#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 14 Check it Out: DNA Ethnicity Estimates

 A number of my family members have had DNA tests and I thought it would be interesting to compare the ethnicity estimates shown for the family.  Keep in mind that such estimates reflect genetic inheritance from five or six generations back, using autosomal DNA (that is not the X or Y chromosome.) 

First, me. I have DNA results in four different places: My Heritage, 23 and Me, Ancestry and Family Tree DNA. Ancestry gives a more detailed breakdown:

England and NW Europe        61%

Scotland                                   17%

Wales                                        14%

Scand/Denmark                        4%

Norway                                     3%

Ireland                                       1%

None of this is surprising.  Given what I already know about my family's ancestry, this is about what I would expect to find. 

23 and Me gives a similar breakdown:

British and Irish: 85%

French and German 8%

Scandinavian 3%

Trace European 4%

My Heritage again shows a similar mix, with a little variation:

English: 56%

Irish, Scottish, Welsh: 22%

Iberian: 5%

Scandinavian: 4%

Baltic: 3%

Most of the family has results in Family Tree DNA, so that is where I can do more comparisons.

In FTDNA, my ethnicity is shown as 100% Western Europe: 96% England, Scotland and Wales, 4% Scandinavian.  A little different from the other description, but not out of line with it.

My three brothers also show 99-100% Western Europe ethnicity, but with a different breakdown.

P: 99% England, Scotland,Wales; 1% Southern Europe (Italy, Greece)

R: 70% England, Scotland, Wales; 16% Ireland; 14% Central Europe (France, Germany); 1% Scandinavia

D: 93% England, Scotland Wales; 7% Central Europe

I also have DNA from my parents' siblings, which might show where some of the ethnicity came from.

Paternal siblings

J: 70% England, Scotland, Wales; 17% Ireland; 8% Central Europe; and the outlier 5% Magyar (Hungary)

B: 25% England, Scotland, Wales; 40% Central Europe; 30% Ireland; 6% Scandinavia

Maternal siblings

L: 63% England, Scotland, Wales; 28 % Central Europe; 5% Southern Europe; 2% Scandinavia

E: 100% England, Scotland, Wales

PF: 7% England, Scotland, Wales; 64% Central Europe; 19% Scandinavia; 10% Ireland; 1% Southern Europe

P: 96% England, Scotland, Wales; 3% Ireland; 1% Scandinavia

Finally, I have a couple of samples from the younger generation, my son and a nephew.

J: 75% England, Scotland, Wales; 21 % Central Europe; 4% Scandinavia

A: 92% England, Scotland, Wales; 7 % Ireland; 1% Southern Europe

So, overall, the family has very strong ties to England, Scotland and Wales, with a little Irish, French, and German mixed in. A touch of the Viking influence.  And a little smidge of Italy and Greece. Plus that one hint of Hungary. 

Isn't it amazing how many different blends can come out of the same basic mix of ethnicities? And you have to wonder how that extra dose of Irish or Scandinavian might influence the personality.