My great grandmother was German, and of the 4 of us siblings who've been tested, only 1 got 12%, the rest of us got none, similarly, my great grandfather was Irish, and we each got 3 or 4 % except one who got none. Conversely, I got 15% Wales when the most recent Welsh ancestor was a 5x great grandfather, and I got 9% Sweden with no traceable Swedish ancestor found. It's crazy, but fascinating.
It is interesting. Here are two videos you should watch as a follow-up Blame Reference Populations if Your Ethnicity Results Are Wrong ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html Understand How Genetic Inheritance Impacts Your DNA Test Results ruclips.net/video/-f7VUPmgy2U/видео.html
So my mother's dna on ancestry shows very low Germanic dna. Her maternal grandfather was from Germany and I've done VERY thorough and precise paper research on him and his family going back to the early 1800s late 1700s in Germany (near Austria). I can't fathom that with the german reference population, this would not show up. She DID show it in earlier versions of ancestry DNa but with the update it's disappeared. 🤷♀️
This doesn't surprise me. It has to do with the small reference populations throughout the globe. Until the companies increase their reference populations, I don't worry about them too much.
Got a dumb question. I've tested with several DNA companies and about half of them don't acknowledge my Dutch ancestry at all. Through my father and sister we have a paper trail of one Dutch line that goes back to 1390 all coming from Limburg, Netherlands. How is it possible that it didn't show up on these kits? Sorry in advance for my ignorance.
I would suggest it depends on what proportion of your ancestry is Dutch, if your last all Dutch ancestor is many generations ago, that percentage is very small, and the chances of it matching with the samples used by each companies they are defining as Dutch are reduced. Each company uses their own sample group. Also they have a great deal of trouble separating people from NW Europe from one another, so the DNA will be there, its just been lumped in as "Germanic" or NW Europe.
@@leehallam9365 The Dutch line of my family continues from 1390 to today. My grandparents came from the Netherlands to America and until my Dad married my mom the link hadn't been broken. I find it strange that DNA companies list my family as having a lot of DNA from England but they can never narrow it down to a county or city. Then, we rarely get the Dutch DNA mentioned except for cities or provinces, mainly Limburg, Netherlands. I guess it all comes down to the test process and the changing map boundaries. Thank you for responding, you are very kind. My time is shorter than most and I am anxious to find more about my past. Again, thank you.
@@anneheffner6389 You are welcome, but I wouldn't get hung up on the results saying Dutch, mostly that's because many companies don't seperate the Netherlands and they get lumped in with Germany and England. If you have links to Dutch cities then it is showing that Dutch connection. Indeed, its giving you more detailed links. The best use for the DNA is using it to prove your tree is true. You do that through your matches. All the ethnicity results are saying is that a proportion of your DNA best matches a group of people whose ancestors they believe have lived in that place for a long time. I live in England, my family are from England, all of them, all have English names going right back on every line, yet according to Ancesry I'm only 76% English and 12% Scottish, despite having no connection to Scotland, and that having changed from 4% before the update, at which point the Norwegian and German heritage 7%, disappeared. The first version had me only 55% English. My Heritage thinks I am 10% Norwegian and 7% Finnish, and not Scottish at all. A pinch of salt is needed.
@@leehallam9365 I do believe I finally fully understand what is meant by ethnicity estimate, thanks to you. Due to illness, I have a difficult time retaining information. Your communication skills are magic. Thank you so much, Lee.
A lot of companies call it England and north west Europe or similar things. Leading people to assume it's from England when it could be Dutch, German or French ect. Maybe that's it?
I've given up on my AncestryDNA ethnicity estimate results completely now after the September update. I have Germanic ancestry through a 2x great grandfather with paper trials going back well into the late 1600's. All the families lived in southern Baden-Wurttemberg for generations but after every new Ancestry update I have either 10%+ or 0%, it's a total crapshoot, the hilarious thing is, I uploaded my DNA data file to MyHeritage and the first match was to a cousin in Germany on that line! And don't get me started on my non-existent Irish line! Similar weirdness there as well, at least my mother has a consistent %20+ Irish result after each update.
