How Are Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe Related?

The similarities between Sydney Sweeney’s and Marilyn Monroe’s looks have been heavily discussed over the last few years, with many fans calling Sweeney a modern-day Monroe. It turns out the connection goes beyond appearances: Monroe and Sweeney are actually related, albeit distantly.

How are Marilyn Monroe and Sydney Sweeney related?

Sweeney and Monroe are related, though their biological connection is a loose one. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a MyHeritage study found the two stars are ninth cousins, once removed. They share a common ancestor: Ezra Perry, an early English settler in Sandwich, Massachusetts, who lived from around 1625 to 1689.

The women are related through their fathers’ sides. According to the study, Perry’s son Benjamin is part of the Sweeney family tree. Monroe’s connection comes through his daughter, Deborah Pope, who was born in Sandwich in 1654. Monroe’s biological father, Charles Stanley Gifford, was a descendant of Pope. Monroe didn’t know her biological father growing up. He died in 1965, three years after Monroe’s death.

How are ninth cousins, once removed actually related?

It’s certainly interesting that the women are related, especially considering how much Sweeney has leaned into comparisons with Monroe, but their connection is very distant. Most people are familiar with the idea of cousins, but a ninth cousin is so far removed that most people never learn who theirs are.

First cousins share grandparents; ninth cousins share a set of eighth-great-grandparents. “Once removed” means the two sit one generation apart on the family tree. Put simply, one of them is the child of the other’s ninth cousin.

Genealogists often point out that relationships this distant are surprisingly common. They’re even more common among people who can trace their roots to early colonial settlers, since those small communities meant families frequently intermarried.

Dakota Johnson is related, too

Sweeney’s connection to the iconic Monroe is fun, but it isn’t unique. In a surprising twist, Monroe has another famous cousin. Dakota Johnson is also Monroe’s ninth cousin, though she is three times removed rather than once.

Johnson is connected to Monroe through her mother’s side. Their connection also dates back to the 1600s, through early settlers who migrated south to present-day Maryland. In an interesting twist of fate, Johnson plays a version of Monroe in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s short film Flesh Impact.

Despite their famous shared cousin, Johnson and Sweeney are not related.