What Is the Duggar Family’s Ethnicity? An In-Depth Analysis…

Have you ever wondered about the Duggar family tree and where they originated? The present branch is pretty insane — Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have 19 kids! To make matters even more complicated, their older children are beginning to marry and have kids of their own. With all these Duggars roaming around and reproducing, we can’t help but wonder what their ethnicity is…

Let’s start simply. While the Duggar family hasn’t publicly spoken out about their origins, Ancestry explains that the surname “Duggar” has an unidentified origin. So, there’s a roadblock. However, it could be a possible respelling of the French surname Dugard. Could the Duggars be French?

Michelle, on the other hand, has the maiden name of Ruark. According to Ancestry, this last name is of Irish origin, being the “reduced and altered form of O’Rourke.” The Duggar offspring could be half French and half Irish!

Let’s dig a little deeper… Reportedly, one of the earliest known Duggars in America dates back to as early as 1696 — before America was technically America! Daniel Duggar was born in Surry, VA, and he’s believed to be the “progenitor of most of the American Dugger families,” according to We Relate. He married Mary Scarborough sometime around 1716, and he died around 1773. Unfortunately, his parentage is unknown. But if the famous Duggars we know today are actually somehow related to this Daniel, then we know the family has resided in America for quite a long time.

Deal of the Day

Only $12! — (And No One Will Know They Aren’t Designer) View Deal

So what about their nationality? We obviously know both Jim Bob and Michelle were born in America. In fact, they both were born in the state of Arkansas, as have all of their children, and much of the family still currently resides there. The family patriarch was born in Springdale, AR, while the mother-of-19 was born in Tontitown, AR, making the family’s nationality American.

We wonder if the Duggars themselves even know what their ethnicity is. They’ve never publicly acknowledged it, but perhaps they’ll answer our burning question during an upcoming episode of Counting On.

Love the Duggars? Be sure to join our Duggars Facebook group to chat about all the latest updates and juicy gossip!