List of Welsh Americans

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

This is a list of notable Welsh Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Welsh American or must have references showing they are Welsh American and are notable.

List

Entertainment

• Jessica Alba (born 1981), movie actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Karen Allen, of part Welsh descent^[1]
• Christina Applegate distant Welsh ancestry^[2]
• Alexis Arquette (born 1969), movie actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• David Arquette (born 1971), movie actor and TV director, distant Welsh ancestry
• Patricia Arquette (born 1968), movie and TV actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Richmond Arquette (born 1963), movie actor, distant Welsh ancestry
• Rosanna Arquette (born 1959), movie actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Michael Aston (1964), born in Cornelly, musician
• Andrea Bowen (born 1990), actor
• Dean Cain (born 1966), actor, mother is of partial Welsh ancestry
• Erika Christensen (born 1982), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Kelly Clarkson (born 1982), singer, distant Welsh ancestry^[3]
• Kevin Costner, distant Welsh ancestry^[4]
• Courteney Cox, distant Welsh ancestry^[5]
• Bette Davis (1908–1989), two-time Academy Award-winning actress of stage, screen and television; distant Welsh ancestry^[6]
• James Dean, distant Welsh ancestry^[7]
• Billy De Wolfe, actor, mother was Welsh
• Sophie Dee, born in Llanelli, Wales
• Dane DeHaan, distant Welsh ancestry^[8]
• Thomas Dekker, actor, mother is Welsh
• Johnny Depp, distant Welsh ancestry^[9]
• Michael Douglas, distant Welsh ancestry
• Haylie Duff, distant Welsh ancestry^[10]
• Hilary Duff, distant Welsh ancestry^[10]
• Robert Duvall, distant Welsh ancestry^[11]
• Bill Evans (born 1929), jazz pianist / composer^[12]
• Sara Evans (born 1971), country music singer
• Anna Faris, distant Welsh ancestry^[13]
• Glenn Ford (1916–2006), film actor^[14]
• Zach Galifianakis, distant Welsh ancestry^[15]
• Heather Graham, distant Welsh ancestry^[16]
• Carson Grant (born 1950), actor^[17]
• D. W. Griffith (1875–1948), early film director^[18]
• Mark Hamill, distant Welsh ancestry^[19]
• Teri Hatcher (born 1964), actress and writer, distant Welsh ancestry
• Anne Heche (born 1969), actress, distant Welsh ancestry^[20]
• Bob Hope (1903–2003), actor/comedian, mother was Welsh^[21]
• Anthony Hopkins (born 1937), born in Port Talbot, Glamorgan; Academy-Award winning film/stage actor^[22]
• Julianne Hough, distant Welsh ancestry^[23]
• John Houseman (1902-1988), film producer
• Anjelica Huston, distant Welsh ancestry
• John Huston, distant Welsh ancestry
• Brody Jenner, distant Welsh ancestry^[24]
• Quincy Jones (born 1933), record producer, conductor, arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter, distant Welsh ancestry
• Rashida Jones, actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Val Kilmer, distant Welsh ancestry^[25]
• Tommy Lee (born 1963), drummer for hard rock/heavy metal band Mötley Crüe
• Zachary Levi (born 1980), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
• Ted Levine (born 1957), actor, mother was part Welsh^[26]
• Blake Lewis (born 1981), American Idol contestant and singer ^[27]
• Juliette Lewis, actress and singer^[28]
• Harold Lloyd (1893–1971), actor^[29]
• Chad Lowe, distant Welsh ancestry^[30]
• Rob Lowe, distant Welsh ancestry^[30]
• Myrna Loy (1905–1993), actress^[31]
• Seth MacFarlane, distant Welsh ancestry^[32]
• Marco Marenghi, animator, born in Rhondda
• Ray Milland (1905–1986), actor^[33]
• Chloë Grace Moretz (born 1997), actress, distant Welsh ancestry^[34]
• Wayne Newton, distant Welsh ancestry
• Jack Nicholson, distant Welsh ancestry^[35]
• Leslie Nielsen, actor (1926–2010), Welsh mother
• The Osmonds, including Donny Osmond (born 1957), half of the brother-sister singing act Donny & Marie; of part Welsh descent, traced their ancestry back to Merthyr Tydfil^[36]
• Karyn Parsons (born 1966), actress, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Welsh descent on father's side
• Michelle Pfeiffer (born 1958), distant Welsh ancestry^[37]
• Michael Phelps^[38]
• Justin Pierce, English-born actor of Welsh descent; former husband of Gina Rizzo
• Chris Pine, actor, distant Welsh ancestry
• Brad Pitt, distant Welsh ancestry^[39]
• Shawn Pyfrom, paternal grandfather is of Welsh ancestry
• Denise Richards, distant Welsh ancestry^[40]
• Kim Richards (born 1964), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Kyle Richards (born 1969), actress, distant Welsh ancestry^[41]
• Monica Richards, author and musician
• Jason Ritter, distant Welsh ancestry^[42]
• Jason Robards, distant Welsh ancestry
• Eric Roberts (born 1956), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
• Julia Roberts (born 1967), actress, distant Welsh ancestry^[43]
• Coco Rocha, Canadian model of Welsh, Irish, and Russian descent
• Gena Rowlands, actress, father was of Welsh descent
• Susan Sarandon (born 1946), Oscar-winning actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Liev Schreiber, distant Welsh ancestry^[44]
• Brooke Shields, distant Welsh ancestry
• Jaclyn Smith, distant Welsh ancestry^[45]
• Kevin Spacey, distant Welsh ancestry^[46]
• Esperanza Spalding (born 1984), singer/songwriter, distant Welsh ancestry^[47]
• Britney Spears, distant Welsh ancestry^[48]
• Jamie Lynn Spears, distant Welsh ancestry^[49]
• Taylor Swift, distant Welsh ancestry^[50]
• Tiffani Thiessen, actress, distant Welsh ancestry^[51]
• Henry Thomas (born 1971), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
• Lynda Thomas (born 1981), musician, singer-songwriter
• Scott Walker
• Tuc Watkins (born 1966), actor
• Betty White, actress, distant Welsh ancestry^[52]
• Michelle Williams (born 1980), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
• Robin Williams, distant Welsh ancestry^[53]
• Vanessa Williams (born 1963), actress, distant Welsh ancestry^[54]
• Bruce Willis, distant Welsh ancestry^[55]
• Cassandra Wilson (born 1955), née Cassandra Fowlkes, jazz vocalist; distant Welsh ancestry through her father
• Patrick Wilson, distant Welsh ancestry^[56]

