Is there any way to use console to find out what race an npc is? Not asking for a particular npc, but in general.

Not that I know of. Bretons and Imperials are similar and sometimes hard to recognize which is which until they speak.

sometimes the accent and name can be a tipoff.. but imperial and breton are too close at times!

Easy way: check http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:NPCs - various sections there, should help you out.

"GetIsRace [Race's ID]"; usually the race's name plus "race". So, for example, I could click on Madesi and type "GetIsRace ArgonianRace" and it would return 1 since he is an Argonian. But "GetIsRace HighElfRace" would return zero.

In addition to the playable races, there are Dremora, dragons, children (NordRaceChild, ImperialRaceChild, et cetera, and in the case of Babette, BretonRaceChildVampire), old people (ElderRace), and their vampire variants (basically, the race ID plus "vampire"; ElderRaceVampire, NordRaceVampire, et cetera).

Hmm, Braith's parents are both Redguards, but she's a Nord? Also, console commands aren't case sensitive (but they are easier to read when written with initial-capped words).

Heh. Yep, I've never really looked them up, but I noted that particular dichotomy just because it's obvious that Amren and Saffir are Redguard, and Braith ISN'T. Odd....

Must be adopted then?

Or she's actually Mikael's daughter...

Edit: Except Mikael is an Imperial. Hmm. Jon Battle-Born?

That'd be my guess as well.