CHERYL BURKE
Mixed (Filipino, Ashkenazi Jewish, Russian, Irish)
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Cheryl Burke — heritage & background
Quick answer: Cheryl Burke is of mixed ethnicity. Her mother, Sherri Bautista, is Filipino, and her father, Stephen Louis Burke, was of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage with Russian and Irish roots. Cheryl has proudly identified as a Filipino American throughout her career and has been recognized for her representation of the Filipino community in entertainment.
Is Cheryl Burke Mixed Race? Is She Biracial?
Yes, Cheryl Burke is of mixed ethnic heritage. Her background bridges Southeast Asian and European Jewish roots, making her one of the most visibly multiethnic figures in American dance and reality television. Her mother brings Filipino ancestry to the family, while her father contributed Ashkenazi Jewish heritage with Russian and Irish roots.
Cheryl has been open about her mixed background throughout her career. She has spoken about the experience of growing up as a mixed-race child and how it shaped her identity. Her Filipino heritage, in particular, has been a source of pride, and she has been recognized by the Filipino American community for her visibility and representation in mainstream entertainment. At the same time, her father's Ashkenazi Jewish background has also been a part of her identity, though she has spoken more publicly about her connection to her Filipino roots.
What Is Cheryl Burke's Ethnicity?
Cheryl Burke's ethnicity is a combination of Filipino and Ashkenazi Jewish with Russian and Irish ancestry. Born in San Francisco, California, on May 3, 1984, she grew up in the Bay Area, a region known for its large and vibrant Filipino American community.
Her mother, Sherri Bautista, is of Filipino descent. The surname Bautista is one of the most common surnames in the Philippines, originating from the Spanish colonial period. The Philippines has a long history of Spanish colonization, which influenced naming conventions, religion, and culture across the archipelago. Filipino Americans represent one of the largest Asian American communities in the United States, and the San Francisco Bay Area has historically been one of the primary centers of Filipino American life.
Her father, Stephen Louis Burke, was of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, with additional Russian and Irish ancestry. Ashkenazi Jews are the Jewish diaspora community that settled in Central and Eastern Europe, and they represent the largest ethnic group among American Jews. The Russian and Irish components of her father's heritage reflect the broader patterns of European immigration to the United States, particularly to urban centers like San Francisco.
A 23andMe DNA test taken by Cheryl reportedly confirmed that her ancestry is approximately half Ashkenazi Jewish from her father's side and half Chinese and Southeast Asian from her mother's side, reflecting the complex genetic makeup of Filipino populations, which carry both Southeast Asian and Chinese genetic influences due to centuries of migration and trade in the region.
Father's Side: Ashkenazi Jewish, Russian, and Irish Roots
Cheryl Burke's father, Stephen Louis Burke, was born in 1950 and passed away in 2018. He was of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, with additional Russian and Irish ancestry. The Burke surname itself is Irish in origin, one of the most common surnames in Ireland, deriving from the Anglo-Norman "de Burgh" family that settled in Ireland during the medieval period.
The Ashkenazi Jewish component of Stephen Burke's heritage connects Cheryl to a rich cultural and religious tradition that spans centuries in Central and Eastern Europe. Ashkenazi Jews developed distinct cultural practices, languages (particularly Yiddish), and religious traditions during their centuries in Europe, and they brought these traditions to the United States during waves of immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Russian ancestry in Stephen Burke's background likely connects to the broader pattern of Jewish emigration from the Russian Empire, where millions of Jews lived before many emigrated to the United States to escape persecution and pogroms. The Irish component adds another layer of European heritage common among American families with roots in the northeastern and western United States.
Stephen Burke's passing in 2018 was a significant loss for Cheryl, who has spoken publicly about her relationship with her father and the impact of his death on her life.
Mother's Side: Filipino Roots
Cheryl Burke's mother, Sherri Bautista, is of Filipino descent. The Filipino heritage is the aspect of her background that Cheryl has most publicly embraced and celebrated throughout her career.
The Philippines is an archipelago nation in Southeast Asia with a complex history that includes indigenous Malay roots, centuries of Spanish colonization (1565–1898), a period of American governance (1898–1946), and significant Chinese and Japanese cultural influences through trade and migration. This rich tapestry of influences has created a unique Filipino culture that blends Asian, European, and indigenous elements.
Sherri Bautista is a nurse and entrepreneur who raised Cheryl in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Filipino American community in the Bay Area is one of the oldest and largest in the United States, dating back to the early 20th century when Filipino workers came to the region as farm laborers and later established permanent communities.
Cheryl has spoken about the importance of her Filipino heritage, particularly in an Instagram post where she stated how important it is to her as a Filipino American to celebrate her culture and be open about it. She has also created content with her mother showcasing their Filipino cultural connection, including a language challenge video where her mother speaks Tagalog while Cheryl translates to English.
In 2007, Cheryl won the Role Model Award at the 7th Annual Filipino American Library Gala, recognizing her positive representation of the Filipino American community through her career on "Dancing with the Stars."
