Matthew McConaughey
McConaughey in 2008, image via Entertainment Press / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Matthew David McConaughey
Place of Birth: Uvalde, Texas, U.S.
Date of Birth: November 4, 1969
Ethnicity: Irish, Scottish, one eighth German, English, 1/16th Swedish, remote Welsh
Matthew McConaughey is an American actor, producer, model, writer, and director. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club (2013). His many roles also include Dazed and Confused, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, Boys on the Side, Lone Star, A Time to Kill, Contact, Amistad, EDtv, The Wedding Planner, Frailty, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, Reign of Fire, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Sahara, Two for the Money, We Are Marshall, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Lincoln Lawyer, Bernie, Killer Joe, Mud, Magic Mike, The Paperboy, The Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar, Free State of Jones, Sing, Gold, The Dark Tower, White Boy Rick, Serenity, The Beach Bum, and True Detective. Matthew was selected People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2005.
Matthew is the son of Mary Kathlene (McCabe) and James Donald McConaughey, who played college football, for the Kentucky Wildcats and the Houston Cougars. His father was born in Mississippi. His mother is from New Jersey. He is married to Brazilian-born model Camilla Alves, with whom he has three children, including actor Levi McConaughey. His brother is television personality Mike ‘Rooster’ McConaughey. His ancestry is Irish, Scottish, one eighth German, English, 1/16th Swedish, and remote Welsh. He has Irish roots in the Cavan/Monaghan area. Matthew’s family moved to Longview, Texas, in 1980.
Matthew’s paternal grandfather was Hugh Richard/Donald McConaughey (the son of James Donald McConaughey and Frances Louise King). Hugh was born in New Mexico, and had Scottish and English ancestry. James was the son of James W. McConaughey and Albina Dandridge McRae. Albina’s brother was Dandridge McRae, a lawyer, court official, and Inspector General of Arkansas State Troops, who was a brigadier general in the C.S.A. during the American Civil War. Albina was a cousin of Democratic politicians Colin J. McRae and John J. McRae, who was Governor of Mississippi. Matthew’s great-grandmother Frances was the daughter of John Patrick King and Sarah H. Hazlett/Harlat.
Matthew’s paternal grandmother was Barbara Claire Maitland (the daughter of Robert Smith Maitland and Julia Barbara Westerling). Matthew’s grandmother Barbara was born in Louisiana. Robert was a Scottish emigrant, born in Aberdeen, the son of Robert Maitland and Jane McDonald. Julia was the daughter of Charles Westerling, a Swedish emigrant, from Gottinbourg, and of Anna Maria Nugent/DeNugent, an Irish immigrant.
Matthew’s maternal grandfather was Walter John McCabe (the son of Walter McCabe and Adele/Adela Selma Pack). Matthew’s grandfather Walter was born in New Jersey. Matthew’s great-grandfather Walter was the son of Charles McCabe and Elizabeth McClure. The surname McCabe can be both Irish and Scottish. Adele was a German emigrant; she was born in Elberfeld, Westphalia, Prussia, the daughter of Wilhelm Gustav Pack and Johanne Friederike Wilhelmine Fasbender.
Matthew’s maternal grandmother was Gertrude M. Maher (the daughter of William Maher and Julia Catherine O’Brien). Gertrude was born in New York, to Irish parents. William was the son of Jeremiah Maher and Mary Condon. Julia was the daughter of William O’Brien, from Cork, and of Mary Hennessy/Hennessey/Henrich, from Tipperary.
Sources: Family history of Matthew McConaughey – http://www.genealogywise.com
Genealogy of Matthew McConaughey (focusing on his father’s side) – http://easttexasgenealogy.blogspot.ca
The following genealogy incorrectly identifies Matthew’s maternal grandparents as George Glynn McCabe and Maxine Corrick – http://genealogy.kathihill.com
Genealogy of Matthew McConaughey (though only his paternal grandfather is correctly identified) – https://www.geni.com
Marriage record of Matthew’s parents – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Matthew’s father – https://www.findagrave.com
Matthew’s paternal grandfather, Hugh Richard/Donald McConaughey, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Biography of Matthew’s paternal great-great-great-uncle, Dandridge McRae – http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net
Matthew’s paternal grandmother, Barbara Claire Maitland, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Matthew’s paternal great-grandparents, Robert Smith Maitland and Julia Barbara Westerling, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Matthew’s paternal great-grandfather, Robert Smith Maitland – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Matthew’s paternal great-grandmother, Julia Barbara Westerling – https://www.familysearch.org
Matthew’s aunt (his mother’s sister), Barbara I. McCabe, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Matthew’s maternal grandfather, Walter John McCabe, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Birth record of Matthew’s maternal grandmother, Gertrude M. Maher – https://www.familysearch.org
Matthew’s maternal grandmother, Gertrude M. Maher, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Matthew’s maternal great-grandparents, William Maher and Julia Catherine O’Brien – https://familysearch.org
Matthew mentions his Irish ancestry – http://www.metro.co.uk
He annoys me…
an Italian referee has a serious resemblance with him
http://genoacfc.it/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Banti1.jpg
http://www.italpress.com/images/21829.jpg
http://qn.quotidiano.net/sport/calcio/2013/09/19/952542/images/2335523-banti.jpg
http://www.iamnaples.it/img/news/1/arbitro_banti.jpg
Killer Joe
This guy is definitely Irish, because his last name sounds Irish.
his land name is Scottish only
http://www.houseofnames.com/mcconaughey-family-crest
last*
Yes, it probably comes from a Scottish ancestor way back in the day. That line has been in the U.S. for a while.
It is quiet clear to most ppl that he is mostly Scottish even the McCabe line is Scottish yet you call it Irish
WTF are you on about? He isn’t “mostly” Scottish because he definitely isn’t over 50% Scottish. His paternal grandmother was half Scottish, and his paternal grandfather had some degree of Scottish ancestry, but, like most many-generations Americans, not that much.
As for Matthew’s mother, it appears that she’s from an Irish-German Catholic family from New Jersey. The McCabe line is hard to trace that far back, but Matthew’s great-great-grandfather, Charles McCabe, was the son of American-born parents. When I go to Rootsweb, I find 1543 Ireland-born “McCabe”s, and 304 Scotland-born “McCabe”s (which isn’t proof of anything, of course).
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MN8J-VZP?cc=1417683
So to put it in numbers, he’s a little over 1/8th Scottish.
Can you please make a page for Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of True Detective, follers?
I put it up.
McCabe is definitely Irish as well. The McCabes are a Gallowglass family who came to Ireland from the Western Isles in the 13th century. They were a Norse-Gael clan. The same for other Gallowglass families in Ireland like the McSweeneys and McDonnells. They would be heavily Irish now. A lot of Scottish and Irish names have a shared and intertwined history.
Both of his parents surnames (McCabe & McConoughey) are Scottish. There is a lot of connection between the Scots and the Irish though (I’m Scottish but my mother is half-irish on her dad’s side. Her dad has a name shared between scotland and ireland). I think he must be part scottish.
YEAH I SEE YOUR POINT…, BUT McCABE CAN BE AN IRISH SURNAME ALSO.