Ethnicity

Want to know how DNA shows your ethnicity? Read to learn how they find your ethnicity estimate from your DNA, as well as more about ethnicity estimates.

Got the Ivory Coast Ghana region on Ancestry DNA? Learn more about how you might have inherited the region, and how to trace your Ivory Coast Ghana ancestry.

There is a way to determine which ethnicity regions you inherited from your grandparents or even great-great grandparents. I'll teach you how to do it.

Did you get 1% of an unexpected region in your DNA results? Maybe your ethnicity estimate shows 1% Irish, 1% European Jewish, 1% Bantu, or 1% North African DNA. You might be tempted to brush off these "trace" amounts of DNA from a particular region as statistical noise, but should you? In this post, I …

Were you surprised about Germanic Europe DNA in your results? Learn about this DNA region, including whether German is the same as Germanic, and more!

Did you get the France DNA ethnicity on Ancestry? If you live in the U.S., you can count yourself as one of the more than 10.4 million Americans who have known French ancestry. In this post, I'll explain more about this DNA ethnicity, including: Where the France DNA ethnicity is located How France got its …

Wondering how to get an ethnicity estimate test? Perhaps you've seen DNA results from others and you'd like to get them for yourself. Learn more here!

If you got your DNA results and saw that you have Native American DNA from the North, Central, South region on Ancestry, you are among the hundreds of millions of people who can trace their ancestry back to the indigenous peoples of North and South America. This is an amazing legacy. In this post, I …

Did you get the Sweden DNA region on Ancestry? More than 4.5 million people in Canada and the United States have known Swedish roots, and even more have Swedish ancestry that they are just beginning to discover. In this post, I'll discuss the most common questions related to the Swedish DNA region on Ancestry. Where …

In this post, I'll tell you everything that you need to know about how to understand the accuracy of 23andMe Ancestry Composition reports. Plus, you'll learn a little about how ethnicity or ancestry is inherited, and whether or not you can really expect your estimate to match your family tree. If you wonder if the …

Did you get Cameroon, Congo and Southern Bantu Peoples in your Ancestry DNA results?  If so, you can count yourself in excellent company.  Millions of people with African roots living in North and South America will find a genetic heritage in the Cameroon, Congo, and Southern Bantu DNA region.  In this post, you'll learn: Where …

What is an ethnicity estimate? How do they get your ethnicity estimate? Is it accurate? How is ethnicity passed down? Learn this, and more!

What is the Ireland and Scotland DNA ethnicity on Ancestry? You've come to the right place to learn more about this fascinating DNA region.

Did you get the Norway DNA ethnicity in your Ancestry DNA results?  If you did, you are likely among the more than five million people living in North America that are part of the Norwegian diaspora.  Whether or not you were expecting to find Norway in your DNA results, or it came as a surprise, …

Ethnicity estimates are easy to print out, summarize, and share - what's not to love about them?  We know they are popular and sought after, but what can we learn from our ethnicity estimates? One of the most popular aspects of DNA testing is the ethnicity estimate, which is also referred to as "ancestry composition" …

As you might know, Ancestry periodically updates their customers ethnicity estimates.  Every single Ancestry DNA customer can log in to their account and see a completely updated estimate based on the latest technology and scientific developments.  I often hear from my readers that these newly updated ethnicity estimates are confusing.  So, if you are confused …

Are you interested in learning which DNA company is the best for detecting Native American ancestry?  With all of the DNA news of late, it's no wonder that this has become a popular topic.  In this post, I'll tell you which two companies offer the best test for finding Native American roots - and I'll …

Have you heard the news?  Elizabeth Warren had her DNA examined by an expert, and guess what?  Senator Warren does, in fact, have Native American DNA.  It has been, and likely will continue to be, a contentious subject among both her followers and supporters.  In this post, I'll explain her results and talk about how …

Did you find the Baltic State ethnicity region in your Ancestry DNA results?  Were you surprised, or were you expecting it?  In this post, I'll discuss the location of this ethnicity region, how you might have inherited this particular ethnicity region, and how to get started tracing your Baltic States ancestors. From a personal standpoint, …

Did you get the Eastern Europe and Russia DNA ethnicity in your ethnicity results?  If you did, you are among almost 20 million Americans who can trace their ancestry back to Eastern Europe or Russia.  The Eastern Europe and Russia DNA region is a fascinating region made up of more than twenty countries and spanning …

Have you been examining your Ancestry DNA results since they went through the major 2018 update?  You are not alone!  Many people find themselves confused, frustrated, excited, or even sad and angry about the major changes their results have undergone.  To some people, their ethnicity estimate is confirmation of their identity - especially when it …

Have you checked your Ancestry DNA results lately?  If you have, you might have noticed that they have gone through a very big change.  In this post, I will help you learn how to explore your newly updated Ancestry DNA results. The 2018 Ancestry DNA update offers us a more nuanced insight into our ancestry, …

