Travis Kelce
07/19/2018 – Kelce, Kayla Nicole – Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards 2018 – Arrivals – Barker Hangar, 3021 Airport Ave – Santa Monica, CA, USA – Photo Credit: Sir Jones / PRPhotos.com
Birth Name: Travis Michael Kelce
Place of Birth: Westlake, Ohio, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 5, 1989
Ethnicity: Irish, German, one eighth Polish, one eighth Czech, one eighth Croatian, English, Scottish, Welsh
Travis Kelce is an American professional football player, podcaster, and actor. A tight end, he plays for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL), with whom he has played his entire professional career; during which time the team has won three Super Bowls. He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Among the NFL records for a tight end he holds is most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1,000 yards receiving, and most receiving yards in a single season. He has appeared in the documentary Kelce and the film Happy Gilmore 2, on the show Grotesquerie, and in ads; and has hosted quiz show Are You Smarter than a Celebrity? He is 6′5″.
Travis is the son of Donna, a bank executive, and Edward Kelce, a steel industry sales representative. His brother is professional football player Jason Kelce. The two co-host the podcast New Heights, covering football and more general topics.
The surname Kelce was originally spelled Gölz/Goelz. Travis’ great-great-great-great-grandfather, Johannes Kelts/John Kelce, was German.
Travis’ paternal grandfather was Willis Gerald Kelce (the son of Thomas Kelce and Anna Margaret Kline). Willis was born in Pennsylvania. Thomas was the son of William Kelce and Elizabeth Rees, who was Welsh. Anna was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of George Washington Kline and Margaret Murphy; whose own parents, Bernard Murphy and Margaret McQuiggan, were Irish.
Travis’ paternal grandmother was Thelma Furr (the daughter of Ernest Furr and Anna Dorsey). Thelma was born in West Virginia, to parents who were also born there. Anna was the daughter of Richard Alphonsus Dorsey and Mary Nancy Lamb. Richard’s parents, James Dorsey and Margaret Callam, were Irish.
Travis’ maternal grandfather was Donald Roy Blalock (the son of Roy Percy Blalock and Helen Henrietta Sadlowsky). Donald was born in Ohio. Travis’ great-grandfather Roy was the son of William O. Blalock and Hattie Lyons. Helen was born in Ohio, the daughter of ethnic Polish parents, John Sadlowsky and Henrietta Olchefsky.
Travis’ maternal grandmother was Ina Marie Petranek (the daughter of Frank Petranek and Marie Stajduhar). Ina was born in Ohio, to parents who were also born there. Frank was the son of Czech parents, Frank Petranek and Mary Wachalec. Travis’ great-grandmother Marie was the daughter of Croatian parents, George Stajduhar and Mary Yurkovich/Jurkovich.
Source: We Are The Mighty – https://www.wearethemighty.com
Genealogies of Travis Kelce – https://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
Genealogies of Travis’ paternal grandparents, Willis Gerald Kelce and Thelma (Furr) Kelce – https://www.findagrave.com
Correction: He is also of Irish, Welsh, and German descent. The surname Kelce is anglicized from Gölz/Goelz.
Travis’ paternal grandfather was Willis Gerald Kelce (the son of Thomas Kelce and Anna Margaret Kline). Willis was born in Pennsylvania. Travis’ great-grandfather Thomas was the son of William Kelce and Elizabeth Rees. Travis’ great-great-great-great-grandfather Johannes Kelts/John Kelce was born in Germany. Elizabeth was born in Wales. Anna was born in Pennsylvania, to parents George Washington Kline and Margaret Murphy. Travis’ great-great-grandmother Margaret was the daughter of Irish parents, Bernard Murphy and Margaret McQuiggan.
Travis’ paternal grandmother was Thelma Furr (the daughter of Ernest Furr and Anna Dorsey). Thelma was born in West Virginia, to parents who were also born there. Travis’ great-grandmother Anna was the daughter of Richard Alphonsus Dorsey and Mary Nancy Lamb. Richard was the son of Irish parents, James Dorsey and Margaret Callam.
Sources: We Are The Mighty – https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/travis-kelce-taylor-swift-military/
WikiTree – https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kelce-11
Find a Grave – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153812037/willis_gerald-kelce
Given that his last name “Kelce” does not represent an English translation or direct equivalent of the German “Gölz/Goelz,” its contemporary form would be best understood as an Americanization. The name is most likely a phonetic adaptation that occurred within the United States to facilitate simpler pronunciation, making it more accurate to state that “Kelce is Americanized from Gölz/Goelz” rather than “Anglicized.”
That’s an interesting pivot to ‘transliteration,’ but that term isn’t accurate here either.
“Transliteration” is used when changing a name from one script to another (e.g., Russian Cyrillic to English alphabet). Since Gölz/Goelz and Kelce both use the Latin script, no formal transliteration took place.
What actually happened was a phonetic adaptation—a change in sound and spelling to fit common American pronunciation patterns. The ‘ö’ sound (Umlaut) in German is often replaced with ‘e’ or ‘o’ in an American context, and the G -> K shift or simplification is a common feature of immigration name changes.
Ultimately, the shift from Gölz/Goelz to Kelce is a clear example of Americanization—a phonetic adaptation to simplified U.S. English spelling. However, if the concern is over the exact point in time the spelling changed (e.g., whether it happened before or after the family arrived in the U.S.), the most safest and unambiguous way to phrase it is:
“The surname Kelce was originally spelled as Gölz/Goelz”
This formulation avoids all linguistic process arguments and focuses solely on the verifiable German etymology.
Most celebs on this site have at least one ancestor who is in some percentage Polish or fully Polish; it’s pretty insane. xD
looks like a mix of czech and anglo I can see both of them in it
Frank Petranek was born in Ohio, to Czech parents, Frank Petranek and Mary Wachalec. Marie Stajduhar’s was born in Ohio, to Croatian parents, George Stajduhar and Mary Yurkovich/Jurkovich.