Beyoncé

Beyoncé in 2010, photo by kathclick/bigstock.com

Birth Name: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

Place of Birth: Houston, Harris, Texas, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 4, 1981

Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – Louisiana Creole, including African, French, Acadian/French-Canadian, as well as distant Irish, Breton, and Belgian Walloon, remote Penobscot First Nations

Beyoncé, also known as Harmonies by The Hive, Queen Bey or Queen B, Third Ward Trill, Sasha Fierce, and Beyoncé Knowles, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, and businessperson. She was a member of R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, along with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and also, originally, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson. As a solo artist, she has won the most Grammy Awards of any person, at 32, and has sold over 200 million records worldwide. Often exploring themes of feminism and womanism, her songs include “Crazy in Love,” “Baby Boy,” “Me, Myself and I,” “Check on It,” “Déjà Vu,” “Irreplaceable,” “Beautiful Liar,” “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies,” “Halo,” “Run the World (Girls),” “Drunk in Love,” “Formation,” “Perfect Duet,” “Break My Soul,” “Cuff It,” “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and “II Most Wanted.” Beyoncé has starred in the films Carmen: A Hip Hopera, Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Fighting Temptations, The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls, Cadillac Records, Obsessed (2009), Epic (2013), and Disney’s The Lion King (2019), the latter two in voice role. She co-directed her music films Life Is But a Dream, Lemonade, and Black Is King, which she also co-wrote; and directed and wrote her music films Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.

Beyoncé is the daughter of Tina Knowles (born Célestine Ann Beyoncé), a fashion designer, and Mathew C. Knowles, a businessperson and talent manager. Her sister is singer and actress Solange Knowles. They are the first sisters to have each had No. 1 albums. She is married to rapper and music producer Jay-Z, with whom she has three children, including singer and dancer Blue Ivy Carter. Beyoncé and Jay-Z are in a musical superduo together, The Carters. Beyoncé is a step-sister of actress Bianca Lawson. Her mother is married to Bianca’s father, actor Richard Lawson. Beyoncé founded management company Parkwood Entertainment.

Beyoncé’s father is African-American. Beyoncé’s maternal grandparents were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles, with roots in New Iberia; their ancestry was mostly African and French, including French ancestors who lived in Canada. Through her mother’s line, Beyoncé is a great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard, who led French-speaking Catholics from Nova Scotia, Canada to Louisiana in 1765. He was among the first 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana that year. She is also a descendant of French military officer Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie de Saint-Castin (born c. 1652 in Escout, France), and of his wife, Marie Mathilde Pidianske/Penobscot (born c. 1658), who was the daughter of Madockawando Abenaki, a chief of the Penobscot (Panawahpskek) people. Through Marie Mathilde, Beyoncé is of 1/1024 Indigenous descent. Beyoncé is also of approximately 1/32 Irish ancestry, and has distant Breton and Belgian Flemish roots on her mother’s side, the latter including her ancestor Albert de Cuir, from Hainaut Province, Wallonia. Her name, Beyoncé, is a tribute to her mother’s family name, Beyincé. Through her Broussard line, she is a third cousin of gospel singer and graphic artist Karen Showell.

Beyoncé has said that she has Nigerian ancestry. She may have discovered this through a DNA test.

Mathew Knowles and Tina Knowles at the Giorgio Armani Prive Show

Beyoncé’s parents Mathew and Tina, 2007, photo by bigstock.com

Beyoncé’s mother has also been described as having Cherokee and/or Choctaw Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented. No Cherokee or Choctaw Native American ancestors appear on publicly available family trees of Beyoncé’s mother. One book biography, Crazy in Love: The Beyoncé Knowles Biography, also refers to Beyoncé’s mother having Spanish, Jewish, Chinese, and Indonesian ancestry. It is also not clear if this is accurate.

Beyoncé does not speak French or Spanish, but she has sung in Spanish before.

A picture of Beyoncé’s maternal grandparents can be seen here.

Beyoncé’s paternal grandfather was Matthew/Mathew Q. Knowles (the son of Taylor Knowles and Girlie/Gurlie/Gerlie Mae Miller). Matthew was born in Alabama. Taylor was the son of James Isaac Knowles and Sarah Elizabeth Dixon. Girlie was the daughter of Prophet Miller and Jane Hall.

Beyoncé’s paternal grandmother is Lou Helen Hogue (the daughter of Davis/Dave Hogue and Hester Moore). Lou was born in Alabama. Davis was the son of Jim Hogue and Rosetta Moore. Hester was the daughter of Pinkney Madison Moore and Arenia Goree.