Did your Iberian Peninsula DNA region completely disappear from your ethnicity estimate after the Ancestry DNA September 2018 update?  If this happened to you, you are not alone.  In this post, I'll explain a little bit about why Iberian Peninsula might have been removed from your list, and what it may have been replaced with. …

The moment that we have all been waiting for has finally arrived!  Ancestry DNA has officially rolled out the biggest update to its ethnicity estimates since the company began offering DNA testing.  In this post, I'll share details about the update as well as discuss how the latest Ancestry DNA update can help us learn …

Do you have Filipino ancestry?  Are you thinking about taking a DNA test like the one offered by Ancestry DNA?  If so, you might be wondering how Filipino would show up on a DNA test. In this post, I'll explain what someone born in the Philippines or someone with Filipino roots could expect to see …

Are you curious about the ethnicity of your My Heritage DNA match?  In this post, I'll explain how your DNA match's ethnicity can help you figure out how you might be related, how to access this information on My Heritage, and how to sort your matches by ethnicity. I've really enjoyed my My Heritage DNA …

The Family Tree DNA Family Finder DNA match list has more to offer than meets the eye.  Many people don't realize that you can access your DNA match's ethnicity, and in this post, I'll explain how to do it and how this might help you figure out how you are related to your DNA match. …

Did you get the Senegal DNA ethnicity on your Ancestry DNA results?  If you are like most people, you are curious about the Senegal DNA ethnicity and want to learn more about how you might have inherited it, and you have come to the right place.  In this post, you'll learn: My daughter's father is …

In this post, I'll discuss the most common places where Europe West DNA might be found - both inside and outside of Europe, and how you can use this information to better understand your Europe West DNA results. Of course you know that you can find Europe West DNA in Europe, but did you know …

Can you use your ethnicity estimate to prove paternity?  In this post, I'll explain why your ethnicity estimate doesn't tell you much about who your parents are, and which information from your DNA results is most useful for this purpose. Once you've checked over your ethnicity estimate, you might find yourself comparing your results to …

Whether or not you know for sure that you have Basque ancestry, you might wonder if there is a way to prove it using DNA. In this post, you'll learn how to find out whether you have Basque DNA. Speakers of Europe's oldest surviving language, the Basque people are the subject of much curiosity.  Does …

If you have British ancestry, you might be wondering where "British blood" comes from.  Is it Celtic?  Germanic?  Scandinavian?  In this post, we'll discuss some of the latest research on the genetic history of Britain, which will give you a better idea of where your British ancestors might have come from. Who are the British …

Do you have Mali in your ancestry DNA results?  Are you wondering how you inherited this DNA ethnicity and which countries your ancestors might have come from?  You have come to the right place.  In this post, I'll answer these questions, as well give you some strategies for tracing your Mali ancestry. I decided to …

If you have the Native American DNA ethnicity in your results, you probably want to learn more about it.  In this post, you will learn why you have Native American DNA even if you weren't expecting it, as well as: Where is the Native American DNA ethnicity located? Many people read "Native American" and immediately …

If you got your DNA results back a while ago, you have probably already checked over your ethnicity estimate.  You may have even looked through your first page or so of DNA matches, and everything seems in order. Everyone says that there is so much to learn from your DNA, but how do you really …

Are you wondering what to expect from your DNA ethnicity estimate?  Perhaps you are trying to determine which company offers the most detailed, or most accurate ethnicity estimate.  In this post, I will show you my complete ethnicity results from Ancestry DNA, 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA, and My Heritage DNA.  My sincere hope …

Why don't I have an ethnicity that my parent has? How is this possible? Does it mean DNA results aren't real? Find answers to these questions and more!

Should your ethnicity estimate match your family tree? In this post, learn whether your DNA results will match your known origins.

Do you want to learn the meaning of European Jewish? In this post, learn what this term means, a bit about the history of the European Jewish people, and the answer to other common questions. I first began wondering about the meaning of European Jewish when I first saw my Ancestry DNA results and saw …

If you have Mexican ancestry, you might be wondering whether or not you have Native American DNA.  Or maybe you already did a DNA test, and you want to know more about how and why your Mexican roots might show up as Native American on a DNA test.  In this post, I'll discuss this, plus …

If you have Welsh ancestry and are thinking about taking a DNA test, or have already taken one, you might be curious about how your Welsh roots will look on your ethnicity results.  In this post, I will explain the basics of Welsh DNA, from how it shows up on autosomal DNA tests to the …

One of the unique challenges that you might encounter while researching your Mexican DNA matches is endogamy.  What in the world is endogamy, and what does it have to do with Mexico and DNA matches?  Endogamy is simply a fancy word that means intermarriage within a particular community or area.  Basically, it's just the practice …