Michelle Zauner

Birth Name: Michelle Chongmi Zauner

Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea

Date of Birth: March 29, 1989

Ethnicity:
*paternal grandfather – German
*paternal grandmother – Ashkenazi Jewish, Sephardi Jewish
*mother – Korean

Michelle Zauner is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is known for fronting the band Japanese Breakfast.

Her mother, Chongmi, died in 2014.

Michelle’s paternal grandfather was John William Zauner (the son of John Zauner and Louise Elizabeth Erb). Michelle’s grandfather John was born in Brooklyn, New York. Michelle’s great-grandfather John was the son of German parents, Frederick Zauner and Mary Feitner. Louise was the daughter of Friedrich Erb, who was from Friesenheim, Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and of Caroline Febinger, whose parents were also German, from Rhineland-Palatinate and Hannover, respectively.

Michelle’s paternal grandmother was Barbara Ann Bair (the daughter of Leigh Joseph Bair and Jeanette Lillian Lesser). Barbara was born in New York City. Leigh was born in New York, the son of Leopold Simon Bair, whose parents were German Jews; and of Caroline Maude DePinna, who was born in England, and had Sephardi Jewish, from Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Gibraltar, and Morocco, ancestry. Michelle’s great-grandmother Jeanette was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Mose Mona Lesser, who was born in Québec, Canada, to Jewish parents from Germany and England, respectively; and of Ruth Della Mayer, who was of German Jewish descent.

Sources: Genealogy of Michelle’s father – https://www.familysearch.org

Obituary of Michelle’s mother – https://www.legacy.com