Grandparents: A Complete Picture
The specific names of Cheryl Burke's four grandparents have not been widely documented in public sources. Based on her parents' known heritage:
Paternal Grandparents (Father Stephen Burke's parents):
- Paternal Grandfather: [Name not publicly known] — of Ashkenazi Jewish and/or Russian and Irish heritage
- Paternal Grandmother: [Name not publicly known] — of Ashkenazi Jewish and/or Russian and Irish heritage
Maternal Grandparents (Mother Sherri Bautista's parents):
- Maternal Grandfather: [Name not publicly known] — Filipino heritage
- Maternal Grandmother: [Name not publicly known] — Filipino heritage
The maternal grandparents' Filipino roots connect to the broader story of Filipino immigration to the United States, while the paternal grandparents' Ashkenazi Jewish, Russian, and Irish heritage reflects the European immigrant experience in America.
DNA & Genetic Ancestry
Cheryl Burke has taken a 23andMe DNA test, which revealed that her genetic ancestry is approximately half Ashkenazi Jewish (from her father's side) and half Chinese and Southeast Asian (from her mother's side). This result is consistent with her known family background — her father's Ashkenazi Jewish heritage and her mother's Filipino background.
The "Chinese and Southeast Asian" classification in Cheryl's DNA results reflects the genetic complexity of Filipino populations. The Philippines' geographic location and history of trade with China and other Asian nations means that many Filipinos carry genetic markers associated with both Southeast Asian and Chinese populations. This does not necessarily indicate recent Chinese ancestry but rather reflects the deep genetic history of the Filipino people.
The DNA results also confirmed the Ashkenazi Jewish component from her father's side, which is one of the most genetically distinctive ethnic groups in the world due to centuries of relative genetic isolation within European Jewish communities.
Nationality vs. Ethnicity
Cheryl Burke's nationality is American. She was born in San Francisco, California, and holds American citizenship. Nationality refers to legal citizenship and relationship to a country.
Her ethnicity is mixed — Filipino from her mother's side and Ashkenazi Jewish with Russian and Irish roots from her father's side. Ethnicity refers to cultural heritage, ancestral origins, and shared traditions. For Cheryl, this means navigating multiple cultural identities — the Filipino traditions of her mother's family, the Jewish cultural heritage of her father's side, and the broader American experience in which she was raised.
Cheryl has primarily identified publicly as a Filipino American, using her platform to celebrate and bring visibility to Filipino culture. However, her complete ethnic picture includes her father's Ashkenazi Jewish, Russian, and Irish heritage as well, making her a truly multicultural American.
Cheryl Burke in Her Own Words
Cheryl Burke has been vocal about her heritage throughout her career. On social media, she has stated that it is very important to her as a Filipino American to celebrate her culture and be open about it, noting that when she was growing up, she didn't have many role models who looked like her in the entertainment industry.
She has also created content celebrating her Filipino roots, including a popular video series with her mother where they explore their cultural connection through language. These moments of cultural sharing have resonated with her Filipino American fans and have helped establish Cheryl as a prominent figure within the community.
Her connection to Filipino culture has been recognized formally through awards and community recognition, demonstrating that her representation goes beyond personal pride and has had a meaningful impact on the Filipino American community.
Relationships and Children
Cheryl Burke married actor Matthew Lawrence on May 23, 2019, in San Diego, California. Lawrence, known for his roles in "Boy Meets World" and "Brotherly Love," proposed to Cheryl on her 34th birthday in 2018. However, their marriage ended when Cheryl filed for divorce in February 2022, and their divorce was finalized later that year.
As of 2026, Cheryl Burke does not have any publicly known children. She has been open about her personal life on her podcast and social media platforms, discussing relationships, self-improvement, and personal growth.
Matthew Lawrence is of European heritage (Italian, English, Scottish, and German descent), which means that during their marriage, the couple represented a blend of European, Filipino, and Ashkenazi Jewish backgrounds.
Is Cheryl Burke Alive?
Yes, Cheryl Burke is alive as of April 2026. She is 42 years old. Cheryl is best known for her career as a professional dancer on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," where she became one of the show's most successful and beloved professionals. She was the first female professional to win the Mirror Ball Trophy twice. After departing from DWTS, she has continued to work in entertainment, hosting podcasts, and pursuing various media projects. She has also been open about her journey with sobriety and mental health, becoming an advocate for wellness and self-care.
Visual Family Tree
Cheryl Burke (Mixed — Filipino, Ashkenazi Jewish, Russian, Irish)
Stephen Louis Burke (Ashkenazi Jewish, Russian, Irish)
[Paternal Grandfather] (Ashkenazi Jewish/Russian/Irish heritage) · [Paternal Grandmother] (Ashkenazi Jewish/Russian/Irish heritage)
Sherri Bautista (Filipino)
[Maternal Grandfather] (Filipino heritage) · [Maternal Grandmother] (Filipino heritage)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheryl_Burke
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2150519/bio/
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2150519/trivia/
- https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cheryl-burke.html
- https://patch.com/california/lagunaniguel-danapoint/famed-dancers-mom-a-star-in-her-own-right
EthniCelebrity Research Team
Ethnicity & Heritage Writers
Our team specialises in researching and documenting the ethnic backgrounds, nationality, and ancestry of public figures — drawing on genealogical records, interviews, and verified biographical sources.