Anna Paulina Luna was born Anna Paulina Mayerhofer in Santa Ana, California, in 1989 and previously used different surnames, including Gamberzky after marriage; she legally changed her last name to Luna in 2019 to represent her Hispanic heritage (Washington Post, Tampa Bay Times, The Sun).
Despite claiming Hispanic and Mexican roots, Luna identified as "White, not of Hispanic origin" on official documents such as her California driver's license and Florida voter registration in 2015 (Central Florida Post, Business Insider).
Luna's family background is ethnically mixed: her father was half-Mexican and half-German with a documented criminal record, while her maternal side included a grandmother who was a heroin addict and died from HIV-related complications (TIME).
Reports revealed Luna's paternal grandfather served in the German Wehrmacht during World War II, but her spokesperson emphasized her strong support for Israel and shared that her maternal great-grandfathers served with the U.S. military in WWII (Newsweek).
Luna is recognized as the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress from Florida, but her personal accounts of family support during her upbringing have been disputed by relatives (The Sun, Washington Post).
Luna has publicly discussed criticism over her skin tone and perceptions of her racial identity, noting that some have told her she appears "too white" to identify as Hispanic (Washington Examiner, Tampa Bay Times).
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Used Different Name And Identified As Caucasian, Blog Reported According to a blog post by Francisco Gonzalez on American Action News, "Anna Mayerhofer (that's Ana Paulina Luna's real name)...her past as a Democrat and Obama-supporter, not to mention her identifying herself on her California driver's license as Caucasian rather than Hispanic." [Blog Post - Francisco Gonzalez on American Action News, 10/18/21]
2023: Luna Was Born Anna Paulina Mayerhofer In Santa Ana, California In 1989 According to Washington Post, "Luna was born Anna Paulina Mayerhofer in 1989 in Santa Ana, Calif." [Washington Post, 2/10/23]
Central Florida Post Identified Anna Paulina Luna As Anna Paulina Mayerhofer In 2021 According to Central Florida Post, "Luna, whose real name is Anna Paulina Mayerhofer, refuses to acknowledge her past employment as a dancer at the Red Rose Gentlemen's Club in Fort Walton Beach." [Central Florida Post, 12/14/21]
2015: Luna Checked 'White, Not Of Hispanic Origin' On Florida Voter Registration According to Central Florida Post, "Why did she check the 'White, not of Hispanic origin' box on her voter registration card in 2015 when she registered to vote in Florida? In current times, she claims to be Hispanic, with Mexican roots. Yet, for years, and presumably to present day, she does not officially claim that heritage on official registration documents." [Central Florida Post, 12/14/21]
2015: Anna Paulina Luna Registered To Vote As 'White, Not Of Hispanic Origin' According to Business Insider, "Luna also claims to be Hispanic, but registered to vote as 'White, not of Hispanic origin' in 2015." [Business Insider, 2/10/23]
Luna Changed Surname To Luna In 2019 To Represent Hispanic Heritage According to The Sun, "Anna changed her surname to Gamberzky after her marriage; however, she later took her grandmother's maiden name, Luna, to represent her Hispanic heritage in 2019." [The Sun, 2/11/23]
Anna Paulina Luna Previously Went By Name Anna Paulina Mayerhofer According to SCMP, "Here's what we know about Anna Paulina Luna (who previously went by the name Anna Paulina Mayerhofer)." [SCMP, 2/16/25]
2019: Luna Filed To Change Her Last Name To Represent Her Hispanic Heritage According to Tampa Bay Times, "The name 'Luna,' a family name on her mother's side, first appeared months later, in March 2019. She filed a petition in Clark County district court in Washington requesting the name change. 'I would like to represent my Hispanic heritage and have the same last name as my mother,' she wrote in the petition. [...] A judge granted the change a month later." [Tampa Bay Times, 10/6/20]
2015: Luna Registered To Vote As White, Not Of Hispanic Origin In Florida According to Tampa Bay Times, "Despite her Hispanic roots, Luna identified herself as 'White, not of Hispanic Origin' when she registered to vote in Okaloosa County in 2015, records show." [Tampa Bay Times, 10/6/20]
2019: Luna Initiated Name Change Filing In Washington State Before Running For Congress According to Tampa Bay Times, "She filed a petition in Clark County district court in Washington requesting the name change. [...] A judge granted the change a month later. She was 29." [Tampa Bay Times, 10/6/20]
Luna Legally Changed Last Name From Gamberzky According to Tampa Bay Times, "She legally changed her last name to Luna from her married last name of Gamberzky, saying in part that she didn't want her husband dragged into her political activity." [Tampa Bay Times, 1/5/23]
Luna Pronounced Her First Name 'Ah-na,' But Relatives Use Other Pronunciations According to Tampa Bay Times, "Luna pronounces her first name 'Ah-na.' Reached by phone, Luna's mother, who preferred not to be identified by name, called her daughter 'Ann-a,' but said relatives pronounced it differently. In a recent interview, Luna said she answers to both." [Tampa Bay Times, 10/6/20]