Beyoncé’s maternal grandfather was Lumis/Lumas Albert Beyincé/Buyincé (the son of Alexandre/Alexon Beyincé/Buyincé and Mary Olevia). Lumis was born in Delcambre, Vermilion, Louisiana.

Beyoncé’s maternal grandmother was Agnès/Agnèz DeRouen/Deréon (the daughter of Eugène-Gustave DeRouen/Deréon/Derezen and Odelia/Odilia Broussard). Agnès was born in Louisiana, and was a prominent seamstress. Eugène-Gustave likely was the son of Eloi Jacques DeRouen. Odelia was the daughter of Éloi/Éloy-René Rosemond Broussard, who was white, of French descent, and of Celestine Joséphine Lessee/Lesse/Lesser/Lacy/Lacey/Lessassier, who was black/mixed-race black, and the daughter of a slave mother. Éloi and Joséphine had many children together, and possibly married. A picture of Beyoncé’s great-grandfather Eugène-Gustave can be seen here.

LOS ANGELES – FEB 10: Beyoncé arrives to the Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013 in Hollywood, CA photo by DFree/Bigstock.com

Sources: Genealogies of Beyoncé – http://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com

Family histories of Beyoncé – https://www.hollywoodancestry.com
https://www.dailymail.co.uk
https://jack.canalplus.com

Family history of Beyoncé, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Beyoncé’s paternal grandfather, Matthew/Mathew Q. Knowles, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Beyoncé’s paternal grandmother, Lou Helen Hogue, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Beyoncé’s maternal grandmother, Agnès/Agnèz DeRouen/Deréon, on 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Article about Beyoncé’s maternal great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Joseph Broussard – http://www.biographi.ca

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

1,192 Responses

  1. What? says:

    Beyonce looks mixed but SOlange looks straight African.

    • Divine24Cool says:

      Solange may look Black but she is still half Creole ..Anyway…they both r Black and Creole..no matter which way it goes..its as simple as that. The color of skin has nothing to do with it..it’s multi-cultural.

    • Monica says:

      Beyonce looks mixed because she doesn’t wear her hair in its natural state and Solange does right? What makes a person look mixed? because I know mixed people in every shade and has every hair type.

      • Say WHAT? says:

        LOL – Beyonce’s hair? She looks fake because her hair is majorly fake. She can be mixed and claim whatever she wants to claim – these days it is all about self-definition – but that hair she wears is as phoney as a three-dollar bill.

    • Tyrone says:

      No Beyonce Looks Just as African as Solange. They Practically Look the same

    • cool says:

      BEYONCE IS NOT MIXED

    • mike says:

      why cant people understand

      but

      beyonce is not mixed race


      her mother is black mix with french and indian

      and her dad is black

      her mother is not A WHITE WOMAN

      • Divine24Cool says:

        Her mother IS Multi-racial!!!Not bi-racial if that’s what u r saying..she is of several enthicities and yes she has Caucasian blood,so does Beyonce..It’s not about being born of 2 differnt races ex:Black father + white mother=BIRACIAL CHILD, Multi-racial people or of several differnt enthicties,not just race,and really shouldnt claim one race over the other when they are “MIXED” with several enthicities..Anyway..i just wanted to make it simple for u if u get it that is…

  2. boss says:

    MEGAN FOX IS NOT WHITE

    SHE IS NATIVE AMERICAN

    • miss europe;)) says:

      oh,boy since when did native americans have blue eyes?=)))

      • Divine24Cool says:

        You are totallly WRONG..Please get the facts right before u make a fool out of yourself..Yes,Native indians can have blue,green,grey and Hazel eyes..Look it up,please..

        • Alice says:

          Only if they have European ancestry from both their mother and father. Native Americans didn’t have blue eyes until the white man came.
          http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130170343.htm

          • Divine24Cool says:

            True..so STILL NATIVE INDIANS can HAVE BLUE EYES!! There are several types of indians and Aryan Indians are known for their unique blue eyes!!! Yes it has alot to do with genetics but still who says indians cant have blue eyes?PLease ,please go to ur nearest library or look it up and read more about indians in GENERAL..You can clearly see that she has some indian in her..She said she is mixed with indian not 100% Native Indian,,..OMG where r some of these people getting their info from?

          • Alice says:

            @Divine24Cool Native American people do not have naturally occurring blue or green eyes. If they do they have a reasonable amount of European ancestry. It is not from the Native side of their ancestry if they have blue eyes. What is an Aryan Indian?

