Birth Name: Robert Francis Prevost
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Date of Birth: September 14, 1955
Ethnicity:
*father – French, Italian
*mother – Louisiana Creole (French, African, Spanish), possibly Cuban and other
Pope Leo XIV is the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City.
Pope Leo’s father was born in Chicago, Illinois, to an Italian father and a French mother. Pope Leo’s mother was also born in Chicago, to a Haiti-born father and a Louisiana-born mother.
Pope Leo’s paternal grandfather Jean/John Lanti Prevost (the son of Jean/John Prevost). Jean was born in Turin, Piedmont, Italy.
Pope Leo’s paternal grandmother Susanne/Suzanne Louise Marie Fabre Fontaine (the daughter of Ernest Auguste Fontaine and Jeanne Eugénie Prévost). Susanne was born in Le Havre, Normandie, France. Ernest was the son of Pierre Gustave Fontaine and Louise Adrienne Aubin. Jeanne was the daughter of Romain Pascal Prévost and Jeanne Chauvin.
Pope Leo’s maternal grandfather Joseph Norval/Norvale Martinez (the son of Jacques Martinez and Marie Rosa/Rose Ramos). Joseph was born in Haiti, to parents from Louisiana. Jacques was the son of Jacques Martino/Martinez and Marguerite Cadeneth. Marie was from a Louisiana Creole family, with Spanish, French, and African roots, and was the daughter of George Pantaleon Agenor Ramos and Julienne Jacquet Montreuil.
The ancestry of Pope Leo’s great-grandfather Jacques is not entirely clear. On most census records, he is listed as mixed-race and as Louisiana-born. Pope Leo’s great-great-grandfather Jacques is usually said to have been born in Sanremo, Liguria, Italy. On the 1910 U.S. Census, Pope Leo’s grandfather Joseph’s own father is listed as “Maltese” (his own mother is listed as “Spanish” on the same census). Pope Leo’s great-grandfather Jacques‘ death record lists both his own parents as Cuban-born. Most census records lists Pope Leo’s great-great-grandmother Marguerite‘s birth place as Louisiana.
Pope Leo’s maternal grandmother Louise Baquié (the daughter of Ferdinand David Baquié and Eugenie Grambois). Ferdinand was the son of Joseph Aristide Fleury Baquié, who was born on Guadeloupe, to French parents, and of Celeste Lemelle, who was a Louisiana Creole. Eugenie was the daughter of Eugène Grambois, who was French, and of Odile Copele, who was a Louisiana Creole.
Sources: Genealogy of Pope Leo XIV – https://www.geni.com/people/Pope-Leo-XIV/6000000218365400850
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prevost-1167
Article about Pope Leo’s ancestry – https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2025/05/09/681e4093fc6c8334478b45b5.html
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