filomena was the daughter of Francesco Lavenditti/La Venditti and Benedetta Perrotti. Ariana’s grandfather also had roots in Bojano and Gildone, in Campobasso.
Ariana’s maternal grandmother is Marjorie M. Damico (the daughter of John Viovanni Damico/D’Amico and Felomina F. “Minnie” Gigante). Marjorie was born in New York, to Italian parents, with roots in San Fele, Potenza, Basilicata.
Ariana also once twitted that she “just found out my grandparents are heavily greek and part north African,” and then specified “…the chart says Greece/Italy. I just thought it was funny. I’m assuming the North African bit is Moroccan or Tunisia?”
Ariana’s reference to “the chart” makes it likely that she took some sort of DNA test to map out her heritage. DNA tests for people of Sicilian descent sometimes indicate some kind of Greek or North African ancestry.
Grande in 2013, photo by Prphotos.com
Sources: Genealogies of Ariana Grande – https://www.geni.com
https://2.bp.blogspot.com
Ariana’s paternal grandfather, Anthony Vincent Charles Butera, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
History of Ariana’s maternal grandparents, Frank Anthony Grande and Marjorie M. Damico – https://www.youtube.com
Ariana’s half-brother, Frankie Grande, 2008, photo by Prphotos.com
We have to add the “Molisan” tag given D’Amico and Grande/Iavenditti families were from Molise (Bojano and Gildone – province of Campobasso)
I don’t think she half Abruzzese, her maternal family was actually from Molise and not Abruzzo…
Ariana Grande is also part Lucana (Basicata)
You mean her maternal grandmother?
Yes! The great grandmother Filomena (Minnie) Gigante was from San Fele, Potenza, Basicata
The 4th celeb here to have roots in that little town.
I’m confused. Has Lanciano not always been in Abruzzo? I honestly don’t know.
Sorry for ya Hispanics but you’re not like the real Italians from Italy in Europe this —– is totally Amerindian another Hispanic wannabe Euro.
Me as a real Italian from Italy living here I tell ya one one in my country can mistaken her as our countrywoman but only as what she is a Central-Southern American she’s too dark of non Euro face to be like us and other Euro identity.
Here in Brazil we joke about her last name sometimes, Grande means ”big” in portuguese, and we find funny since she is a small woman, so we like to call her Ariana Pequena(”small”).
“Grande”, of course, means largely the same thing in Italian and Spanish. We joke about it here, too, but because it sounds like an order you’d place at Starbucks. A “Grande” is a 16oz drink.
Oaken05 you can talk in hispanic
That’s why her name has always reminded me of Starbucks.
Eu amo
I guess Frank Grillo is also too hispanic or arab looking for your gatekeeping with “Real italians”.
I am always curious … About the other ethnicities of Ariana Grande. His whole family came from Italy
She’s american, but for me totally italian blood