          • Alice says:

            @Divine24Cool I just want to explain this a bit. The only populations with significant amounts of blue eyes are European populations. The gene mutation only occurred relatively recently approx 6,000 – 10,000 years ago in Caucasian people north of the Black Sea. This genetic mutation spread rapidly in areas where the climate is cool and not very sunny in Caucasian populations e.g. Northern Europe. There are people with blue eyes in the Middle East and as far as India where there are Caucasian people. Northern India had alot of Persians go there around the 10th Century e.g. The Parsis being a perfect example. A lot of Middle Eastern people and Indian people that have lighter pigmented eyes have more green and hazel coloured eyes than blue though. Saying this the vast majority of Middle Eastern and Indian people are still dark eyed. As I said previously the only regions where blue / green eyes are a majority are countries in the Northern part of Europe e.g. British Isles, Scandinavia, Baltic areas etc. Brown eyes are the default colour of eyes for humans and there is a very good reason that they are dominant in inheritance because they bestow the best protection in sunny climates.

          • Divine24Cool says:

            You asked me what a Aryan indian is..If u know so much about indians per se u would have the answer to this dumb question..Not going to get a answer from me,sweetie!!

          • Alice says:

            @Divine24Cool You were talking about Native Americans and then you mentioned Aryan Indians. The term Indo-Aryan is used more in relation to languages. In your comment you were talking about Indians as in Native Americans. Indians from the sub-continent are a completely different group of people and are a completely different subject to what was being discussed.

          • Divine24Cool says:

            I’m talking about indians in general..Not just Native indians dumbass..You said that indians cant have blue eyes and i just mentioned one indian tribe..and no Aryan is not only language it also refers to people..

          • Alice says:

            @Divine24Cool Native Americans and Indians are different ethnic groups. There is no Indian tribe called “Aryan Indians”. The Aryan race are the original speakers of Indo-European languages. Aryan is a term not used much any more because of its misuse during the 2nd World War. There is no need to get abusive either.

        • Alice says:

          @Divine24Cool I’ve enjoyed and appreciated your posts on Creole people and I’m sure your a person that can argue your point without being abusive. Let’s all be polite to each other.

    • Habe says:

      We not talking about Megan Fox. We are talking about Beyonce Knowles, who is million times prettier then, Megan Fox. Either way will always be goregous!

    • Tyrone says:

      Nah You and Your Fake as Megan Fox Can go somewhere else

  3. aaydrian says:

    If Beyonce says that she IDENTIFIES herself as black but knows that she has really ‘close to her’ ancestry(grand-great, great peeps) that is Creole we just have to leave it at that. What I don’t like however is how these girls start out in the business one shade of ‘black’ but as soon as their popularity increases so does the lightness of their skin. Look at Beyonce, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj who is a shadow of their former self say what it’s like being a strong black woman yet they look more white every day. They seem to be unintentionally contradicting themselves and making it appear as if to be a successful black female u must be of light complexion.
    Anyways back to ethnicity and or race, once u are of African descent and live in north America, central America, the Caribbean and south America chances are SOMEWHERE in ur ancestry is a ‘white man’s and I use white very loosely in terms of anyone who is Asian, European, native American, Amerindian and persons from the middle east.

  4. Cynthia Yavette Hall says:

    Everybody is beautiful !

  5. George says:

    WHY do you all say “o we are all mixed yada yada yada” ok, saying someone is mixed when they have an ancestor thats from the 1520s make no fucking sense. that is so far down the line it would never reach that person in this day and age. People are just made at us biracials multiracial people because we can pass as many things. you full breeds somehow think “well, if their mix than so am I!” its pathetic. KNOCK IT OFF!! you arent mixed!

    • George says:

      ..are you kidding me? whatever

    • George says:

      really what are they mixed with then? different types of european dosend count as being mixed. im over this. No wonder there is so much hate within the african american community

      • What? says:

        If your great great great great grandma mom white, please stop claiming that mess. If you look black…….white…asian………..you are as such!

        When you are mixed, it shows in your complexion, facial features and HAIR!

      • storm says:

        Look, Megan Fox is too pretty to be white. She is Native American and is a minority. She has brown skin. Just accept that she, Anne Hathaway, Ashlee Simpson, Julia Roberts, and Rumer Willis are not white.

    • What? says:

      Most people are NOT mixed. Having 10% of something in you does NOT make you mixed. Oprah has 10: native American blood in her. She is black. Image, if Oprah has 10%, the Africans in Africa have………….zero!

      If you have more than 30% of another race in you, your ass is mixed! Chris Rock is 20% WHITE! His ass looks straight black.

      • wonderful says:

        man shut the fuck up just because of that so what. just because someone is ten percent they still mixed dumb ass. and not all people look like there ethnic background. Im mexican, native american, english, italian and black and i dont look anything but native american and black. so u can whip my ass fuck face

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