Hunter Hayes
Hayes in 2011, photo by PR Photos
Birth Name: Hunter Easton Hayes
Place of Birth: Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, U.S.
Date of Birth: September 9, 1991
Ethnicity: Cajun French, along with small amounts of German, English, and Northern Irish, remote Scottish, Welsh, Belgian, Swiss-German, and Spanish [Catalan]
Hunter Hayes is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist.
Hunter’s parents are both Cajun, and both have mostly French ancestry. His parents both have non-French roots. Hunter’s other ancestry is small amounts of German, English, and Northern Irish, remote Scottish, Welsh, Belgian, Swiss-German, and Spanish [Catalan]. Many of these ancestors assimilated into French culture, and many became Francophone.
One ancestor of Hunter’s is Jean George Stelly, who was born, c. 1716, in Halbershausen, Württemberg, Germany. Hunter is descended from Jean George, and from his wife, Marie Christine Edelmeier, at least six times. Hunter is descended from Robert Burleigh, an Englishman born in the 1700s, at least three times. Some of his English lines go back to 1600s Colonial America, and his Acadian French roots go back to Canada in the same period.
Hunter’s paternal grandfather is Easton Hayes (the son of Savol/Sauvol/Sovold Joseph Hayes and Marie Anne/Ann/Annie Lou Champagne). Savol was the son of Edwin Walis Hayes and Oscalie Marie Guidry. Hunter’s great-grandmother Marie Anne was the daughter of François Eraste Champagne and Theodora Thibodeaux.
Hunter’s paternal grandmother is Mary Bergeron (the daughter of Willie/Will Jean/John Bergeron and Alfreda Trosclair). Willie was the son of Alexandre/Alexander Bergeron and Aide/Ida Pourciaux.
Hunter’s maternal grandfather was Carol Louis/Lewis Clause (the son of Alexandre “Alex” Clause and Marie Hayde “Ida” Stelly). Carol was born in Louisiana. Alexandre was the son of Joseph Nichols/Nicholls/Nicholas Clause and Marie Cecile Webre. Hunter’s great-grandmother Marie Hayde was the daughter of Joseph Emar Stelly and Eucharist/Eucharisse Breaux.
Hunter’s maternal grandmother is Lynn “Wileen” Simon (the daughter of Elton Joseph Simon and Enola Broussard). Elton was the son of Robert O. Simon and Anaise Vallot. Enola was the daughter of Roman/Romain Broussard and Euphrase/Euphrasie LeBlanc.
Hunter’s matrilineal line can be traced to Perrine Bourg, who was born, c. 1626, in Martaize, Loudun, Vienne, France.
Sources: Genealogy of Hunter Hayes – https://www.wikitree.com
Obituary of Hunter’s paternal great-grandmother, Marie Anne/Ann/Annie Lou (Champagne) Hayes – https://old.findagrave.com
Genealogy of Hunter’s paternal great-great-grandfather, François Eraste Champagne – https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Death record of Hunter’s paternal great-grandfather, Willie/Will Jean/John Bergeron – https://old.findagrave.com
Genealogies of Hunter’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Alexandre/Alexander Bergeron and Aide/Ida Pourciaux – https://old.findagrave.com
Genealogy of Hunter’s maternal grandfather, Carol Louis/Lewis Clause – http://www.findagrave.com
Genealogy of Hunter’s maternal great-grandfather, Alexandre “Alex” Clause – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Genealogies of Hunter’s maternal great-grandparents, Elton Joseph Simon and Enola Broussard – https://old.findagrave.com
Genealogy of Hunter’s maternal great-grandmother, Enola Broussard (focusing on her mother’s side) – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
On his maternal grandfather’s line, he also descends (at least) twice from a Kaskaskia Native American woman, Marie Rouensa. The fractions are 1/2048 and 1/4096
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramepinchieue
http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/09/marie-rouensa-aco-philippe.html
paternal great-grandparents: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74208047/willie-bergeron
paternal great-great-grandparents: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147338874/alexander-bergeron
Genealogy: https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Hayes-Family-Tree-5546
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147326026/joseph-sauvol-hayes
He has also (at least) 1/512 Spanish (including Catalan) ancestry, through Jose Rafael Ignacio Bonventura Castille/Castell, and remote Swiss-German.
and Scottish: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Miller-46873
Welsh: https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Reese-Family-Tree-2060
paternal great-grandfather: https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=gbonnet&id=I82724
also some his ancestors were from Belgium, like this one: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Schexnayder-23
maternal great-grandfather: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151047561/joseph-elton-simon
Hunter actually descends from Jose Rafael Ignacio Bonventura Castille/Castell at least three times, so he might have more than 1/512 Spanish Catalan ancestry
Also he interestingly shares a fair number of forebears with his fellow citizen Aly Landry, making them 4th or 5th cousins, twice removed, depending by the ancestral line
Hayes is actually a German name.
why doesnt he have a French surname?
Because many Cajuns are of mixed ancestry. The surname likely comes from an Irish or English ancestor.
Hayes is actually a German name.