Tomas Arana
09/24/2013 – Tomas Arana – “Romeo and Juliet” Los Angeles Premiere – Arrivals – ArcLight Cinemas – Hollywood, CA, USA – Photo Credit: Andrew Evans / PR Photos
Birth Name: Thomas Clifford Arana
Place of Birth: Auburn, Placer, California, United States
Date of Birth: April 3, 1955
Ethnicity:
*Mexican, Latvian (father)
*German, Swedish (mother)
Tomas Arana is an American actor.
He is the son of Rena and William Arana.
Tomas’ paternal grandfather was Fred Phillip Arana (the son of Joseph/Jose Y. Arana and Florinanda/Florinda/Flora Lugarda “Frances” Lopez). Fred was born in California, and was of Mexican descent. Joseph’s father was Mexican. Florinda was the daughter of Leonardo Lopez, who was born in Mexico, and Maria Laurenza Rafaela Garcia, who was also of Mexican descent.
Tomas’ paternal grandmother was Anna Ruth Westing (the daughter of Fred Westing/Vesting and Lena/Liba Mary Ruya). Anna was born in Latvia. Fred’s parents’ surnames were Westing/Vesting and Sallo. Lena’s parents’ surnames were Ruya and Kleisch. Her mother likely was named Anna Kleisch.
Tomas’ maternal grandfather was Amiel D. Mundt (the son of Albert Detlef Mundt and Sophia Margaret Meier/Meyer). Amiel was born in California, to German parents.
Tomas’ maternal grandmother was Beatrice C. Johnson (the daughter of John Johansson and Carolina Mathilda Erickson). Beatrice was born in California, to Swedish parents.
Sources: Tomas’ father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Tomas’ paternal grandfather, Fred Phillip Arana, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Fred Phillip Arana on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Tomas’ paternal grandmother, Anna Ruth Westing, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Tomas’ mother on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Census taker listed every Mexican as “Ot”.
It likely doesn’t mean Octoroon, but Other.
Other. Agree.
Btw is his Latvian side completely ethnic Latvian?
No idea.
@andrew
A tree on ancestry.com says Lena’s mother was Anna Kleisch. Whether she was German, Jewish or just a Latvian with a German last name, I really don’t know.
Do you have the names of all her Latvian great-great-parents?
@madman
No, sorry.
Don’t know, but I couldn’t find any evidence otherwise. Some of the surnames sound German, but I’m more careful with surnames when it comes to the Baltics now, especially Latvia, after I claimed on Jack Nicholson’s page that Kirschfeld had to be German in origin. It turned out, after a Latvian user commented, that there was a very similar Latvian surname.
At least Kleisch is clearly a German surname
^ Latvian/Baltic German
That’s what I though with Kirschfeld too. There might be a more Latvian-sounding surname similar to Kleisch.
I doubt that.
Kirschfeld or Kleisch are Germanic surnames.
Doubt how much you want. Some names can occur among many ethnicities. The family lists themselves as Lettish/Letish-speakers, and Lena lists her race as Latvian and Lettish on naturalization records. I don’t know if ethnic Germans would do that.
Anna’s sister Alfreda listed her race as Lithuanian on one record, and her sister Lydia listed herself as a Russian-speaker on another. But German, no. Do you think they weren’t aware of their German ethnicity?
So now we have 3 different things, without the German option. Interesting.
I didn’t mean that those two are options. Anna was clearly born in Liepāja/Libau, Latvia. I’m just saying I wouldn’t conclude that the family is German because of one surname from a grandparent, when no family member lists themself as German anywhere (it’s mostly Latvian, with those I just mentioned as exceptions). It’s possible that the surname is of German origin a few generations back, but that Anna was almost entirely Latvian. And again, read what the Latvian user wrote on Nicholson’s page. I myself has a name in my family tree that you would definitely say is German or Jewish in origin if you read it. Turns out it was originally Carlsson, and an ancestor changed it.
As to the Jewish possibility, I looked up some of Anna’s siblings and it doesn’t look like any of them married a Jewish person.