Taylor Swift Is Related To Emily Dickinson — Check Out These Other Surprising Celebrity Ancestors

 

American poet Emily Dickinson.

Taylor Swift's way with words seems to run in the family after Ancestry, a genealogy company, revealed the famous songstress is the distant cousin of 19th century poet Emily Dickinson, adding her to a list of entertainers who can count famous writers, politicians and notable historical figures as long-ago relatives.

Dickinson and Swift both descend from the same 17th century English immigrant, Ancestry first told NBC's “Today” show on Monday—Swift can count him as a 9th great-grandfather and he was Dickinson's 6th great-grandfather.

Generations after the ancestor settled in Windsor, Connecticut, his family moved to Pennsylvania and married into the Swift family, Ancestry told "Today.”

Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and grew up with her parents on a Christmas tree farm before she moved to Tennessee at 13 years old, and Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Fans of the singer pointed out a potential connection between the so-called "renowned American poets" long before Ancestry's revelation—Swift announced her "Evermore" album on Dickinson's birthday and some think the title was inspired by Dickinson’s poem “One Sister Have I in Our House," CNN reported.

Entertainers like Tom Hanks, Cindy Crawford, Robert Pattinson and more have revealed they, too, can trace their lineage back to famous roots.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre,” Swift said in 2022 when explaining she sorts her songs into pen-themed categories, including Quill, Fountain Pen and Glitter Gel Pen.

ENTERTAINERS WITH FAMOUS ANCESTORS

Tom Hanks and Fred Rogers — Hanks, who portrayed Mister Rogers in the movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," is the late TV hosts' 6th cousin, Ancestry said in 2019; the pair share the same great-great-great-great-great grandfather.

Tom Hanks and Abraham Lincoln — The 16th president of the United States was born in Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks in 1809, and it's through Lincoln’s mother that he's related to the famous actor, who narrated the 2011 film “Killing Lincoln” about the president’s assassination.

George Clooney and Abraham Lincoln — Ancestry in 2012 revealed the Civil War president and "Ocean's Eleven" actor are half-first cousins five times removed. Clooney's 4th great-grandmother was Nancy Hanks’ half-sister. Tom Hanks and Clooney are also distant cousins.

Cindy Crawford and Ernest Hemingway — On an episode of NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?," the model revealed she is a distant cousin of author Ernest Hemingway through her great-great-great-grandfather, Frank Hemingway.

Helena Bonham Carter and Florence Nightingale — The British actress is the distant cousin of Florence Nightingale, credited as the mother of modern nursing with her assertion that sanitation in treatment could save lives, and played her ancestor in an episode of Tim Harford's "Cautionary Tales" history podcast.

Robert Pattinson and Vlad the Impaler — He may be known for his role as a dazzling vampire in the "Twilight" films, but Pattinson’s reported ancestor Vlad III has a stronger foothold in mythology than he does. Known more commonly as Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian national hero is said to have been the real-life inspiration behind Bram Stoker's “Dracula.”

Prince William, Prince Harry and Vlad the Impaler — The sons of Britain's King Charles III are Pattinson's distant cousins and Vlad III was their distant uncle, according to Ancestry.

Prince William, Prince Harry and George Washington — The princes are distant second cousins of George Washington. Princess Diana, the late mother of William and Harry, was a cousin of the first president, according to the Associated Press. William's great-grandmother, Queen Mother Elizabeth, was also a cousin, as is William’s wife, Kate Middleton. She is an eighth cousin eight times removed.

Glenn Close, George Washington and Princess Diana — The eight-time Oscar nominated actress is the fourth cousin seven times removed of George Washington. She is also an eighth cousin of Diana, as discovered on PBS’ “Finding Your Roots.”

SURPRISING FACT

The House of Windsor, from which Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III are descended, has several distant ties to Hollywood. Actress Hilary Duff is the late queen's 18th cousin, and both Beyoncé and actor Johnny Depp are 20th cousins. Ralph Fiennes, most famous for his role as Lord Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" films, is the eighth cousin of King Charles, according to Vogue.