Walk into any room with a copy of Vogue and one name instantly comes to mind. Anna Wintour. She’s the bob-haired, sunglass-wearing architect of modern fashion who basically decides what’s cool before we even know it exists. But lately, there’s been a weird amount of chatter online about her background. Specifically, people keep asking: is Anna Wintour Jewish? It’s one of those questions that seems to pop up in Reddit threads and Twitter debates every time the Met Gala rolls around. Maybe it’s the New York connection. Or perhaps it's because so many of her peers in the fashion world—like Diane von Fürstenberg or the late, great Isaac Mizrahi—have prominent Jewish roots. Whatever the reason, the internet is convinced there's a hidden story here.
The Reality of Her Roots
Honestly, the answer is pretty straightforward, even if it lacks the "secret history" vibe people are looking for. Anna Wintour is not Jewish.
If you look at her family tree, it’s about as "English establishment" as it gets. We’re talking landed gentry, military generals, and Anglican bishops. Her father, Charles Wintour, was the legendary editor of the London Evening Standard. He came from a long line of British upper-class figures. In fact, one of her ancestors was the 4th Earl of Bristol, who served as an Anglican Bishop. That’s about as far from a Jewish heritage as you can find in the UK.
Her mother’s side doesn't change the equation much either. Eleanor "Nonie" Trego Baker was American, the daughter of a Harvard Law professor. While her maternal line has some interesting twists—including distant French Huguenot and Dutch roots—there is zero evidence of Jewish ancestry there. Most biographies, including the exhaustive Anna by Amy Odell, describe her mother’s family as having affluent, East Coast Quaker ties.
Why Do People Get This Wrong?
It’s a fair question. Why does this rumor persist?
🔗 Read more: Lenny Kravitz Split Trousers: The Wardrobe Malfunction That Defined a Tour
Part of it is probably geographic. Wintour has lived in New York City since the 1970s. She is deeply embedded in the cultural and social fabric of a city where Jewish influence is massive. When you’re the Queen of Manhattan, people sometimes just assume you share the heritage of the city’s most iconic intellectual and creative circles.
Then there’s the "Shaffer" factor. Anna was married to David Shaffer, a prominent child psychiatrist, for many years. Shaffer was Jewish. They have two children together, Charles and Bee. So, while Anna herself isn't Jewish, her children have Jewish heritage through their father. In the world of celebrity gossip, these details often get blurred. People see a Jewish husband or Jewish children and skip a few steps in the logic chain.
The Fashion World Connection
Fashion is an industry with deep Jewish roots. From the garment district to the heads of major design houses, the history of 20th-century style is inextricably linked to Jewish immigrant success stories. Wintour has spent her entire career championing these designers. She was a close friend to Oscar de la Renta (not Jewish) but also worked hand-in-hand with titans like Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan.
"It's like a classic Jewish folk tale," filmmaker R.J. Cutler once said while discussing Wintour's public and private personas.
Quotes like that—intended as metaphors for her "outsider-turned-insider" narrative—often get indexed by search engines and misunderstood by casual readers. People see the words "Jewish folk tale" and "Anna Wintour" in the same snippet and assume there's a biological link. There isn't. It's just a way of describing her meteoric rise and the complexity of her character.
🔗 Read more: Does Post Malone Have Kids? The Truth About His Daughter and Dad Life
Breaking Down the Family Tree
If we really want to put this to bed, we have to look at the specifics. It’s actually kinda fascinating how deep her British roots go.
- Paternal Grandfather: Major-General Fitzgerald Wintour. A high-ranking British military officer.
- Paternal Ancestors: She is a direct descendant of Lady Elizabeth Foster, the Duchess of Devonshire.
- Maternal Side: Her grandmother, Anna Baker, was the daughter of a merchant from Pennsylvania.
- Religious Ties: Her family history is peppered with clergy members from the Church of England.
There’s no "crypto-Jewish" backstory here. It’s just old-fashioned British and American blue blood.
Is She Religious at All?
Anna is famously private. You’re not going to see her posting about her Sunday morning pews or her holiday traditions. However, some sources close to her have mentioned her Christian faith in passing, particularly in the context of her moral compass and her views on social justice. She was raised in a secular but culturally Christian environment typical of the British upper-middle class of the 1950s.
✨ Don't miss: What Really Happened With Liam Payne: Separating Fact from Viral Rumors
She doesn't lead with religion. She leads with Vogue. For Anna, the "church" has always been the office at One World Trade Center, and the "bible" is the September issue.
Actionable Insights for Researching Ancestry
If you're curious about a public figure's background, don't just rely on the first three snippets you see on a search page. Here is how to actually verify celebrity heritage:
- Check the Obituaries: Family history is often most accurately documented in the obituaries of parents. Charles Wintour’s 1999 obituary in The Guardian provides a clear map of the family’s British lineage.
- Look for Authorized Biographies: While "unauthorized" books can be juicy, books like Amy Odell’s Anna are based on hundreds of interviews and primary documents that clarify these factual points.
- Differentiate Between Marriage and Bloodline: Remember that many celebrities marry into different cultures. Being part of a Jewish family through marriage (as Anna was with David Shaffer) is different from being ethnically or religiously Jewish yourself.
- Verify via Genealogy Sites: Sites like FamilySearch or Geni often have verified trees for public figures that trace back several generations, which can debunk or confirm heritage rumors quickly.
Stick to the primary records. The bob, the glasses, and the icy stare are all hers, but the Jewish heritage simply isn't part of the Wintour DNA.