I may be 25% Québécois

My personal ethnic background has not really been much of a mystery to me until somewhat recently.

My father, also named Nick Boragina, was born in Italy, in particular, in Calabria. From what he tells me, the last name means "Bad Priest" and is 100% Italian.

My mother is Acadian. Her father, Sylvio Plourde, was born in Madawaska in New Brunswick. Her mother (RIP) Marie LeBlanc was born in Kent County in New Brunswick. Her grandmother was native, Mi'kmaq to be specific.

This was all nice and good until the past few years when I started doing some digging.

First, Boragina is not a popular last name whatsoever. It also seems to be spread around Italy. Considering what I've been told about the origin of the name, I have begun to suspect that it is a corruption of Borgia, the infamous middle-ages family that produced a number of popes. I thus, may be, part Spanish. Considering the age of these events, however, that "part" would be very minor.

What is more interesting to me is my grandfather. I can call him right now and ask (though he'll be upset I'm waking him in the middle of the night) but he will insist that he is Acadian. The "problem" is that my grandmother's sisters originally thought he was Quebecois because of his accent. As well there are a very limited number of Plourdes in New Brunswick, but a large number in Quebec. In addition, he was born suspiciously close to the Quebec border. Perhaps over a generation or two or three they became accepted as "Acadian" but in terms of "Ethnicity" - if you believe the Quebecois are an "Ethnicity" that is - it is very likely he is a Quebecois.

Thus I may be 25% Quebecois!