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.
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
Beyonce looks totally black! I dont know why she want to be white
Why is it so hard for some people to believe that Beyonce has Creole blood running through her veins? She is not all black or all white,she is a mixture of Black,French,Spainish and indian which was PASSED on to her by her mother who is Creole..so what is wrong with that?
She’s black. And I agree with TheTruth. If there were a race war she would fight for black people. Not mixed people. And I am sure she is going to raise her new daughter as black. Not mixed.
Beyonce’s mother ‘s maiden name is Beyince which is French..her mother’s parents were BOTH Louisiana Creoles ..Yes in the kind of world we live in Beyonce would identify herself as Black only because that’s how she was raised and that’s all she knows..Too bad she dosen’t acknowledge what she really is and be proud of her mixed heritage because that is exactly what Creole people :Multi-racial people..not bi-racial which is not the same thing..
am 50% white 75%black and % other! but I was raised by my black Jamaican mother! my white English father was never around ” I had the bob marely affect” because I was raised in the black and Asian community I was pick on for being white. I was raised black. don’t know any of my white family never met them and will never meet them. so I can see why Beyonce and other Muilti-mixs will ID with the black and no-white side!
people just call me a light skin black woman.because when I’m with my mother who is black. people don’t know or view me as mixed! if my mother was a white woman that would be a whole different story!
what do you mean you are 50% and 75% black?
NO BEYONCE
HAS BLACK BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH HER VEINS
FROM HER FATHER SIDE
FROM HER MOTHER SHE HAS ALSO BLACK BLOOD
–
MIX WITH FRENCH AND NATIVE INDIAN
INDIANS FROM BACK THEN HAD RED SKIN
.
BEYONCE IS CONSIDERED BLACK – BY EVERYONE
AS SHE SEE HERSELF AS BLACK
AND
SHE MARRIED A BLACK MAN – JAY-Z
AND
THEIR CHILD IS BLACK TOO
–
THATS MY MESSAGE
how about her dad
her dad is not creole
Beyonce is African-American AND Creole..her dad dosent have to be Creole ..U r not making sense at all..
she’s black…she have only about 20% of caucasian blood
only 20%….like that is nothing. Without it she’d be darker….like her dad. She is closer to her mother’s shade.
I think everyone needs to think about who these people would side with if there was a race war. Seriously think. If Beyonce HAD to choose a side do you think she would choose mixed, black or white? Would she fight for the mixed race, black or white?
Obviously black. You all know its the truth.
Whenever a celebrity is predominantly black – like Beyonce – they always choose their black side. Halle berry, paula patton. They all deny their black side. Halle berry wants to only consider her daughter black. You see.
White people can’t claim her. She would never fight for white people. That is why she and Jayz put so much effort into getting Obama elected because they wanted a black man in the office.
She does not take pride in being white. She is black. She loves being black.
She choose to marry a black man – who is straight African (Jay Z), so they can breed more black people and keep their race alive.
TheTruth hurts but it is obvious. Being part white means nothing to them. It is way cooler to be black than white. In the entertainment industry at least.
Everybody wants to be black nowadays. Its a new trend.
No nobody that isnt black wants to be black. What do you mean? People who are majority black or full black are proud to be black and thats it. Other people dont have a problem with the black race but obviously we dont want to be black, we love our own races… Dont get too full of it.
Halle Berry is half African, half European, her daughter therefore is 1/4 African, 3/4 European. & Wow she got the best of both worlds….that kid is lucky.
But her daughter is mainly white. — nahla, halle berrys daughter.
Okay…. Obama is 50% European. You cannot discount he being born & raised by his biological white Mother.
To quote Chris Rock “there’s a white peg legged bus boy who won’t trade places with me… And I’m rich”. Lol.
I’m Creole and we come in all shades,not just high yellow,blonde hair,blue eyed people that alot of people think we look like..Our native tongue is French but u can be of a differnt race and still be Creole.. Who cares? We are all mixed with something..