Paul Anka's 6 Children: All About His Daughters and Son

Canadian singer Paul Anka has five daughters — Alexandra, Amanda, Alicia, Anthea and Amelia — and one son, Ethan

Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka started his career as a teen idol with his 1957 debut single, “Diana,” which he wrote at the age of 15.

Known for his other hit songs  “Lonely Boy” and “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” he also wrote the Frank Sinatra anthem “My Way,” and the Tom Jones hit “She’s a Lady.” He has sold more than 10 million albums around the world and written 900-plus songs.

During a trip to Puerto Rico in 1962, Paul met model Anne de Zogheb and the couple married in Paris in 1963. Paul and Anne had five daughters: Alexandra, Amanda, Alicia, Anthea and Amelia. The family first lived in New York and then Las Vegas before settling in Carmel, California, in the 1970s to raise their family. In 1990, the Ankas relocated to Los Angeles. They divorced in 2001 after 37 years of marriage.

In his 2013 autobiography, My Way, Paul said, “I loved every minute with them, and yet for me there was always that wrenching dichotomy between my life on the road and my life with my family.” He continued, “The way I would float in and out of my girls’ lives, trying to attend their school recitals, falling asleep in the middle of a performance and Anne nudging me.”

Paul met model, actress and former Miss Sweden, Anna Åberg, and they had a son, Ethan, in 2005. They married three years later but divorced in 2010. Paul went on to raise Ethan with his new partner, Lisa Pemberton, until they split in 2020.

Here’s everything to know about Paul Anka’s six children.

Alexandra Anka

The first daughter of Paul Anka and Anne de Zogheb, Alexandra Anka resides in Geneva, Switzerland. Although she didn’t follow her parents into a career in the spotlight, she did work as a production assistant on the 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills.

With degrees in art history and law, Alexandra worked as a lawyer in Monaco and also co-owned an entertainment company in Monte Carlo that specialized in professional sports and celebrity events. More recently, she has moved into project management and administration roles.

Amanda Anka

Paul and Anne’s second daughter, Amanda Anka, was born in New York on Dec. 10, 1968. During the 1990s and 2000s, she acted in several TV shows and movies, including Beverly Hills, 90210, Bones, The Fosters and the film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Amanda met her husband, actor and director Jason Bateman, at a Los Angeles Kings game in 1988 when they were both teens but they didn’t start dating until a decade later. They married on July 3, 2001, in Malibu, California. When Jason appeared on the premiere episode of his father-in-law’s podcast, Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson, he shared an anecdote from the nuptials. “Do you remember I didn't even dance with Amanda at my wedding? That's how much I don't like dancing. I didn't even dance at my own wedding. You took your dance and my dance,” Jason said. “Yes, that's correct. So you owe me one,” Paul replied.

Jason and Amanda have two daughters, Francesca “Franny” Nora, born Oct. 28, 2006, and Maple Sylvie, born Feb. 10, 2012.

Although Amanda has stepped back from acting, she still works in the entertainment industry. She became a producer on the Apple TV+ series, The Morning Show, alongside Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.

Alicia Anka

Alicia Anka was born in London in 1971 and raised in Monterey, California. She became a U.S. citizen at the age of 16. She is a yoga teacher, educator, certified life coach and mother of two who lives in the Los Angeles area. She has a BA in english literature and an MFA in creative writing.

The founder of Balance Yoga, she has worked in France, Monaco and the U.S. as a yoga instructor and a school teacher. In addition to offering in-person and virtual life coaching and yoga instruction, she is a Focus Room tutor at a Los Angeles-area school.

Anthea Anka

Anthea Anka is a screenwriter, blogger, vocalist and mother based in London, England.

She has collaborated with her father on stage and in the studio, appearing on the song “Do I Love You” from Paul’s 1998 duets album, A Body of Work. There is also a Spanish-language version, “Yo te amo,” featuring Anthea, Paul and Barry Gibb.

“Being able to sing a duet with my daughter Anthea during one of my shows was such a treat. Nothing brings us closer than making music together,” Paul shared on Instagram.

As a screenwriter, Anthea penned the 2017 film Battlecreek, directed by Alison Eastwood, Clint Eastwood’s daughter, and starring Bill Skarsgård. When it was released, Paul posted on his Facebook page, “So proud of my daughter Anthea and her incredible movie Battlecreek, in theaters now!”

In a blog post she wrote following the death of her mother: “She loved us girls fiercely and raised five strong, assertive, curious, vibrant women that will proudly carry a part of her within us forever. She will simply be missed beyond words.”

Amelia Anka

Amelia Anka is the youngest daughter of Paul and Anne de Zohgeb. A mother of two who lives in the Los Angeles area, she mostly stays out of the public eye, but her children have appeared on her father’s social media pages.

In 2018, Amelia’s daughter, Anessa, was featured on ABC7 Eyewitness News for her baseball skills and musical talent. At the time, the 13-year-old shared, “My Grandpa is a singer, I like to sing his songs.”

Fast-forward to Anessa’s final high school gospel choir performance in the spring of 2023 when her grandfather joined her on stage. In an Instagram post, Paul shared the following: “Last Saturday, I had the special opportunity to sing ‘My Way’ as a tribute for my beautiful granddaughter Anessa's final gospel choir performance! I'm so proud of her for all that she's done throughout her 4 years at high school and I cannot wait to hear about all of her adventures in this next chapter of her life.”

Ethan Anka

The youngest child is Ethan Anka, born on Sept. 22, 2005, to Paul and his second wife, Anna. After Paul and Anna divorced, Paul was awarded full custody of Ethan. Paul raised his son with Lisa Pemberton.

When Paul and Lisa married in 2016, 11-year-old Ethan who walked his stepmother down the aisle. “He’s a cool little guy and my only son,” Paul told PEOPLE. “I wanted to make him be a part of it.”

Paul spoke about the differences between raising his five daughters and raising Ethan in a 2013 interview with Zoomer. “The love and the focus is the same, the time consumption is probably different. Time, today, is very important to me. [It’s] my biggest asset,” he said.

Ethan mainly stays out of the spotlight, but Paul shared in a 2021 interview that his son is athletic and plays tennis and hockey.

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