I lost confidence in Ancestry DNA ethnicity too. It was always a bit off for me (my parents and cousins of multiple generations have certain ethnicity groups that show up on them all and I have the traits that match those groups too, but Ancestry was insistent I had none- so my ethnicity chart was different to the rest of my family while still being their DNA match) but that aside, my results were otherwise not bad.. up until the last update this September @_@ Now my results on Ancestry don't even match my parents to the point where I don't look I'm like their daughter and I don't match the rest of my family if you only looked at the ethnicity result (but in real life you couldn't mistake me for being anything else) and they've totally wiped some genealogical lines/ethnicity that I know I have ( I even have DNA matches to go with them on Ancestry, but nope, I'm not supposed to be from those ethnic groups). I felt so upset that like you I tested with My Heritage recently for a second opinion/comparison, and I found that not only do I have my results close to what I originally had on Ancestry, but My Heritage results are absolutely spot on with my ethnicity - and now it matches exactly that of my parents and other relatives DNA tests/ethnicity results that they had on Ancestry but were missing from the start for me or totally wiped out on the Ancestry September update. I didn't send my parents samples to My Heritage because I wanted it to be a test of my DNA results alone, and my paper trails. I was so relieved and impressed to finally match my family/known heritage/paper trails. I have a big family tree on Ancestry but only added a few immediate family to a tree on My Heritage so that the ethnicity estimate would be purely based on my own DNA sample. My Heritage wins by a mile when it comes to ethnicity results!
I had an interesting experience with Ancestry's DNA. My father had some Cherokee blood. The story is well known and documented in the family, although it is from my 4th great-grandfather, Chulio Tuskingo, who kidnapped my 4th great-grandmother, Clarinda Allington, whe she was 12 and made her his wife a few years later (it's a good read, by the way). Ancestry showed I had no DNA for the Native American group. At first I found this exciting because I was hoping my father (who was beyond a jerk) was not my real father, but found me in a cabbage patch somewhere), No such luck on my part. I later did a 23andMe DNA and it showed a small amount of NA DNA. My first cousins also did DNA testing, one through 23andMe and one through Ancestry. Both showed up with the expected NA DNA so I wrote Ancestry and explained this to them and asked how this came about (this was some years ago and I was fairly naive regarding DNA). No response, but suddenly I had 1% NA blood added during the next update, which I found even more bizarre than showing none. Next Ancestry update, the NA DNA was gone. Talk about trying to pacify the customer.
I find Ancestry to be the most accurate, especially after the most recent update. Folk who find the ethnicity estimate doesn't match their paper trail need to question their paper trail. Check your second and third cousin matches, if there are individuals there who don't fit in to your tree then you are probably looking at a non-parental event. Don't assume great grandmother was a paragon of virtue.
Hello ! I tested with MyHeritage, the results to me were pretty inaccurate and I think it's because they don't have a good database for African and Asian people... They told me that I am Nigerian (I'm not, I'm Bantu Kongo) and missed my Ethiopian side (I think they mixed with Kenya) and they completely miss my Asian side (it shows in Gedmatch that I have obviously Asian descents especially from Central Asia...) so instead of Central Asian, they claim it as Finnish...
You are correct. Each DNA testing company compares your DNA to its own reference population. The databases have significant underrepresentation of many regions around the world. I talk about that in this video ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html
Q: my direct maternal 3x great grandparents and my 2x great grandma immigrated from Transylvania between 1910-1920. My 23andMe test pinged 1.8% Sibiu, Romania and when I uploaded that raw DNA file to MyHeritage, it says 28.7% Eastern European(their region map) with a genetic group for "Germans in Romania(Transylvania) and in Germany". But when I did a spit test for MH, the genetic group disappeared. My Ancestry test did not populate for Transylvania either, nor did I receive a genetic group for it. I have traced back to my 5th great grandparents in Transylvania but I've hit a language barrier with documents to be able to continue. Is there a standardized length of time a family needs to be in a region to be considered part of a genetic group? Also, why would an upload test ping for a region, but not a spit test? 🤔 TIA
Watch this video about references populations and you might have some insights that you're seeking. if not, leave a follow-up question on that video. ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html
@@FamilyHistoryFanatics I was born in Mexico I Mexican, but my two sons were born and raised in the USA one in California the other in Illinois, to me they are not Mexican, but American, you have to be born and raised in the country to be that nationality and ethnicity, my son's to me are 💯 American by nationality e ethnicity am I wrong?
All makes sense. I wish many more people would test. The kits should be made available to many countries but I doubt their governments will allow it, but those living in the free world, should definitely test.
