Tina Fey

Fey in 2011, photo by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey

Place of Birth: Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Date of Birth: May 18, 1970

Ethnicity:
*father – German, Northern Irish, English
*mother – Greek

Tina Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is famous for her comic portrayal of the former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

Tina’s mother, Zenobia (Xenakes), is Greek, born in Piraeus. Tina’s father, Donald Henry Fey, is of German, Northern Irish, and English descent.

Tina is married to composer, actor, director, and producer Jeff Richmond, with whom she has two children.

Tina’s paternal grandfather was Heinrich “Henry” Fey (the son of Charles Fey and Betty/Bettie Roessling/Rosling). Heinrich was born in Pennsylvania, to German parents. Charles was from Reifferscheid, Prussia, and his mother’s name was Mary.

Tina’s paternal grandmother was Mildred Ada Ritchie (the daughter of Robert Cowan Ritchie and Lillian May/Mae Prentzel). Mildred was born in Pennsylvania. Robert’s father, Robert John Ritchie, was born in Pennsylvania, to parents from Ireland, and Robert’s mother, Matilda Anderson, was from Ireland; the family was likely of Protestant Northern Irish descent. Tina’s great-grandmother Lillian was the daughter of Charles S. Prentzel and Margaret Van Hook Vaughan, and had German and English ancestry.

Tina’s maternal grandfather was named Constantine “Gus” Xenakes/Xenikis (the son of Zacharias Xenakes). Constantine was born on Panagia, Ikaria, Greece.

Tina’s maternal grandmother was Vasiliki Kourelakos (the daughter of Napoeleon Kourelakos and Stamatina Stephenakos). Vasiliki was born in Petrina, Lakonia, Greece. Tina’s great-grandmother Stamatina was the daughter of Panaglotis/Panagiotis Stefanokos/Stafanakos and Panagiota.

A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2014) stated that Tina’s genetic ancestry is:

*94% European
*3% Middle Eastern
*3% Caucasus

Genetically, she was found to have a common ancestor with actor Tony Shalhoub, through her mother’s side.

In his 2016 book about the show, Finding Your Roots, Season 2: The Official Companion to the PBS Series, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. wrote that almost half of Tina’s European DNA originates in Greece and/or Italy, and a quarter in the U.K., with her European DNA being split at about half between Northern and Southern Europe.

Fey in 2010, photo credit: Gage Skidmore.com

Sources: Genealogies of Tina Fey – http://www.geni.com
http://www.pbs.org

Tina’s paternal grandparents, Heinrich “Henry” Fey and Mildred Ada Ritchie, along with Tina’s paternal great-grandparents, Charles Fey and Betty/Bettie Roessling, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Pennsylvania birth record of Tina’s paternal grandfather, Heinrich Fey (later Henry Fey) – https://familysearch.org

Tina’s paternal grandmother, Mildred Ada Ritchie, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Tina’s paternal great-grandfather, Robert Cowan Ritchie, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org