George R. R. Martin

Martin in 2015, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: George Raymond Martin

Place of Birth: Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 20, 1948

Ethnicity:
*43.75% Irish
*25% Ashkenazi Jewish
*12.5% English
*12.5% German
*6.25% French-Canadian

George R. R. Martin, also known as GRRM and George Raymond Richard Martin, is an American novelist and short-story writer in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is also a screenwriter and television producer. The second R. stands for Richard, his confirmation name. He is known for his Game of Thrones series, as well as Nightflyers and others works.

George is the son of Margaret Delores (Brady) and Raymond Collins Martin. He is married to Parris McBride.

George’s mother was of Irish, and a small amount of French-Canadian, descent. George’s paternal grandmother was of English and German ancestry.

For most of his life, George had believed that his paternal grandfather, Louis Martin, an Italian immigrant, was his biological grandfather. While appearing on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2019), George discovered, through a DNA test, that he is not his grandfather’s biological grandson, and that his biological grandfather was a Jewish man whose name and identity the show was unable to locate; though he was identified some time later by DNA researchers.

A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show stated that George’s genetic ancestry is:

*53.6% British and Irish
*22.4% Ashkenazi Jewish
*15.6% Broadly Northwestern European
*4.3% Broadly European
*2.3% Broadly Southern European
*0.7% French and German
*0.4% Balkan
*0.4% Eastern European
*0.2% Scandinavian
*0.1% Sardinian

George’s biological paternal grandfather was Chaim Jossel “Joseph” Perlmutter (the son of Aaron “Harry” Perlmutter/Plitt and Dvora “Dora” Helamar). Joseph was born in Pavlivka, Volyn Oblast, Russian Empire, now Ukraine, to a Jewish family. Aaron was the son of Yehezkiel/Haskel Plitt and Shifra.

George’s paternal grandmother was Grace Dorothy Jones (the daughter of George Broughton Jones and Anna Gassman). Grace was born in Jersey City, Hudson, New Jersey. George’s great-grandfather George was born in New Jersey, to English parents, Peter Jones, from Eccleshall, Staffordshire, and Jane Hodson. Anna was born in New Jersey, to ethnic German parents, Adam Gassmann/Gassman and Catherine “Kate” Weirssings, who were from the Russian Empire.

George’s legal paternal grandfather was Louis Joseph Martin (born Luigi Mazzuoccolo/Mazuocola, the son of Giuseppe “Joseph” Mazzuoccolo/Mazzuoccollo and Angiolina “Giolia/Julia” Peluso). Louis was Italian, and was born in Naples. George’s biological paternal grandfather was Ashkenazi Jewish.

George’s maternal grandfather was named Thomas Henry Brady (the son of James Brady). Thomas was born in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, to Irish parents.

George’s maternal grandmother was Catharine Therease Wall (the daughter of James N. Wall and Catherine Lantry). George’s grandmother Catherine was born in Ohio, to an Irish father and a Canadian mother, who was of French-Canadian and Irish descent.

Sources: Genealogy of George R. R. Martin – https://www.geni.com

George’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

George’s paternal grandmother, Grace Dorothy Jones, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

George’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org