Every should make the decision best for them. There are concerns about privacy (both of relatives you don't wish to be found and those with fears of their DNA being used against them. ruclips.net/video/T9Edt6Vew-c/видео.html And yes, not all countries support commercial genetic testing ruclips.net/video/_vsPS5KPrBI/видео.html I believe in informed consent but wish more people would either 1) take a DNA test and link it to a public family tree or 2) build their family tree tree on a Genetic genealogy platform (like Ancestry or MyHertiage) to help people solve the pieces of their heritage puzzles.
Because my parents had me when they were teenagers I had the privilege to get to know my great grandparents and even a great-great grandma. So,my maternal great grandma (my mother's mother's mother..so,no illegitimacy issues)was born in Sicily. I knew her well, because she didn't die until I was in my 20s. She spoke fluent Italian and sometimes had relatives from there come to visit. I have copies of her parents immigration records and her birth certificate.To my surprise my test came back 0% Italy. BUT I am a fairly close relative match with her brother, even though it says we have NONE of the same ethnicities. My paternal grandma is 1/2 German. Her father was the child of immigrants and she's gotten in touch with cousins over there. Yet,her son,my uncle has 0% German in his estimate while I have 23%. His daughters also got it on theirs. My maternal 2x great grandma I also knew. She was native American. Not a family myth since she babysat me on occasion. Again, some family members get ethnicity for it and some do not. And everyone gets different results with different companies. So, that part of these tests is not super accurate, but they seem to be good at matching you up with relatives. Again, I personally knew several generations so I could easily see the connection to people. Helpful for making family trees mostly.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Be sure to watch Blame Reference Populations if Your Ethnicity Results Are Wrong ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html
Would it also be true that their ethnicity result could be missing or different, if it was discovered that they had a different biological father than the person they thought was the biological father, as we get half from our mother & half from our father.
That is always a possibility, although if you have siblings or one of your parents tested it can be easily verified or discounted based on the total amount of shared DNA.
I must be one of the few white Americans who never had a family story about a Native American ancestor and yet Ancestry, 23andMe, Gedmatch, and Family Tree DNA all show a tiny amount from at least 200-250 years ago. I didn't think my family got here until the 20th century but it turns out my paternal great-grandfather's family were from Nova Scotia. They were a mix mostly of Loyalists and there's even a Mayflower ancestor in there. However, the admixtures point to Indigenous Central Americans. Is it possible that's a misinterpretation? I would have expected any indigenous ancestor of mine to have been Miꞌkmaq or maybe one of the upstate NY peoples. But I suppose it could also be tied to maybe British Honduras given the timeframe. I've just never heard any stories.
I wonder if you and I are related, John? I have a number of ancestors who sailed to America on the Mayflower. Last name is Allington. Are you related to them, but chance? The reason I ask, is that many were as spouses died and the spouse remarried.
@@bettinahalpern5655 My ancestor was Edward Doty, the indentured servant of Stephen Hopkins. Apparently, Doty was a real piece of work who was always in trouble and going to court lol
@@jamesvejvoda2659 I would probably be always getting into trouble if I were an indentured servant to anyone. That would be a horrendous life. He sounds more like a rebel to me which means he had the ability to make it here during a most difficult time in our country's beginning. I hope you inherited a bit of his rebellious nature; not enough to get you into trouble, but enough to say you got that from him! I love these kind of stories for the show the true personalities of our forefathers. I have yet to discover who I got my bullheadedness and tenacious nature from. I am sure it did not start with me, however. Oh, by the way, the surname is Allington, not Arlington. I have a cast on my right hand and it gets in the way of daily life.
I totally get what you are saying and I should have clarified, 23 and Me shows Indigenous American, South Central, 1.2%. I was just abbreviating it as NA because of this darn cast on my arm. I'm trying to take shortcuts as best I can because you can tell I talk (in text anyway) a lot. Chulio, I believe, had a French or English mother.
Yep... Native American in these databases point to Central and South American tribes. However, you didn't indicate how large the percentage is. Since the reference populations are so small throughout the world for most groups, some of the percentages are false %s.
Im wondering because my 2nd great grandfather was from Finland and came to Alaska, had a child with an Aleut woman, but can only see Indigenous Arctic (aka the Aleut part) on my dna test, and cannot see any Finnish. Im wondering if there is any possible answer to why?
