Spanish Tennis Player Carlos Alcaraz Has French Roots, MyHeritage Finds

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz is dominating the French Open tournament this year. He is representing Spain, naturally, alongside the talented Rafa Nadal — but did you know that Carlos Alcaraz has roots in France?

MyHeritage has discovered that the Spanish tennis player had French ancestors on his mother’s side, specifically in the regions of Moselle and Doubs.

Carlos Alcaraz’s family origins

Carlos Alcaraz was born on May 5, 2003 in El Palmar, a small town in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia. Both of his parents, Carlos and Virginia, are Spanish.

However, on his mother’s side, Carlos has close family ties to France.

Carlos Alcaraz’s family tree demonstrating his French roots via MyHeritage.

Carlos Alcaraz’s roots in Moselle and Besancon

The search for Carlos’s French ancestors takes us to Moselle, more specifically the commune of Gondrexange, where his third-great-grandfather Jean Nicolas Egler was born in 1835.

Jean Nicolas was a railway laborer (“manœuvre aux travaux du chemin de fer”). His parents, Carlos’s fourth-great-grandparents, were Christophe Egler and Marie-Rose Messe. Both were weavers (“tisserands”), a fairly traditional profession in that region that didn’t required a great deal of special equipment. Because of this, it was common for farmers with small areas of land to engage in weaving as a secondary source of income.

Jean Nicolas Egler, Marie-Eugenie Jeannenot, was a seamstress (“lingère”). No surprises here either: this was a very typical occupation for women of her time.

Jean Nicolas Egler and Marie-Eugenie Jeannenot were married in Baumes-les-Dames in 1858, as documented by their marriage certificate, shown below:

Marriage certificate of Jean Nicolas Egler and Marie-Eugenie Jeannenot, Carlos Alvaraz’s third-great-grandparents, 1858, Baumes les Dames

Carlos’s third-great-grandmother, Marie-Eugenie Jeannenot, was born in Besancon in the Doubs region on January 22, 1840. She was the daughter of Alexandrine Jeannenot, a 42-year-old laborer.

Choosing to maintain French citizenship

In 1872, Moselle came under German control, and those born in Moselle, like Jean Nicolas, had until October 1, 1872 to decide whether to maintain their French citizenship or become German citizens. When Jean Nicolas chose to keep his French citizenship, he was already living in Malaga, Spain. His residence is mentioned in the register of those choosing to maintain French citizenship in the France, Bulletin de las Lois collection on MyHeritage:

Jean Nicolas Egler’s choice of citizenship in 1872 (Credit: Filae, MyHeritage)

Delving into one’s family history can yield surprising and exciting discoveries — like in this case of this #1 tennis player. We hope his French roots bring him luck in the tournament!
Start your family tree on MyHeritage today and see if you are related to Carlos Alcaraz or the other tennis players starring in the French Open!