Ariana Grande
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 has starred on the shows Victorious, Sam & Cat, and Scream Queens, and appeared in the film Don’t Look Up. Her most popular songs include “The Way,” “Problem,” “Break Free,” “Bang Bang,” “Love Me Harder,” “Focus,” “Dangerous Woman,” “Side to Side,” “No Tears Left to Cry,” “God Is a Woman,” “Thank U, Next,” “7 Rings,” “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,” “Boyfriend,” “Stuck with U,” “Rain on Me,” “Positions,” “Save Your Tears,” and “Die for You.”
Her mother, Joan Grande, has been CEO of the family firm, a manufacturer of communications and safety equipment. Her father, Edward Butera, owns a graphic design firm. 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. 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 was Florence P. Citrano (the daughter of Enrico “Henry” Cetrano and Lucia “Lucy” Ciarfella). Florence was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Italian emigrants, from Civitaquana, Abruzzo. Enrico was the son of Carmine Cetrano and Giulia/Julia Trabucco. Lucia was the daughter of Ascenzio Ciarfella and Margherita Taddeo.
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.
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
Obituary of Ariana’s paternal grandmother, Florence P. (Citrano) Butera – https://www.obrienfuneralhome.com
History of Ariana’s maternal grandparents, Frank Anthony Grande and Marjorie M. Damico – https://www.youtube.com
This pic looks way better to put on this site
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/events/Ariana+Grande/ariana-grande-handprint-ceremony-01.html
It was taked at the same year as the second picture publicated here
Butera is also a sicilian surname. Her father is clearly sicilian.
Familyhistoryinsider.com link does not work. You could add a picture of her father:
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/arianagrande/images/6/66/Ariana-eddie-picture.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150329042700
and of her mother:
http://images.j-14.com/uploads/posts/image/42766/joan-grande-ariana-grande.jpg
maternal (?) grandparents: https://teeninfonet.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/arianay100jingleballbs-26.jpg?w=1200
“Citrano” surname is Sicilian. Lanciano is in Province of Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy.
plus, in the florence census also says:
Citizenship: American Citizen Born Abroad
it means that someone was born in another country, but came to the United States and got citizenship, so her parents was prob italian-born
Florence Citrano was prob of italian-born parents because in the CENSUS she is orphan.
Name: Florence Citrano
Age: 6
Estimated birth year: abt 1934
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: New Jersey
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Orphan
Home in 1940: Newark, Essex, New Jersey