Ethnic backgrounds?

[msmir]

I am curious about what everyone's ethnic background is if you are open to sharing... in my case I am ethnically Jewish (I felt it was during my soul planning important that I continued onto this lifetime as a Jew to gain that perspective of life since I did not have a chance to do so in my last life.. but in my case it was important to do so...and have discovered the religion is wrong for me like any organized religion is).. so even though I am 100% Canadian.. in my background I am Jewish of Polish, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian descent.. with a tiny bit of Dutch background on my maternal grandmother's side (it is unknown whether that side was Jewish and I tend to think not).

[sweetlunapie]

The short answer is 50% Italian and 50% Irish (my Mom's Italian, my Dad's Irish).
I am very interested in genealogy and I have been working on my family tree for a while, so it's a bit more complicated than just Italian and Irish for the long answer. On my Dad's side, my Great-Grandmother (paternal) is of Norman-Anglo decent (that particular line came into Ireland around 800-1200, but I can't remember exactly what year), meaning that I do have some Teutonic blood in my line. On my Mom's side, my maternal line has a surname that is Italian, but it is not of complete Italian origin, plus that part of my family came from the Northern part of Italy and there are blue eyes running around in our genes, which implies that there is probably some Norman blood there, too. However, my Mom's paternal line is from Southern Italy, carries dark hair and brown eyes, and oddly enough, Jewish roots. I don't consider Jewish to be an ethnicity (that's the kind of thinking that gets people in trouble and causes stuff like the Holocaust), but more of a culture and tradition, but I figured bringing up the Jewish background of my family was relevant in this discussion.

[euskanoravian]

25% Basque, 25% Moravian, 25% Norwegian which is how I came up with my username. The last 25% is a mix of Irish, Dutch and German.

Blessed Be,
Andi

[msmir]

Luna you have a really good point there LOL, so true. Andi... what a cool mix you are!!

[lulz]

I'm actually German on both sides. Closer on my mom's side. My great grandpa and my great great grandma came from Germany. I never got to meet them. My great grandma is still alive, but she and my grandmother don't tell me anything about my family in germany.
I think I may have a tiny Dutch in me from my dad's side. Not enough to trace back.

[Iseke]

Austrian, Swiss, and German that I know of.

[Laurasia]

I also quite enjoy genealogy (which I find to be a prevelant trait amongst reincarnated members of the SS...I guess old habits die hard, eh?). Anyway, I am American by birth. America is such a melting pot though that saying "I'm American" doesn't really do anything to explain one's ethnic background. LOL!

On the maternal side there is English & some Swiss. On the paternal side (which has been the much more researched side of the tree ) there is English, Canadian, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Irish, French.

And though it is not an ethnicity, as Luna pointed out, interestingly enough there are some distant past Jewish ancestors in my family.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

[msmir]

Laurasia that is interesting... how did you find out about Jewish ancestors, and whose side were they from?

[sweetlunapie]

There is definitely a trend with the people who have answered, except for Msmir (unless the Dutch side is counted): Germanic!

[msmir]

Yeah that is quite interesting when you look at it.. hmm

[Laurasia]

Hi Miriam.

Well it's not definite actually, but I've kind of sensed it from the names that were used within a certain branch of the family. Perhaps this sounds "Nazi-ish" but it really isn't meant to be. The family name was Yoakam (spelled "Jochem" while they were in Germany) & the given names that were prevelant among the kids were names like Jacob, Solomon, Absolom, Asael, etc.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

[msmir]

Laurasia, if those were the names then it could very well have been!

[Miss Bothmann]

I am a mutt pretty much, especially from my dad's side. My mom is half Polish, half Hungarian (strict Catholics). On my father's side, I know there is Irish, Scottish, German, Dutch, and a smidgen of Native American blood. So, when you look at me, take your pick.

[mccoyxyz]

Paternal: One half Ulster Prod, Orange, not Green.

Maternal: One quarter English, via Newfoundland when it was still an independent country.
One quarter United Empire Loyalist, ethnic English, left the Thirteen Colonies at the time of the American Revolution, came to Lower Canada, later to be named Quebec.