Start by watching this video and then asking any follow-up questions you may have. Understand How Genetic Inheritance Impacts Your DNA Test Results ruclips.net/video/-f7VUPmgy2U/видео.html
My mom's maternal James Phillip Bourget, his father was born in Quebec, Canada and his mother was born in France, while he and his siblings were born in California. Before Ancestry did the September update it said my mom was 4% (range 0-13%) France, so since James was 50% French Canadian and 50% French, my mom's should have 12.5% French Canadian and 12.5% French, before the update my mom's French was in the ethnicity range, after the update, she has no french and some how they have now added Sweden and Denmark, don't know where that came from, unless it came from the vikings who invaded the British Isles.
I did a dna test with my mom, she got 1% central asian and 2% mesoamerican and 2% gaelic and 95% finnish. I got 92% finnish 2% eskimo and 6% gaelic. Why doesnt this central asian and mesoamerican show up?
First, your ethnicity results might be wrong. ruclips.net/video/i70SZRW9t90/видео.html Second, it could be the nature of genetic inheritance. ruclips.net/video/-f7VUPmgy2U/видео.html
I have a full German great great grandfather but no German in my DNA. I also have many French DNA matches along with Canadian. My search angel told me DNA testing is illegal in France so.....
Yes but they are doing tests. I can see this most easily at MyHeritage where I have several dozen matches there through this or that shared ethnicity. (My last known direct ancestor with a French name was born in the early 1600's!) (A lot of French people also upload their DNA kit at Geneanet. Go figure. Too many for me there... just on the X chromosome so almost meaningless for matching. They're there though! Try uploading your kit to Geneanet for free.)
DNA testing is not available in all parts of the world ruclips.net/video/_vsPS5KPrBI/видео.html And the reference populations that are DNA is compared to isn't as large as it's needed to ensure the accuracy of the DNA test results. So, I wouldn't put too much stock in the ethnicity reports. Instead, focus on DNA matching to build your family tree.
A friend has 1% African DNA. She says it’s her Native American ancestry. Since Ancestry DNA doesn’t test for Native American they just show it as African. Could this possibly be true?
It's a bit of a stretch to make that claim. I consider most ethnicities of 1% or lower to be statistical noise. Have you watched my ethnicity video series? ruclips.net/p/PLcVx-GSCjcdlvwsLScE4NPKwGA-XUNhhM I think you'll find out more of your answers after watching these videos.
@@FamilyHistoryFanatics I show 1% Indigenous America on ancestrydna it's definitely not noise on 23andme it's a little more, I found Cherokee cousin matches on ancestrydna and 23andme and I've been able to trace back the line it comes from.
Thanks for the information. I'm curious as to why none of your examples include any references to African dna and African ethnic groups? Could you please speak to your thoughts on various testing companies and their level and ability to trace African ethnic groups? Thanks!
Since I don't have any African DNA, I haven't looked into it very much. I know there are some testing companies that cater to people of African ancestry, but from a high level view they are not anywhere equivalent to what you would get from 23andMe, MyHeritage and Ancestry.
My parents were both born in Germany, with that ancestry primarily. However, even I have matches who are part African and am always intrigued about their potential stories. I often wonder how the companies are doing, trying to sort out the great diversity that stems from Africa. My hunch is that among the mainstream companies 23andMe might offer the best breakdown on a global scale.
I manage several family kits to get the more dna coverage. Is there a way to calculate how much coverage of a grandparent you have? Sibling 1, Sibling 2, child of sibling 3 + 1st cousins from 3 different families (one 1C for each) .... in other words the target grandparent couple had 5 children... for child 1: 1 kit, for child 2: 2.5 kits, for child 3: 1 kit, child 4: 0 kits, child 5: 1 kit.
I did discuss this in a previous video, but after 500+ videos across 6 years, I can't remember which one I included it in. But in short, after 4 siblings, you start having less increase in coverage. With about 4 siblings tested, you could between 75-85% of the shared parent's DNA. After that, each additional test adds little more to the percentage. You'll likely never get full coverage, even with 12 full-siblings tested. It's just how recombination works.
I'm not sure that your simplistic arithmetic helped in this case. The distinguishing of regional genetic groups is a mathematical and particularly statistical problem. It's a matter of probabilities and reference to samples. It's beyond me, and best left for the experts. One important message for gereral viewers to take home is, that, DNA is DNA it doesn't come in distinct different forms identfiable or labelled as group A or group B, it's not that easy. A can be distinguished from B only after comparing the different frequencies of many markers, sometimes, if we are lucky!
