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Lathan in 2010, Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Sanaa McCoy Lathan
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: September 19, 1971
Ethnicity: African-American, some English, distant Scottish
Sanaa Lathan is an American actress. Her roles include the films Blade (1998), The Best Man , Love & Basketball , Brown Sugar , Alien vs. Predator , Something New , and The Perfect Guy (2015); and the show Succession .
Her father, Stan Lathan, is a producer and director. Her mother, Eleanor McCoy (Eleanor Leslie McCoy), was an actress and dancer, who performed on Broadway. Her brother is DJ Tendaji Lathan. Sanaa’s parents and grandparents are/were all black/mixed-race black. Her first name, Sanaa, means “work of art” in Swahili.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2026) stated that Sanaa’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*54% African ——–*15% Nigeria ——–*10% Ivory Coast & Ghana ——–*9% Benin & Togo ——–*8% Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples ——–*7% Mali ——–*3% Senegal ——–*2% Nigeria-East Central *46% European ——–*13% Sweden & Denmark ——–*13% England & Northwestern Europe ——–*11% Scotland ——–*6% Jewish ——–*3% Wales
*54% African ——–*15% Nigeria ——–*10% Ivory Coast & Ghana ——–*9% Benin & Togo ——–*8% Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples ——–*7% Mali ——–*3% Senegal ——–*2% Nigeria-East Central *46% European ——–*13% Sweden & Denmark ——–*13% England & Northwestern Europe ——–*11% Scotland ——–*6% Jewish ——–*3% Wales
Some websites stated that she has Native American ancestry. No Native American genetic markers appear on Sanaa’s DNA test. Her result indicates that Sanaa likely has a Jewish great-great-grandparent; in the 2020s, Finding Your Roots DNA tests have rarely shown guests to have Jewish heritage without documented and/or likely Jewish ancestry.
Genetically, she was found to have a common ancestor with actor Sterling K. Brown .
Sanaa’s paternal grandfather was named Stanley Edward Lathan (the son of William Edward Lathan and Addie). Stanley was born in Pennsylvania. William was born in North Carolina. His father, Thomas Bog Slade, was a white man, who had fought for the Confederacy, and whose family owned over 40 slaves. William’s mother, Caroline Lathan, was a black woman.
Sanaa’s paternal grandmother was Julia Elizabeth Dunston (the daughter of Charles Dallas Dunston, Sr. and Lillian Pauline Muldrow). Julia was born in Pennsylvania. Lillian was the daughter of Phillip Muldrow and Rebecca E. Turner.
Sanaa’s maternal grandfather was Wesley Brice McCoy (the son of Wesley Deer/Duncan McCoy and Perses Helen Brice). Sanaa’s grandfather Wesley was born in South Bend, Indiana. Sanaa’s great-grandfather Wesley was born in Texas, and was a pioneering African-American veteriniarian. He was the son of Duncan McCoy and Rosetta Nash. Sanaa’s great-grandmother Perses was the daughter of John D. Brice and Paul.
Sanaa’s maternal grandmother was Helen Irene Traylor (the daughter of Henry Franklin Traylor and Nittie/Mittie Rita Reeder Teasley). Helen was born in Hartwell, Georgia. She is pictured here .
Sources: Sanaa’s paternal grandfather, Stanley Edward Lathan, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Sanaa’s paternal grandmother, Julia Elizabeth Dunston, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Sanaa’s paternal great-grandparents, Charles Dallas Dunston and Lillian Pauline Muldrow, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Sanaa’s maternal grandfather, Wesley Brice McCoy, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org