2023: Luna's Father Had Criminal Record And Drug Problems According To Family And Court Records According to TIME, "On at least five different occasions, her half-Mexican, half-German father, George Mayerhofer, was sentenced to Orange County jail, according to records reviewed by TIME, on charges ranging from carrying a loaded firearm in public, probation violation, and driving on a suspended license. He also faced convictions for assault and battery and possession of a controlled substance." [TIME, 7/10/23]
Luna's Paternal Grandfather Served In German Wehrmacht In WWII According to Newsweek, "Additionally, the report by the Post further revealed that Luna reportedly had Nazi roots, with several family members saying that Heinrich Mayerhofer, who died in 2003, served in the armed forces of Nazi Germany when he was a teenager in the 1940s." [Newsweek, 2/10/23]
Simon Wiesenthal Center Experts Said Luna's Grandfather's Uniform Was Wehrmacht According to Newsweek, "The photo was reviewed by experts at the Simon Wiesenthal Center who confirmed that Heinrich's uniform matched that of a member of the Wehrmacht, the military of Nazi Germany." [Newsweek, 2/10/23]
2022: Luna Stated Receiving Criticism Based On Her Skin Tone According to Tampa Bay Times, "She said as a woman, she feels she gets extra criticism from people attempting to police her speech based on her skin tone, including people saying she's too white to identify as Hispanic." [Tampa Bay Times, 2/1/22]
2023: Luna's Maternal Grandmother Died Of Complications Related To HIV And Was A Heroin Addict According to TIME, "Luna's maternal grandmother was a heroin addict who died of complications related to HIV, according to her family and a death certificate provided by her mother." [TIME, 7/10/23]
Luna's Spokesperson Emphasized Support For Israel And Service Of Maternal Ancestors In WWII According to Newsweek, "Luna's spokesperson also told Newsweek that 'it is very unfortunate that they're trying to make that connection, but the reality is Rep. Luna is a strong supporter of Israel, and whatever connection they're trying to make is irrelevant.' The congresswoman's spokesperson added that Luna's two maternal great-grandfathers 'fought in WWII for the Americans,' and shared a picture of one of them in uniform as well as a copy of an article by the Arizona Daily Star that dated back to 1952 that reported on Luna's great-grandfather's history." [Newsweek, 2/10/23]
William Todd, Luna's Great-Grandfather, Served With Arizona National Guard In WWII According to Newsweek, "Heipel said that one of Luna's great-grandfathers, William Todd, was enlisted in the Arizona National Guard to serve with the Bushmasters in New Guinea and the Trobriand Islands between 1943 and 1948." [Newsweek, 2/10/23]
Luna Became First Mexican-American Woman To Represent Florida In Congress According to The Sun, "The Republican politician is the first Mexican-American woman to serve Florida in Congress." [The Sun, 2/11/23]
2023: Luna Highlighted Her Hispanic Background And Experiences With Racial Perceptions According to Washington Examiner, "I'm a second-generation, half-Hispanic woman, and, because I'm lighter-skinned, a lot of people would tell me that I was whitewashed, too white to be Hispanic, etc., and I realized that they were only saying that because they weren't actually informed of what was truly happening." [Washington Examiner, 2/7/23]
Anna Paulina Luna Was The First Mexican American Woman Elected To Congress From Florida As Of 2024 According to NBC - 8 WFLA, "La republicana es la primera mujer mexicoamericana elegida para el Congreso en representación del Estado del Sol." [NBC - 8 WFLA: Web Edition Articles (Florida), 11/5/24]
2025: Anna Paulina Luna Fue Identificada Como Primera Mujer Mexicano-Estadounidense Elegida Al Congreso Por Florida According to El Nuevo Herald, "Anna Paulina Luna, quien reside en St. Petersburg, Florida, es la primera mujer mexicano-estadounidense elegida al Congreso de Estados Unidos en representación de Florida." [El Nuevo Herald, 1/30/25]
2023: Luna Claimed Her Father Was Incarcerated But Official State Records Did Not Show Felony Charges Or Prison Time In California According to Washington Post, "Luna's biography on her campaign website says that throughout her childhood and teenage years, her father 'spent time in and out of incarceration' ... The Post was not able to locate any public records of felony charges or prison sentences for George Mayerhofer in California, where Luna lived at the time." [Washington Post, 2/10/23]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Described Being Raised With 'No Family To Rely On' According to Washington Post, "In campaign literature and in speaking engagements, Luna has routinely said her mother single-handedly raised her with 'no family to rely on.'" [Washington Post, 2/10/23]
2023: Family Members Disagreed On Whether Luna Grew Up Without Extended Family Support According to Washington Post, "Other relatives have different recollections, saying Luna and her mother were supported by an extended family. 'The whole family kind of raised her [...] she was always a part of everything, all these family gatherings and activities.'" [Washington Post, 2/10/23]