Is Katie Angelou related to Maya Angelou?

Answer 1

As I am an Angelou on my mother's side, I would love to claim the esteemed Maya as a relative. Also Katie Angelou too. But Maya's family name is a version of her married name. Maya was married briefly to a Greek guy whose name was longer and similar to Angelou and it was shortened to Angelou by Maya (I think). Many Greeks shorten their family names. My friend whose family name is Daskalopoulos became a dentist in Sydney, Australia and shortened his name to Daskal for business reasons. Maya is American but her ethnicity is black African. If Angelou is Katie's original family name and has not been shortened, then she is not related to Maya's ex-husband because Maya's ex-husband was not an Angelou. I am an Angelou descendant (my mother's family name). The Greek Angelou's originated from the island of Leros in the Dodecanese. The "ou" suffix to a family name is also used by Cypriots and I do not know of Cypriots with the Angelou family name but there may be some. There are many Cypriots in London. Perhaps Katie aquired the Angelou name through a Cypriot ancestor. On my father's side there are relatives in England but on my mother's side I am not sure. Some of the Leros Angelou's went to the USA.

Answer 2

No, Katie Angelou is not related to Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist, while Katie Angelou may be a private individual with no known public presence or relation to Maya Angelou.