Literature

• Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951), novelist/playwright^[57]
• Jack London (1876–1916), author^[58]
• Edgar Lee Masters (1868–1950), poet/biographer/dramatist^[59]
• Lorin Morgan-Richards (1975), author/publisher/curator^[60]
• Ogden Nash (1902–1971), wrote clever humorous poetry

Politics

• John Adams, President of the United States, Vice President of the United States (1735–1826);traced his ancestry to Pembroke, Pembrokeshire and to Penybanc Farm at Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire^[61]
• John Quincy Adams, President of the United States, Secretary of State (1767–1848)^[62]
• Benedict Arnold, Revolution general who defected from the American to the British side
• John Henry Bowen, U.S. Representative from Tennessee
• George W. Bush, 43rd President United States; distant Welsh ancestry
• Martha Hughes Cannon (1857-1932), physician, Utah women's rights advocate and suffragist, first female state senator elected in the United States, member of the Utah Senate from the 6th district (1897-1901)
• Dick Cheney, forty-sixth Vice President of the United States (2001-2009)
• Cassius Marcellus Clay (1810–1903), abolitionist
• Hillary Rodham Clinton (born 1947), Secretary of State, U.S. Senator from New York, former First Lady, candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination^[63]
• Calvin Coolidge, twenty-ninth Vice President of the United States (1921–1923) and 30th President of the United States (1923–1929)^[62]
• John J. Crittenden, Governor of Kentucky
• James J. Davis (1873–1947), Secretary of Labor and U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania^[64]
• Jefferson Davis (1808–1889), soldier, politician, and first and only President of the Confederate States (1862–1865)^[57]
• Alvin Evans, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania; United States Senator from Iowa
• John Floyd, Governor of Virginia
• John B. Floyd, Governor of Virginia
• William Floyd, United States Declaration of Independence signatory^[65]
• James Garfield (1831–1881), 20th President of the United States
• Nicholas Gilman, United States Senator from New Hampshire
• Button Gwinnett, United States Declaration of Independence signatory^[66]
• Charles Evans Hughes, Governor of New York^[67]
• Andrew Humphreys, U.S. Representative from Indiana
• Andrew A. Humphreys, United States Army officer and Union General in the American Civil War
• E. Howard Hunt, CIA Intelligence Officer; a key figure in organizing and participating in the Watergate burglaries
• Arthur James, Governor of Pennsylvania
• Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States; first Secretary of State;^[62][68] said his father came from the foothills of Snowdon^[69]
• Robert E. Lee, Confederate general^[70]
• Francis Lewis, United States Declaration of Independence signatory^[65]
• James Madison, 4th President of the United States^[62]
• John Marshall, statesman, Chief Justice of the United States^[57]
• George Mathews, Governor of Georgia
• Henry M. Mathews, Governor of West Virginia
• John G. McCullough, Governor of Vermont
• James Monroe (1758–1831), fifth President of the United States^[62]
• James Morgan, United States Congressman from New Jersey
• Lewis Morris, United States Declaration of Independence signatory^[65]
• Robert Morris, United States Declaration of Independence signatory^[57]
• Patty Murray, United States Senator from Washington
• Barack Obama, 44th President United States; distant Welsh ancestry^[71]
• P.B.S. Pinchback, Governor of Louisiana
• Hugh H. Price, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
• Rodman M. Price, Governor of New Jersey
• John H. Pugh, U.S. Representative from New Jersey
• Thomas Rees, U.S. Congressman, parents/grandparents from Wales
• Ann Romney (born 1949), wife of American businessman and politician Mitt Romney
• Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky^[72]
• Daniel Webster (1782–1852), United States Senator and Secretary of State^[73]
• Thomas Wynne (1627–1691), physician to William Penn; speaker of the first Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly^[74]

Industry and business

• Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel, Tennessee-born founder of Jack Daniel's whiskey
• Bob Evans (1918–2007), founder of Bob Evans Restaurants
• William Fargo (1818–1881), pioneer expressman
• Howard Hughes (1905–1976), pioneering aviator, engineer, industrialist, and film producer
• J. P. Morgan (1837–1913), banker
• Jonathan I. Schwartz, President and Chief Executive Officer of CareZone
• Howard Stringer (born 1942), businessman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Corporation^[75]
• David Thomas, prominent ironmaster and philanthropist during the Industrial Revolution in Pennsylvania^[76]
• Winston M Thomas Celtic Engineering Dallas Texas born Llanelli

