Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born 1981 in Houston, Texas, to Celestine Ann “Tina” Knowles, a hairdresser and salon owner, and Mathew Knowles, a Xerox sales manager. Beyoncé’s name is a tribute to her mother’s maiden name. Beyoncé’s younger sister Solange is also a singer. Mathew is African-American, while Tina is of Louisiana Creole descent (with African, Native American, French, and 1/32nd Irish ancestry).