John Stamos
Stamos in 2011, image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: John Phillip Stamos
Place of Birth: Cypress, Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: August 19, 1963
Ethnicity:
*50% Greek
*12.5% Ashkenazi Jewish
*12.5% German
*25% mix of English and Irish
John Stamos is an American actor, producer, musician, comedian, and singer. He is known for playing Jesse Katsopolis on the television comedy Full House.
John is the son of Loretta D. (Phillips), a bathing suit model, and William John Stamos, a restaurateur. His father was of Greek heritage, with roots in the island of Santorini. His mother was of one quarter Ashkenazi Jewish and one quarter German descent, with the rest a mix of English and Irish. The family’s original surname is “Stamotopoulos.” John’s character on the show Jake in Progress (2005) was named Jake Phillips, presumably after John’s maternal grandfather and great-grandfather.
John is married to model, actress, and writer Caitlin McHugh, with whom he has a son.
John’s paternal grandfather was John B. Stamatopoulos/Stamos (the son of Vasilios Stamatopoulos and Georgitsa Tsiapralis). John’s grandfather John was Greek, from Kakouri.
John’s paternal grandmother was Adeline/Lena T. Psaras (the daughter of Thomas/Tom Frank Psaras and Mary Logisis/Lagousis). Adeline was born in Ohio, to Greek parents. Thomas was from Tripoli, Greece. Mary’s mother’s maiden name was Simposni.
John’s maternal grandfather was Jake Phillips, Jr. (the son of Jacob/Jake Phillips and Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach). John’s grandfather Jake was born in California. John’s great-grandfather Jacob was a Jewish immigrant, who was likely born in Riga, Latvia, and was the son of Wolf Phillips and Gusta Greenberg. John’s great-grandmother Mary/Margaret was born in Canada, the daughter of German (Lutheran) parents, Frederich/Frederick Sachs, from Wolferode, and Frederike/Fredericke/Fredericka/Friedricka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” Wilken/Wilkins, from Steinhagen. John’s great-great-grandmother Frederike was killed by her second husband, Harry Staples.
John’s maternal grandmother was Eloise Florence Ridgley/Ridgeley (the daughter of Ralph Frank Ridgley and Rose Florence Monly/Money). Eloise was born in Minnesota. Ralph was the son of William Frank Ridgley and Grace Ethel Stanchfield. Rose was the daughter of Augusta J. Money and Susan L.
Stamos in 1990, photo credit: Alan Light
Sources: Genealogy of John Stamos – https://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com
Genealogy of John Stamos (focusing on his father’s side) – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
John’s maternal grandfather, Jake Phillips, Jr., on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Jake Phillips, Jr. on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of John’s maternal great-grandparents, Jacob/Jake Phillips and Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach – https://familysearch.org
John’s maternal great-grandparents, Jacob/Jake Phillips and Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of John’s maternal great-grandmother, Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach – https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Genealogy of John’s maternal great-grandmother, Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach (through Mary/Margaret’s brother) – http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com
John’s maternal great-grandmother, Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach, on the 1901 Canada Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of John’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Frederich/Frederick Sachs and Frederike/Fredericke/Fredericka/Friedricka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” Wilken/Wilkins – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of John’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Frederike/Fredericke/Fredericka/Friedricka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” (Wilken/Wilkins) Sachs – https://www.findagrave.com
U know greeks can have blue eyes as well right ? they are European it’s not weird
I’m pretty sure that Stamos’ great-grandfather Jacob Phillips was Jewish. I just can’t find explicit proof, however. Any luck, anyone? Madman? Bablah?
He’s from Riga, Latvia. That’s about all I could find. There’s no use sifting through Ellis Island records as that is most certainly not his original name.
Jake was the son of Wolf Phillips and Gusta Greenberg. To me, the surname “Greenberg” speaks for itself as strong evidence that they were Jewish.
Mary’s real name was Margaret. She was born in Canada, to German parents, Frederick Sachs and Rachel Wilkins.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8X1-ZCR
Rachel’s full name was Frederike/Fredericka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” Wilken, and she was from Steinhagen, Germany.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KH2Y-3QM
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMF1-1SM
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=112429090
I haven’t seen John’s episode, but I’ve read that he discovered that his paternal great-grandfather was murdered by his friend. John’s mother’s side actually has a similar incident; John’s great-great-grandmother, Frederike or Fredericka, was murdered by her second husband, Harry Staples, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1906.
Genealogies of John’s great-grandmother, Margaret Sachs – https://www.ancestry.co.uk/genealogy/records/margaret-sachs_139859515
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=arnoldvwfamilies&id=I20486
Frederick Sachs was born in Wolferode, Germany.
Thank you.
“Greenberg”, I guess, but in particular I think just about every European-born Wolf Phillips has been Jewish.
BTW, madman, I thought you’d enjoy this:
https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AGreenberg~%20%2Bbirth_place%3Asweden~
There is a remarkable similarity between some Swedish and Jewish surnames, especially those ending in “man” and “berg”. I myself was recently asked (outside of Sweden), after stating my surname, if I was Jewish or of Jewish descent (which, to my knowledge, I’m not).
“Greenberg” however, although made up of two words that are common in Swedish surnames, is still more often Jewish than Swedish. I’ve never heard of anybody with that surname.
On his episode, Stamos vaguely said that his mother was of English and Irish descent, so perhaps he’s not even aware of his Latvian Jewish and German ancestry. I guess he doesn’t know about all the Jewish families with the last name “Phillips”, especially in England.
That would have been a repeat of the Jessica Biel episode.