Birth Name: Tyler Matthew Young
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Date of Birth: December 17, 1990
Ethnicity:
*father – English, Irish, German, French-Canadian
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish, Sephardi Jewish
Tyler Young is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the film Polaroid, and on the series The Avatars, Eyewitness (2016), and When We Rise.
His father is from a Catholic family. His mother is Jewish.
Tyler’s paternal grandfather was Richard John Young (the son of Milo Young and Gertrude Mary White). Richard was born in Michigan. Milo was the son of Marcus Young, whose father was English, and of Lydia Alida Benedict, who had deep roots in the U.S., with mostly English ancestry. Gertrude was born in Canada, to parents of Irish descent, Michael White and Bridget Teresa McGuire, who had roots in Cavan and Longford.
Tyler’s paternal grandmother was Mary Jane Pharo (the daughter of Merritt Milton Pharo and Mary Reck). Tyler’s grandmother Mary Jane was born in Michigan. Merritt was born in Québec, and was French-Canadian, the son of Samuel Pharo and Aurilla/Orrillia Gowett. Tyler’s great-grandmother Mary was born in Michigan, to German parents, Stephen Reck and Josephine Mahlenbrei, who were from Andelfingen, Langenenslingen, Biberach, Baden-Württemberg.
Tyler’s maternal grandfather was Donald Ratke (the son of Louis Ratke and Riwke Rose Bronstein). Donald was born in Wisconsin, to a Romanian Jewish father and a Russian Jewish mother. Riwke was the daughter of David Bronstein and Rebecca.
Tyler’s maternal grandmother was born Arline Selma Pirsch (the daughter of Jacob Jay Pirsch and Louise Melhado). Arline was born in Massachusetts. Jacob was born in New York, to Russian Jewish parents, Aron/Aaron Solomon Pirsch and Rose Goldstein. Louise was born in Massachusetts, the daughter of English-born parents, Abraham Elias Meljado/Melhado and Elizabeth Phillips, from Spitalfields, Middlesex, who were Sephardi Jews; Louise also had some Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Abraham and Elizabeth were of Dutch Jewish descent, from Amsterdam, with Italian Jewish, French Jewish, Portuguese Jewish, Turkish Jewish, German Jewish, and Spanish Jewish ancestors farther back. Tyler’s great-great-grandfather Abraham was the son of Elias Juda Meljado/Melhado and Leah Van Abraham Mendes. Tyler’s great-great-grandmother Elizabeth was the daughter of Philip Mozes Trijtel/Phillips, who was born in the Netherlands, and of Leah Abrahams.
Tyler’s matrilineal line traces to a woman named Sarah, who was born, c. 1797, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Tyler’s brother once tweeted, “Just found out I’m exactly 50% Jewish.” He may have been referring to having taken a DNA test that showed him to be of 50% Jewish ancestry. Tyler added, “And our grandfather speaks “Jewish”…,” perhaps referring to a census record that listed their grandfather’s language as “Jewish” (“Yiddish”).
Tyler is a tenth cousin of Dutch actor Michiel Huisman, through their shared nine times great-grandparents, Benjamin Wolf Magnus/Menachem Swaab Jaffe and Anna Hendrikje/Hendele Jacob, who were German Jews. He is also a sixth cousin, once removed, of Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé. Tyler’s six times great-grandparents, Moses David Nuñes Navarro and Miriam Judah Siprut de Gabay, who were Dutch Jews, were also Jeroen’s maternal five times great-grandparents.
Sources: Obituary of Tyler’s paternal grandfather, Richard John Young –
Tyler’s maternal grandfather, Donald Ratke, on the 1940 U.S. Census –
Tyler’s maternal grandmother, Arline Selma Pirsch, on the 1940 U.S. Census –
Genealogies of Tyler’s maternal great-grandparents, Jacob Jay Pirsch and Louise Melhado –
Tyler’s maternal great-grandfather, Jacob Jay Pirsch, on the 1920 U.S. Census –
Tyler’s maternal great-grandmother, Louise Melhado, on the 1900 U.S. Census –
Louise Melhado on the 1910 U.S. Census –
