Liza Koshy

Koshy in 2016, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Elizabeth Shaila Koshy

Place of Birth: Houston, Harris, Texas, U.S.

Date of Birth: March 31, 1996

Ethnicity:
*father – Malayali Indian
*mother – Swiss-German, German, some English

Liza Koshy is an American actress, television host, comedian, media personality, and YouTuber.

Liza is the daughter of Jean and Jose Koshy. She has stated that her father is Indian, of Malayali descent, from Kerala, south India. Her mother is white. Liza’s parents are pictured here.

She co-starred in the film Work It. In the film Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016), Liza’s character, Aday Walker, was African-American.

Liza has said:

I just took a DNA test, turns out, I’m 6% Jewish and I’m invoicing my mother for my Bat Mitzvah and 23 years of Hanukkahs.

Liza’s maternal grandfather was John Asa Hertzler (the son of Asa Miller Hertzler and Rebecca Susanna/Susan Shenk). Liza’s grandfather John had mostly Swiss-German and German, along with some English, ancestry, with roots in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, Germany; Bern and Zürich, Switzerland; and Northumberland, England. His family were mostly Pennsylvania Dutch (ethnic Germans in Pennsylvania). Liza’s great-grandfather Asa was the son of Joseph Kanagy Hertzler and Nancy J. Miller. Rebecca was the daughter of John M. Shenk and Frances Annie “Fannie”/Fanny Good.

Liza’s maternal grandmother was Rebecca Evans Henkels (the daughter of George Jacob Henkels and Johanna M. Hammer). Rebecca was born in Pennsylvania, also of Pennsylvania Dutch (German) descent. George was the son of John S. Henkels and Mary E. Knight. Johanna was born in Pennsylvania, to parents from Germany.

Sources: https://www.youtube.com

Genealogies of Liza Koshy (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com
https://www.geni.com

Obituary of Liza’s maternal grandmother, Rebecca Evans (Henkels) Hertzler – https://www.meaningfulfunerals.net

Liza’s maternal great-grandparents, George Jacob Henkels and Johanna M. Hammer, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Obituaries of Liza’s maternal great-grandparents, George Jacob Henkels and Johanna M. (Hammer) Henkels – https://www.findagrave.com