Owen Wilson
Wilson in 2011, photo by PR Photos
Birth Name: Owen Cunningham Wilson
Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Date of Birth: November 18, 1968
Ethnicity: Irish
Owen Wilson is an American actor, writer, and producer. His roles include Bottle Rocket, Armageddon, The Haunting, Shanghai Noon, The Royal Tenenbaums, Wedding Crashers, Night at the Museum, The Big Year, The Internship, Loki, Cars, The Minus Man, and Marry Me.
Owen is the son of Laura Wilson (born Laura Cunningham), a photographer, and Robert Andrew Wilson, a public television station operator and advertising executive. He is the brother of actors Andrew Wilson and Luke Wilson. He is of Irish descent.
Owen has three children, one each with his former partners, Jade Duell, Caroline Lindqvist, and Varunie Vongsvirates.
Owen’s paternal grandfather was Joseph Murray Wilson (the son of Andrew Thomas Wilson and Julia Gertrude Murray). Joseph was born in Massachusetts. Andrew was born in Massachusetts, to a father from Louisiana, John S. Wilson, and a mother from Ireland, Mary Ann O’Connor. Julia was born in Massachusetts, to Irish parents, Owen Murray and Nora Morrissey.
Owen’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth McGrail (the daughter of Michael Joseph McGrail and Mary Catherine Sherman). Elizabeth was born in Massachusetts. Michael was born in Massachusetts, to Irish parents, Michael McGrail and Catherine Mahoney. Owen’s great-grandmother Mary Catherine was the daughter of George W. Sherman and Mary O’Connor, who was Irish.
Owen’s maternal grandfather was Edward J. Cunningham (the son of John Francis Cunningham and Mary Elizabeth Ryan). Edward was born in Massachusetts. Owen’s great-grandfather John was born in Massachusetts, the son of Lawrence Cunningham, who was Irish, and of Mary J. Whorley, who was born in Massachusetts, to Irish parents. Owen’s great-grandmother Mary Elizabeth was born in Massachusetts, the daughter of Irish parents, James/John E. Ryan and Dora.
Owen’s maternal grandmother was Rosemary White (the daughter of John L./E. White and Regina D. Donoghue). Rosemary was born in New York. John and Regina were born in New York, and all of their own parents were Irish.
Sources: Genealogy of Owen Wilson – https://www.geni.com
Owen’s paternal grandfather, Joseph Murray Wilson, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Owen’s maternal grandmother, Rosemary White, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
I hate how most of these are saying that they are a certain ethnicity just because of the paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother. He looks Nordic!
Wilson and Cunningham are both Scottish names.
Some surnames, in fact many surnames in the Britain and Ireland have more than one origin. Wilson is English and Scottish, not just Scottish. Cunningham though originating as a name first in Scotland, in Ireland is commonly the anglicised form of O’Cuinneagain or Mac Cuinneagain. Similarly Murray can be both Scottish or Irish and is in fact one of the top 20 most common surnames in Ireland.
I’ve been doing some research and found more ancestors of Owen lately, I’ve added them on geni.com and her is the link to his profile page on geni.com: https://www.geni.com/people/Owen-Wilson/6000000030510403855?from_flash=1&fsession_id=1465073946501&through=6000000030509787591.
Seems like all of his ancestors did come from Ireland.
Thank you,
Dustin Schrull
Thank you.
Nice!
Thank you, I also would like to include this link too http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=owen_wilson&id=P1.
Come from there? Perhaps. But Wilson and Sherman are Scottish and English surnames respectively. He’s from Texas. It appears the only surname on which his heredity is based is his mother’s maiden name CUNNINGHAM, which is Irish.
I think you’ll find that O’Connor (twice), Ryan, Donoghue, McGrail, Morrissey and Murray are all Irish names.
Cunningham originated first in Scotland.