Coco Rocha

Rocha in 2009, image by lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Mikhaila Rocha

Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date of Birth: September 10, 1988

Ethnicity: Irish, Ukrainian, some English, distant Welsh

Coco Rocha is a Canadian model. She is the daughter of Rocky Rocha and Trevor Haines. She has described herself as being of “Ukrainian-Irish” descent. She has also said:

My mom’s half Irish and my dad’s half Irish. We don’t know much about my mom’s side but my dad’s mom came from Belfast and married my grandfather, who was from Wales.

Her grandparents later moved to Canada. Coco is married to artist James Conran, with whom she has three children. She is a Jehovah’s Witness.

Coco’s paternal grandfather was Francis “Frank” Haines (the son of Francis Haines and Catherine Geary). Coco’s grandfather Francis was born in Cardiff, Wales. Coco’s great-grandfather Francis was the son of James Haines, who was born in Kingstone, Somerset, England, and of Caroline Haines, who was born in Stragstay, Somerset. Coco’s great-grandmother Catherine was the daughter of Daniel Geary, who had Welsh and likely Irish ancestry; and of Ellen Sullivan, whose father was from Cork and whose mother was from Clonmel, Tipperary, both in Ireland.

Coco’s paternal grandmother was Catherine Welsh (the daughter of John Welsh and Margaret Jane Patterson). Catherine was from Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Coco’s maternal grandfather’s surname likely is Seniuk.

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Curious about ethnicity

12 Responses

  1. alexgxo says:

    If her mothers surname was likely originally “Seniuk”, then I’m guessing Rocha is a spouses or step parents surname? Would explain why she has that surname despite having no Portuguese roots.

    When I heard she had British/Irish I always thought that their surname was just a re-spelling of “Roche” (a Norman surname brought to England/UK during the Norman invasion) that had nothing to do with the other similar Portuguese surname.

  2. stlucas says:

    Coco’s paternal grandparents were Francis “Frank” Haines and Catherine. Francis was born in Wales. Catherine was from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

  3. stlucas says:

    Coco’s mother was previously surnamed Seniuk. I think this is her maiden name, once one of Coco’s aunts is also surnamed Seniuk.

    https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-gazette-volume-146-issue-40-october-5-2013/government-notices-respecting-corporations

  4. stlucas says:

    Coco’s parents are Rocky Ann Juanita Rocha and Trevor Charles Haines.

    Coco can attribute both her dancing, which she practiced for twelve years, and her looks to her Irish ancestry. “My mom’s half Irish and my dad’s half Irish. We don’t know much about my mom’s side but my dad’s mom came from Belfast and married my grandfather, who was from Wales.” Her grandparents later moved their family to Canada.
    http://irishamerica.com/2009/06/coco-rocha-rocks-the-runway/

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