Getty Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) speaks as New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio (L) and former housing secretary Julian Castro (R) look on during the first night of the Democratic presidential debate on June 26, 2019 in Miami, Florida.
Tim Ryan is one of over 20 Democrats running for president for the 2020 election. He is representing Ohio’s 13th district in the House of Representatives. His last name and Midwestern roots have some thinking he may be related to former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
The two are, in fact, not related. According to Moose Roots, “Timothy John Ryan was born on July 16, 1973 in Ohio” and “was born to Rochelle Maria Ryan and Allen Leroy Ryan.” Meanwhile, Paul Ryan is a self-professed fifth-generation Wisconsinite.
According to Paul Ryan’s website:
A fifth-generation Janesville native, Ryan continued Wisconsin’s proud tradition of reform-minded leadership in the House of Representatives.
“It goes back five generations to the potato famine,” Paul Ryan’s brother Tobin said to the Janesville Gazette in 2012. “James Ryan came over and settled in Rock County.”
Both do come from an Irish background, while Tim Ryan also has Italian ancestry according to ABC News. Per Ireland Calling, Ryan is the eighth-most popular surname in the country, so the fact that their families comes from Ireland and have the same last name doesn’t necessarily connect them.