Birth Name: Rachel Anne Maddow
Place of Birth: Castro Valley, California
Date of Birth: April 1, 1973
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish (paternal grandfather), Dutch, Irish, English
Rachel Maddow is an American television personality.
Rachel’s father is of half Ashkenazi Jewish (from Ukraine and Lithuania) and half Dutch (Protestant) ancestry. Rachel’s father was raised Christian.
Rachel’s mother, who is from Newfoundland, Canada, is of English and Irish descent.
Rachel was raised Catholic.
Rachel’s paternal grandfather was Bernard Maddow (the son of Willilam Maddow and Sarah Bernhard). Bernard was born in Brooklyn, New York. William was a Jewish immigrant from Poltava, Ukraine. Sarah was also a Jewish immigrant, likely from Lithuania.
Rachel’s paternal grandmother was Gertrude Smits (the daughter of John Smits and Margaret Kaiser). John and Margaret were Dutch.
Sources: Family history of Rachel Maddow, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Genealogy of Rachel Maddow (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.geni.com
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