Kim Kardashian Ethnicity: Armenian and European Heritage
Kim Kardashian Ethnicity: Armenian and European Heritage
Kim Kardashian’s ethnicity is a blend of Armenian and Northern European ancestry. Born Kimberly Noel Kardashian on October 21, 1980, in Los Angeles, California, she is the daughter of the late Robert Kardashian, a third-generation Armenian-American attorney, and Kris Jenner (née Houghton), who is of Scottish, Dutch, English, Irish, and German descent. Kardashian has often said that her Armenian heritage is “a big part of who I am,” and she was baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church in 2019 under the name Heghine.
One of the most famous reality stars and businesswomen in the world — founder of the shapewear brand Skims and star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–2021) and The Kardashians — Kim has used her enormous platform to raise awareness of Armenian causes, including the Armenian Genocide, and has visited Armenia multiple times, most notably in 2015 for the centennial commemorations.
Table of Contents
- Quick Facts About Kim Kardashian
- What Is Kim Kardashian’s Ethnicity?
- Kim Kardashian’s Father’s Ethnicity
- Kim Kardashian’s Mother’s Ethnicity
- Is Kim Kardashian Armenian?
- Is Kim Kardashian Middle Eastern?
- What Is Kim Kardashian’s Nationality?
- How Has Her Armenian Identity Shaped Her Life?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Quick Facts About Kim Kardashian
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kimberly Noel Kardashian |
| Date of Birth | October 21, 1980 |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Armenian (father, third-generation Armenian-American); Scottish, Dutch, English, Irish, and German (mother) |
| Parents | Robert Kardashian (father, d. 2003); Kris Jenner, née Houghton (mother) |
| Profession | Media personality, businesswoman, model |
What Is Kim Kardashian’s Ethnicity?
Kim Kardashian is of mixed Armenian and European descent. Her father, Robert Kardashian, was a third-generation Armenian-American whose family roots trace to Karakale, a village in what is now northeastern Turkey but was then part of the Russian Empire. Her mother, Kris Jenner, comes from a family that has lived in the United States for many generations and is of English, Scottish, Irish, German, Dutch, Scots-Irish, Welsh, and distant Channel Islander ancestry.
A 23andMe DNA test whose results were shown on Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2018 found that Kim’s sisters Kourtney and Khloé carry roughly 41–42% Middle Eastern and North African genetic ancestry — the Armenian component — alongside majority European ancestry, a profile consistent with Kim’s own background. Kardashian has said she gets her famous curves “from her Armenian heritage,” and her grandfather instilled Armenian culture in the family from an early age.
Kim Kardashian’s Father’s Ethnicity
Kim Kardashian’s father, Robert George Kardashian (1944–2003), was of Armenian descent — a third-generation Armenian-American. His grandparents emigrated from the Ottoman Empire to the United States before the Armenian Genocide of 1915, making their way through Germany before settling in Los Angeles. The family’s original surname was Kardaschoff, a Russianized spelling of the Armenian name Kardashian.
The Kardashians were Armenian Spiritual Christians, specifically from a group known as Molokan Jumpers, from Karakale. Robert was born in Los Angeles to two Armenian-American parents and became a prominent attorney, most widely known for representing O. J. Simpson during his 1995 murder trial. He died of esophageal cancer in 2003, but his Armenian identity remained central to the family’s story — Kim has credited her grandfather with keeping Armenian traditions alive in the household.
Kim Kardashian’s Mother’s Ethnicity
Kim Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner (née Kristen Mary Houghton), is of Northern and Western European descent — primarily English, Scottish, Irish, German, and Dutch, with additional Scots-Irish, Welsh, and remote Channel Islander and Cornish ancestry. Her family has lived in America for many generations.
Kris married Robert Kardashian in 1978, and the couple had four children — Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob — before divorcing in 1991. Later that year, Kris married Caitlyn Jenner (then known as Bruce Jenner), the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion, through which Kim gained step-siblings and, later, half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Is Kim Kardashian Armenian?
Yes — Kim Kardashian is Armenian-American on her father’s side. She has embraced that identity throughout her public life. In 2015, she traveled to Armenia with her family to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, visiting the Tsitsernakaberd memorial in Yerevan. In 2019, she was baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church alongside her children, taking the baptismal name Heghine, and all four of her children have been baptized in the Armenian Church as well.
Kardashian has been an outspoken advocate for Armenian causes, using her platform of hundreds of millions of followers to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide and, in 2020, to call attention to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. She has said plainly in interviews: “being Armenian is a big part of who I am.”
Is Kim Kardashian Middle Eastern?
Not exactly. Armenia sits in the South Caucasus region of Western Asia, and while DNA testing companies sometimes group Armenian ancestry under “Middle Eastern & North African” categories, Armenians are a distinct ethnic group with their own language, alphabet, and Apostolic Christian church tradition. Kardashian herself is American, and her Armenian roots come specifically through her father’s family, three generations removed from the old country.
What Is Kim Kardashian’s Nationality?
Kim Kardashian is American. She was born in Los Angeles, California, and has lived in the United States her entire life. While she has visited Armenia multiple times and feels a deep connection to her Armenian heritage, she holds American citizenship.
How Has Her Armenian Identity Shaped Her Life?
Kardashian’s Armenian heritage has influenced both her personal life and her business decisions. When her shapewear brand launched in 2019 under the name “Kimono,” backlash over cultural appropriation led her to rename it Skims — a move widely seen as reflecting sensitivity sharpened by her own experience as a member of a diaspora community. She has spoken about wanting her children to know their Armenian roots, ensuring they were baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Her advocacy has also had real-world resonance: her 2015 pilgrimage to Armenia drew global media attention to the genocide centennial, and Armenian-American organizations have praised her for keeping the community’s history in the public eye. For more on how stars navigate mixed heritage, see our profiles of Meghan Markle’s ethnicity and Christina Aguilera’s ethnicity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kim Kardashian’s ethnicity?
Kim Kardashian is of Armenian descent through her father and Scottish, Dutch, English, Irish, and German descent through her mother.
Was Kim Kardashian’s father Armenian?
Yes. Robert Kardashian was a third-generation Armenian-American; his grandparents emigrated from the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) before the Armenian Genocide.
What is Kim Kardashian’s mother’s ethnicity?
Kris Jenner is of Northern European descent — primarily English, Scottish, Irish, German, and Dutch.
Has Kim Kardashian visited Armenia?
Yes, multiple times, including a high-profile 2015 trip for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
What is Kim Kardashian’s Armenian baptismal name?
She was baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church in 2019 with the name Heghine.
What is Kim Kardashian’s nationality?
She is American, born in Los Angeles, California.
Conclusion
Kim Kardashian’s ethnicity is a distinctive mix of Armenian heritage — passed down through her father Robert Kardashian’s family, with roots in the historic Armenian communities of the Ottoman Empire — and Northern European ancestry from her mother Kris Jenner’s side. An American by nationality, Kardashian has made her Armenian identity a visible and active part of her life, from her baptism in the Armenian Apostolic Church to her advocacy for Armenian causes on the world stage. It remains, in her own words, a big part of who she is.