Other

• Daniel Boone (1734–1820), American pioneer^[77]
• Mary Katherine Campbell (1905-1990), Miss America titleholder 1922 and 1923, First Runner-Up 1924 ^[78]
• Hiram Wesley Evans (1881–1966), Imperial Wizard of the "second" Ku Klux Klan from 1922 until 1939.
• Lewis Evans (1700–1756), colonial surveyor and geographer^[79]
• Cowboy Morgan Evans (1903–1969), Texas rancher; 1928 World Series Rodeo Bulldogging champion; competition bull rider; oil production roughneck; drilling foreman; oilman
• Oliver Evans (1755–1819), inventor^[57][80]
• Murray Humphreys (1899–1965), Chicago mobster, chief political and labor racketeer in the Chicago Outfit during Prohibition^[81]
• Frank James, cowboy/outlaw
• Jesse James, cowboy/outlaw
• George Jones (1811–1891), New-York Daily Times co-founder^[57]
• John L. Lewis (1880–1969), organized labor union leader^[57]
• Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), explorer^[77][82]
• Bradley Manning (1987-), mother was Welsh
• Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), Brigadier General in the American Revolution in the Continental Army; served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia
• William Farrand Prosser (1834–1911), Union Colonel in the American Civil War; served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Tennessee
• Henry Morton Stanley (1841–1904), journalist/explorer
• George Henry Thomas (1816–1870), Union General during the American Civil War^[83]
• Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959), one of the most prominent and influential architects of the first half of the 20th century^[57][84]
• Elihu Yale (1649–1721), first benefactor of Yale University^[57][85]

