IHGS Discoveries • Presidential Genealogy
The Royal Ancestry of U.S. Presidents
Many people are surprised to learn that the ancestry of numerous U.S. Presidents reaches back through English and European noble families to the medieval kings of England.
These presidential connections provide a fascinating gateway into British family history—but, as with any claimed royal lineage, every generation must be supported by reliable genealogical evidence.
Figures on this page are based on research using the U.S. Presidents project on WikiTree. Public family-tree information should always be checked against the underlying sources before it is added to a personal family history.
Quick facts
Presidential Royal Ancestry at a Glance
There have to date been 45 U.S. presidents, with two men having been elected again after losing an earlier election: Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president, and Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th.
Thirteen presidents are descended from King Edward III, 25 from King Edward I, one is descended only from Henry III, and another from King John.
These figures reflect research using the U.S. Presidents project on WikiTree and should be checked against the underlying sources.
- 27 of 45
- individuals who have served as U.S. President are shown with English royal descent
- 25
- presidential pedigrees in which Edward I appears
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- leads the rankings in the published league table
Key findings
Which Presidents Have the Most Royal Connections?
The cards below present a genealogical league table based on the cited research. The number of descent lines does not make one person more royal in a scientific or legal sense.
Ranked first
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Roosevelt leads the table with 55 descents from Edward I and 17 from Edward III.
- 55
- lines from Edward I
- 17
- lines from Edward III
Ranked second
George W. Bush
Bush follows closely behind with 53 descents from Edward I and 9 from Edward III.
- 53
- lines from Edward I
- 9
- lines from Edward III
Top names
Highest-ranking presidents
- Theodore Roosevelt
- George H. W. Bush
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- George W. Bush
A league table of blue-bloodedness can be constructed from the number of separate lines of descent from these monarchs. The clear leader is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president, with 55 lines of descent from Edward I and 17 from Edward III.
Not far behind is George W. Bush, 43rd president, with 53 descents from Edward I and nine from Edward III. His mother, Barbara Pierce, more than doubled the royal inheritance that his father, George H. W. Bush, had received, although the 41st president still remains comfortably within the top four.
Research with confidence
Could Your Family Tree Lead Back to Medieval England?
Finding a possible royal connection is exciting. Proving it requires following the evidence through every generation.
Learn how to evaluate family-tree clues, find reliable records, and build your ancestry one properly supported connection at a time.
The complete table
League Table of Presidential Royal Ancestry
The table below ranks presidents by the number of separate descents traced from Edward I and Edward III. It highlights how several presidential family trees connect with England’s medieval crown.
On small screens, scroll horizontally to view all columns.
| Rank | President | Presidential number | Edward I lines | Edward III lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | 32 | 55 | 17 |
| 2 | George W. Bush | 43 | 53 | 9 |
| 3 | Theodore Roosevelt | 26 | 24 | 10 |
| 4 | George H. W. Bush | 41 | 25 | 4 |
| 5 | Harry S. Truman | 33 | 19 | 7 |
| 6 | Herbert Hoover | 31 | 13 | 2 |
| 7 | George Washington | 1 | 12 | 3 |
| 8 | Woodrow Wilson | 28 | 11 | 4 |
| 9 | William Howard Taft | 27 | 9 | 2 |
| 10 | John FitzGerald Kennedy | 35 | 8 | 4 |
| 11 | Thomas Jefferson | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 12 | Calvin Coolidge | 30 | 7 | 1 |
| 13 | Grover Cleveland | 22/24 | 7 | 0 |
| 14 | John Quincy Adams | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 14 | Zachary Taylor | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| 14 | Jimmy Carter | 39 | 6 | 0 |
| 17 | James Madison | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 17 | Benjamin Harrison | 23 | 5 | 0 |
| 19 | Richard Nixon | 37 | 3 | 1 |
| 20 | William Henry Harrison | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | James Buchanan | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | Rutherford Hayes | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | Lyndon Johnson | 36 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | William Clinton | 42 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | Barack Obama | 44 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Gerald Ford | 38 | Henry III only | - |
| 27 | Franklin Pierce | 14 | King John only | - |
Historical context
Why These Connections Matter to American Family Historians
These figures should encourage Americans to seek out their own royal antecedents, but they also point to a larger truth. The descendants of medieval kings spread widely through later gentry and professional families, eventually into emigrant lines that reached North America.
The proportion of presidents with English royal ancestry appears to rise over time: 50 per cent in the first ten presidents, 40 per cent in the second ten, 70 per cent in the next ten, 80 per cent in the next ten, and 70 per cent among the most recent ten.
These decade-by-decade percentages are presented in the context of the WikiTree-based research discussed by IHGS, not as independently verified IHGS statistics.
What begins as a surprising presidential statistic quickly becomes a useful lesson in how British and American family history intersect across centuries. A royal connection is possible, but it must never be assumed: each parent-child relationship still needs to be supported with evidence.
The IHGS method
A Royal Ancestor Is a Clue—Not a Conclusion
Online family trees can provide valuable leads, but one unsupported connection can place an entire ancestral line on the wrong branch.
Reliable royal-descent research requires the same discipline as any other genealogy: identify each person correctly, examine original records where possible, resolve conflicting evidence, and prove every relationship from the present generation backward.
- Begin with yourselfEstablish the known generations and their records.
- Prove each generationTest every parent-child relationship before moving backward.
- Verify the immigrant or gateway ancestorConnect the American line to the correct earlier family.
- Connect with the documented medieval lineOnly then assess the royal descent claim.
Research note
Research Note and WikiTree Recognition
IHGS supports the free resource provided by WikiTree.com, particularly its ability to show the degree of kinship between two people. Family historians should remember that the quality of information there can vary, and no genealogist should add an individual to a personal lineage without being fully satisfied with the sources.
In 2024, the Trustees of IHGS awarded Chris Whitten and WikiTree.com the prestigious Bickersteth Medal for services to genealogy.
Separate fact from family tradition
Have You Found a Coat of Arms or Family-Crest Claim?
A coat of arms was granted to a particular person and inherited through the appropriate family line. Sharing a surname does not automatically establish the right to use those arms.
Learn how arms were granted, inherited, recorded, and correctly connected to a family history.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do U.S. Presidents have royal ancestry?
Yes. Research using the U.S. Presidents project on WikiTree suggests that 27 of the 45 individuals who have served as U.S. president descend from kings of England. These royal links are usually distant medieval lines, not close family relationships.
Which U.S. Presidents are related to English royalty?
According to the research discussed by IHGS, presidents with English royal ancestry include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George W. Bush, Theodore Roosevelt, George H. W. Bush, Harry S. Truman, Herbert Hoover, George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama and others. Franklin Delano Roosevelt ranks highest in the table, with 55 traced descents from Edward I and 17 from Edward III.
Are all U.S. Presidents related?
Not all U.S. presidents are shown in this research as having English royal ancestry. Many presidents may be connected to one another through distant colonial, British or European family lines, but genealogical relationships should always be checked against reliable sources before being added to a family tree.
Are U.S. Presidents descended from King John?
Yes, at least some presidential ancestry connects to King John. In the IHGS table, Franklin Pierce is listed with royal descent from King John only. Because later English kings such as Edward I descend from King John, some broader Plantagenet lines may also lead back to him, but the article separates the named royal descents for clarity.
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Continue your study
Royal Ancestry Is Fascinating. Evidence Is What Makes It Genealogy.
A possible connection to a king, president, immigrant, or historic family is only the beginning. IHGS teaches you how to test the clues, understand the records, and build a family history you can support with confidence.
