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
To me Beyonce is just a Black girl. Having one mixed parent or grandparent doesn’t put her in the mixed category or else Every AA would be mixed. Her mother is BLACK, White French,Spanish with a dash of Native American. She had both Free relatives and slave relatives like all AAs. While it’s obvious that she has some other race(s) in her. She is still black to me because she could NOT have passed for white. She still has to straighten her hair and her skin is brown so that says more black than anything to me. Like my grandma always said “Mija, Cafe con leche todavia es Cafe” (Child, coffee with milk is still coffee) sorry no accents.
Sorry your grandmother is wrong . . . coffee with milk is part coffee and part milk! O_o
Seriously hope you are aware of that.
EXACTLY! =))
you have never been to Africa to say that haha in Africa she wouldn’t be considered black at all. She’s mixed period
you are right,
Jonel what Mgarcia said is that coffee with a dash of milk; I believe is what his grandmother meant.
I agree with mgarcia
I HATE THE AFRICAN PART BECAUSE UNLESS YOUR PARENTS WERE FROM SOME PART OF AFRICA, WE ARE NOT AFRICAN AMERICANS, WE ARE SIMPLY AMERICAN. THE AFRICAN PART GOT LOST ALONG TIME AGO. WE ARE BLACK AND WHATEVER ELSE IS IN OUR BLOOD.
OBAMA IS AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE, THIS CHICK I KNOW HER PARENTS ARE FROM NIGERIA WHICH MAKES HER AFRICAN AMERICAN, THEY WERE BORN IN THE U.S. TO AFRICAN PARENTS, THATS THE DEFINITION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN
@mimi6981
(OBAMA IS AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE)
I think you have this backwards,Obama’s father was African,not African American.Obama fits the text book definition of the phrase African American.Meaning he’s either partial or full African heritage.
Also
THEY WERE BORN IN THE U.S. TO AFRICAN PARENTS, THATS THE DEFINITION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN
(This is only part of the definition )
Now I do understand you dislike being called African,really I do.However we are of fairly recent African descent,and it’s still part of us.Even the culture your so proud of,a good part was based on the Africans,the( foods,language,music etc)were all influence by them .Now you are absolutely right,we should just be called Americans,however you know that’s not the way things work here
Who cares she’s still Beautiful.
Beyonce like most “African Americans” (Remember African is a Nationality not a race) Is Multi racial Its clear as day her mother Tina Knowles is clearly a Mixed race Woman she is Louisianan Creole after all (French, Black, Native American) It iratates me how SOME Black people try and act as if Black Americans are pure when they are not just as Hispanics/Latino Americans are not Pure. When Black Africans came here they did not have fair skin and colored eyes like Vanessa Williams they were Black with Black Features and there was nothing wrong with that at all. Yes Africans do because again Africa is a Continent not a country and African is a Nationality not a race. Blacks come mostly from West and Central Africa, Slave Masters would take advantage of their slaves and rape them thus resulting in a Mixed race child= Light skin, Caucasian Hair and features. Same story in Latin America. There is not denying that I am Salvadorian and Black and both sides of my Family wear racial admixture on their faces. No such thing as a “Africa American” Unless your parents are from Africa and you have ties to Africa Afro Salvadorians don’t call them self African Salvadorian because they are not. Beyonce is not African American She is an Afro American with a Multi racial Background get over it and look into your Family tree and you might just find out that your not so pure either.
I agree with a lot of what you said but was confused about the end where you said Beyonce wasn’t African American but Afro American? What’s the difference. You may be interested Henry Louis Gate’s findings:
http://isteve.blogspot.com/2013/02/henry-louis-gates-exactly-how-black-is.html
I think that if your 1/8 or 12.5% something other than black then it’s mentionable but I wouldn’t say that makes you mixed. Having a mixed parent or being at least a quarter mixed only counts as being slightly mixed. I’m 1/4 white European but I don’t call myself mixed per say, I just say I’m multiethnic
lol this can’t be the same ignorant Multiethnicchick (i’ve been gone forgive me)…. this one seems much more educated.
yeah, it think someone took my name
OMG!!!! Couldn’t have said it BETTER!!! Thank YOU!
betty boo you are wrong she is irish-american