References

1. http://ethnicelebs.com/karen-allen
2. http://ethnicelebs.com/christina-applegate
3. "Kelly Clarkson Biography". Fox News. 1 August 2007.
4. http://ethnicelebs.com/kevin-costner
5. http://ethnicelebs.com/courteney-cox
6. "Bette Davis, just one of the many famous Welsh actors... Bette Davis has Welsh connections from her father Harlow Davies whose family hail from Wales. She even visited Wales when in Britain acting to trace her family roots".
7. http://ethnicelebs.com/james-dean
8. http://ethnicelebs.com/dane-dehaan
9. http://ethnicelebs.com/johnny-depp
10. http://ethnicelebs.com/hilary-duff
11. http://ethnicelebs.com/robert-duvall
12. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=6592
13. http://ethnicelebs.com/anna-faris
14. mentioned as one of "100 Welsh Stars"
15. http://ethnicelebs.com/zach-galifianakis
16. http://ethnicelebs.com/heather-graham
17. http://carsongrant.net/files/webBio20132.pdf
18. Bush praises role of Welsh in US history on St David's Day - icWales
19. http://ethnicelebs.com/mark-hamill
20. http://ethnicelebs.com/anne-heche
21. "Welsh Americans have helped settle the American frontier, build our cities, and defend our liberty... to the sharp wit of Bob Hope"
22. "classically trained and highly regarded Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins" "Later, at a brief press conference, Hopkins, who was born in Wales, was asked why he recently became an American citizen. "I've lived here some years. I feel at home in America. I suppose it was a pretty bold decision, but America has been very generous to me. There was a bit of an outburst in the British press. I was branded as some sort of turncoat, but so be it.""
23. http://ethnicelebs.com/julianne-hough-2
24. http://ethnicelebs.com/brody-jenner
25. http://ethnicelebs.com/val-kilmer
26. http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/ted-levine-is-not-a-bad-guy/Content?oid=877172
27. blakelewisfans.org: "I was wondering, what is your heritage? Blake: Welsh, German, and Irish. I'm a mutt."
28. "She often refers to her Welsh ancestry."
29. Paternal great-grandparents were from Wales
30. http://ethnicelebs.com/rob-lowe
31. included in the book "100 Great Welsh Women" "Although she is of Scotch and Welsh descent, she has been accused of being Egyptian, Chinese, Eurasian and other nationalities."
32. http://ethnicelebs.com/seth-macfarlane
33. "Welsh-born U.S. actor."
34. http://ethnicelebs.com/chloe-grace-moretz
35. http://ethnicelebs.com/jack-nicholson
36. Donny Osmond Coming Home from the BBC
37. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000201/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_qt_sm#quotes Michelle's paternal grandfather was of German descent, and Michelle's paternal grandmother had English, Welsh, French, German, Dutch, and Irish ancestry. On her mother's side, Michelle is of Swiss-German and Swedish descent.
38. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/olympics08/phelps.htm
39. http://ethnicelebs.com/brad-pitt
40. http://ethnicelebs.com/denise-richards
41. http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills/season-1/blogs/kyle-richards/drama-in-the-city?page=1
42. http://ethnicelebs.com/jason-ritter
43. Smolenyak, Megan (27 February 2011). "Julia Roberts Isn't a Roberts". Huffington Post.
