Aaron Judge family tree: Meet Yankees star's wife Samantha Bracksieck, daughter Nora, adopted family and more

Dan Treacy

Aaron Judge family tree: Meet Yankees star's wife Samantha Bracksieck, daughter Nora, adopted family and more image

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It's hard to become as dominant as Aaron Judge has become without a strong family by your side.

Aaron Judge's adoptive parents raised him into a gentle giant, and they were hard to miss when they cheered on their son's successful chase of Roger Maris' American League single-season home run record in 2022.

Judge now has a family of his own, including a young daughter, as he continues his pursuit of the New York Yankees' 28th World Series championship.

Here's what you need to know about Judge's family and background.

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Aaron Judge wife: Samantha Bracksieck

Aaron Judge met his wife, Samantha Bracksieck, all the way back in high school in California. They both attended Fresno State University and were first pictured together on social media in late 2014, a year after Judge was drafted by the Yankees

Judge and Bracksieck married in December of 2021 in Hawaii, in a ceremony that was attended by some of Judge's Yankees teammates.

Bracksieck majored in kinesiology at Fresno State and has run the New York City Marathon multiple times, with Judge cheering her on each time. 

In 2020, Bracksieck was arrested in Arizona on a charge of extreme DUI. Body camera footage revealed that she asked police at the scene, "Do you know who my boyfriend is? My boyfriend is in the spotlight in New York media in general. And now here I am handcuffed in Arizona. Like, that is not good." Bracksieck accepted a plea deal later in 2020 and received in a sentence of 10 days in jail, but nine were suspended and she was given one day of credit for time served.

Judge said when he re-signed with the Yankees in 2022 that Bracksieck played a role in the decision. "We came to the decision that was in our hearts, which is we belong in New York, we belong in this city," Judge said after thanking his wife. 

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Aaron Judge daughter: Nora Rose Judge

Aaron Judge and his wife welcomed their first child, Nora Rose Judge, on Jan. 27, 2025. Judge and Bracksieck have kept a low profile while raising their daughter, but Judge made the announcement in early February:

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Aaron Judge dad: Wayne Judge

Aaron Judge's adoptive father, Wayne Judge, adopted his son along with his wife the day after Aaron was born. They got to hold Aaron two days after he was born.

Wayne met his wife, Patty, while at Fresno State, where Aaron would eventually turn himself into a first-round MLB prospect. Wayne is a retired schoolteacher in Linden, California, and he generally keeps a low profile while supporting his son.

Wayne was present when Judge was named the Yankees' captain at a press conference to announce a nine-year, $360 million contract agreement in 2022. 

In 2015, Judge told the New York Post he feels he was meant to be with his parents. "I feel that God was the one that matched us together," he said.

As for his dad, Aaron told People Magazine in 2022 that Wayne has "always been my hero."

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Aaron Judge mom: Patty Judge

Patty married Wayne in 1975 and became a Linden school teacher as well. She and Wayne adopted two boys, including Aaron in 1992.

More than anything, Patty values family. "My greatest accomplishment and achievement in life has been the love and shared development of our family" Patty told HERLIFE magazine

Judge credits his mother with making him a Yankee. "I know I wouldn't be a New York Yankee if it wasn't for mom," Judge told MLB.com in 2017, crediting "the guidance she gave me as a kid growing up, knowing the difference from right and wrong, how to treat people and how to go the extra mile and put in extra work."

Patty was a consistent presence during her son's pursuit of the single-season AL home run record in 2022, appearing at games alongside Roger Maris' son.

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Aaron Judge brother: John Judge

Aaron Judge has one older brother, John, who was adopted seven years earlier in 1985. John has stayed out of the spotlight during his brother's MLB career, but Patty Judge told the New York Post in 2015 that he was teaching English in South Korea at the time.

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Does Aaron Judge know his biological parents?

Aaron Judge was adopted the day after he was born and does not know his biological parents. By all accounts, he is content with knowing his adoptive parents as his only parents.

Aaron learned he was adopted when he was 10 or 11 years old, but he wasn't surprised. "I was like, 'Okay, that's fine with me. You're still my mom, the only mom I know. You're still my dad, the only dad I know," Judge relayed to MLB.com in 2017.

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How old was Aaron Judge when he was adopted?

Aaron Judge was only a day old when he was adopted by his parents in 1992. Wayne and Patty got to hold Judge for the first time when he was two days old.

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What is Aaron Judge's ethnicity?

Aaron Judge hasn't spoken much about his ethnicity, but he has acknowledged that he is biracial.

In 2020, amid the George Floyd protests, Judge said in an Instagram post, "We are BLACK MEN!! We build and lift each other up!! Together we are better, together we are strong!"

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Where is Aaron Judge from?

Aaron Judge was born in Sacramento, California, and was raised in Linden, about an hour south. He grew up as a San Francisco Giants fan and considered signing with the Giants in 2022 before a last-minute push by the Yankees brought him back to New York. 

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Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.