Dianna Agron

Agron in 2011, s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Dianna Elise Agron

Place of Birth: Savannah, Georgia, U.S.

Date of Birth: April 30, 1986

Ethnicity:
*father – Ashkenazi Jewish
*mother – Irish, German, Norwegian, English, distant Welsh [converted to Judaism]

Dianna Agron is an American actress, singer, dancer, and director. She is known for her roles on the series Heroes and Glee, and in the films The Romantics, Burlesque, I Am Number Four, The Hunters, The Family, Zipper, The Crash, Novitiate, Hollow in the Land, Shiva Baby, The Laureate, As They Made Us, Acidman, and Clock.

Dianna is the daughter of Mary and Ron Agron, a general manager of Hyatt hotels. Her brother is photographer Jason Agron. Dianna’s father is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Switzerland, and Estonia. Dianna’s mother has Irish, German, Norwegian, English, and distant Welsh, ancestry; she converted to Judaism when marrying Dianna’s father. Dianna was raised Jewish and was Bat Mitzvah. She grew up partly in San Antonio, Texas, and Burlingame, California, while her father managed various hotels.

Dianna is a fifth cousin, once removed, of singer Jack Gilinsky. Dianna’s paternal four times great-grandparents, Shmuel Labe Agronsky and Fruma Chana Bakhrakh, were also the paternal five times great-grandparents of Jack Gilinsky. She is also distantly related to newspaper editor and politician Gershon Agron and journalist and political analyst Martin Agronsky.

Dianna’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to her great-great-great-great-grandfather, Shmuel Labe Agronsky, who was born, c. 1820, in Russia.

Dianna’s paternal grandfather was Howard Alan Agron (the son of Jack Agron and Edith Kohn). Howard was born in Oklahoma. Jack was born in Sivers’k, Artemivs’kyi district, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, to a Jewish family, the son of Hillel “Hilya”/”Harry” Agronsky and Sonya Sophie Chernikoff. Edith was born in Kansas, to Jewish parents who emigrated from Eastern Europe, Samuel Kohn and Anna; one census lists them as having been born in Russia, and another census lists them as having been born in Poland.

Dianna’s paternal grandmother was Frieda Joy “Joyce” Wasserman (the daughter of Leopold Aman Wasserman and Ethel Arona Friedman). Frieda was born in California. Leopold was a Latvian Jewish immigrant. Ethel was born in Texas, to Jewish parents, Bernhard Zadoc Friedman and Chane Rosalie Blackman; they are listed as having been born in Estonia on one census, and Russia on another census.

Dianna’s maternal grandfather was George Leo Barnes (the son of Everett George Barnes and Pauline Josephine Pyle). Dianna’s grandfather George was born in California. Everett was the son of Everett George Barnes, from Connecticut, and of Uba Botella/Botilla Pedersen/Pederson, whose parents were Norwegian. Pauline was the daughter of Grant Simon Pyle and Susan/Susie Jane Roche, whose parents were Irish, her father from Cork and her mother from Clare.

Dianna’s maternal grandmother was Georgina Mabel Hustedt (the daughter of Henry John Hustedt and Mabel A. Connelly). Georgina was born in California. Henry was the son of Henry/Harry John Hustedt and Georgina Louise Hoeveler, who were German immigrants. Dianna’s great-grandmother Mabel was born in California, the daughter of Joseph William Connelly and Mary O’Donnell, who were born in California, both of them to Irish parents.

Sources: Genealogy of Dianna’s paternal grandfather, Howard Alan Agron (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Dianna’s paternal grandfather, Howard Alan Agron, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Dianna’s paternal great-grandmother, Edith Kohn, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of Dianna’s paternal grandmother, Frieda Joy “Joyce” (Wasserman) Agron – http://www.wikitree.com

Dianna’s paternal great-grandparents, Leopold Aman Wasserman and Ethel Arona Friedman, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Dianna’s maternal great-grandfather, Everett George Barnes, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Dianna’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Uba Botella/Botilla Pedersen/Pederson, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Dianna’s maternal grandmother, Georgina Mabel Hustedt – http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com

Dianna’s maternal great-grandfather, Henry John Hustedt, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Dianna’s maternal great-grandmother, Mabel A. Connelly, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org