44. http://ethnicelebs.com/liev-schreiber
45. http://ethnicelebs.com/jaclyn-smith
46. http://ethnicelebs.com/kevin-spacey
48. http://ethnicelebs.com/britney-spears
49. http://ethnicelebs.com/jamie-lynn-spears
50. http://ethnicelebs.com/taylor-swift
51. http://ryanseacrest.com/2011/11/10/celebrities-you-didnt-know-were-greek-list/
52. Smolenyak, Megan (16 June 2010). "Betty White: White-Hot in Cleveland or Not". Huffington Post.
53. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1206619.php/Robin_Williams_talks_about_rehab_and_alcoholism
54. "Vanessa Williams's ancestry revealed: One great great grandfather escaped slavery... the other was a politician who left 'a legacy more precious than gold'". Daily Mail (London).
55. ,http://ethnicelebs.com/bruce-willis
56. ,http://genealogy.kathihill.com/Person/family_group/340247
57. mentioned as several people who were "Welsh" or "Welsh American"
58. "The illegitimate son of an astrologer and a Welsh farm girl"
59. http://www.bartleby.com/84/22.html
60. "The Welsh in America"
61. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/welsh_presidents_of_the_usa
62. Listed as one of several "Welsh-American Presidents"
63. Official Report of the Welsh Assembly 06/07/99
64. "James J. Davis, a Welsh-born puddler who served as US Secretary of Labor from 1921–1930"
65. "Of the four New York signatories, three were Welsh; Lewis Morris, Francis Lewis and William Floyd."
66. AmericanHeritage.com / WHO’S GOT BUTTON’S BONES?
67. mentioned as one of several "Welsh Americans" at , "The only child of a pious American Baptist mother and an immigrant Welsh minister"
68. "His father's name was Peter Jefferson. His ancestors were Welsh people."
69. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/welsh_presidents_of_the_usa
70. "Robert E. Lee... also were Welsh Americans..."
71. Williamson, David (July 5, 2008). "Wales link in US presidential candidate's past". Western Mail. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
72. "General Isaac Shelby (born in 1750), a Maryland-born Welsh American"
73. mentioned as one of several Welsh-Americans here
74. Wynne Family history
75. "Welsh-born Howard Stringer"
76. http://www.welshdragon.net/resources/Historical/wales_timeline2.shtml
77. "Meriwether Lewis himself was Welsh American, as was frontiersman Daniel Boone" "Daniel Boone’s mother, Sarah Morgan, was a member of a Welsh family that came to Pennsylvania in 1683 and later settled in Gwynedd"
78. [^ "New Beauty Queen Ideal". New York Times. 1922-09-10. "The Ideal Beauty Queen"]
79. GENUKI: National Library of Wales journals
80. "A Welsh-American invented the first automobile"
81. "No Gangster More Bold: Murray Humphreys, the Welsh Political Genius Who Corrupted America"
82. "His great grandfather, Robert Lewis, a Welsh officer in the British Army... The Meriwether family was also Welsh, well connected, and land-rich with sizable holdings near Charlottesville. Lucy's father was a respected friend of Thomas Jefferson."
83. Broadwater, Robert P (2009). General George H. Thomas: a biography of the Union's "Rock of Chickamauga". McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 0-7864-3856-8. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
84. "Frank Lloyd Wright was of Welsh ethnic heritage"
85. "Elihu Yale - The Great Welsh American"