@@FamilyHistoryFanatics and I thank you for making comments available and for responding so well. I'm sorry that my own comment was complcated and unclear. The point I was trying to draw out is that it is easy to start talking and thinking as if the DNA itself can be seen as X, Y, or Z. As if it comes labelled. I don't think this is the reality, or am I wrong?
This past week we added improved subtitles to our public videos that aren't from a livestream. However, this video should have had it when you watched. I'm not sure why you didn't see it.
Thanks for great information on DNA reference populations! DNA results can be tricky to understand but so rewarding!
Yep. That's about right.
My great grandmother was German, and of the 4 of us siblings who've been tested, only 1 got 12%, the rest of us got none, similarly, my great grandfather was Irish, and we each got 3 or 4 % except one who got none. Conversely, I got 15% Wales when the most recent Welsh ancestor was a 5x great grandfather, and I got 9% Sweden with no traceable Swedish ancestor found. It's crazy, but fascinating.
It is interesting. Here are two videos you should watch as a follow-up
Blame Reference Populations if Your Ethnicity Results Are Wrong ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html
Understand How Genetic Inheritance Impacts Your DNA Test Results ruclips.net/video/-f7VUPmgy2U/видео.html
So my mother's dna on ancestry shows very low Germanic dna. Her maternal grandfather was from Germany and I've done VERY thorough and precise paper research on him and his family going back to the early 1800s late 1700s in Germany (near Austria). I can't fathom that with the german reference population, this would not show up. She DID show it in earlier versions of ancestry DNa but with the update it's disappeared. 🤷♀️
wow, weird
This doesn't surprise me. It has to do with the small reference populations throughout the globe. Until the companies increase their reference populations, I don't worry about them too much.
Got a dumb question. I've tested with several DNA companies and about half of them don't acknowledge my Dutch ancestry at all. Through my father and sister we have a paper trail of one Dutch line that goes back to 1390 all coming from Limburg, Netherlands. How is it possible that it didn't show up on these kits? Sorry in advance for my ignorance.
I would suggest it depends on what proportion of your ancestry is Dutch, if your last all Dutch ancestor is many generations ago, that percentage is very small, and the chances of it matching with the samples used by each companies they are defining as Dutch are reduced. Each company uses their own sample group. Also they have a great deal of trouble separating people from NW Europe from one another, so the DNA will be there, its just been lumped in as "Germanic" or NW Europe.
@@leehallam9365 The Dutch line of my family continues from 1390 to today. My grandparents came from the Netherlands to America and until my Dad married my mom the link hadn't been broken. I find it strange that DNA companies list my family as having a lot of DNA from England but they can never narrow it down to a county or city. Then, we rarely get the Dutch DNA mentioned except for cities or provinces, mainly Limburg, Netherlands. I guess it all comes down to the test process and the changing map boundaries. Thank you for responding, you are very kind. My time is shorter than most and I am anxious to find more about my past. Again, thank you.
@@anneheffner6389 You are welcome, but I wouldn't get hung up on the results saying Dutch, mostly that's because many companies don't seperate the Netherlands and they get lumped in with Germany and England. If you have links to Dutch cities then it is showing that Dutch connection. Indeed, its giving you more detailed links. The best use for the DNA is using it to prove your tree is true. You do that through your matches. All the ethnicity results are saying is that a proportion of your DNA best matches a group of people whose ancestors they believe have lived in that place for a long time.
I live in England, my family are from England, all of them, all have English names going right back on every line, yet according to Ancesry I'm only 76% English and 12% Scottish, despite having no connection to Scotland, and that having changed from 4% before the update, at which point the Norwegian and German heritage 7%, disappeared. The first version had me only 55% English. My Heritage thinks I am 10% Norwegian and 7% Finnish, and not Scottish at all. A pinch of salt is needed.
@@leehallam9365 I do believe I finally fully understand what is meant by ethnicity estimate, thanks to you. Due to illness, I have a difficult time retaining information. Your communication skills are magic. Thank you so much, Lee.
A lot of companies call it England and north west Europe or similar things. Leading people to assume it's from England when it could be Dutch, German or French ect. Maybe that's it?
I've given up on my AncestryDNA ethnicity estimate results completely now after the September update.
I have Germanic ancestry through a 2x great grandfather with paper trials going back well into the late 1600's. All the families lived in southern Baden-Wurttemberg for generations but after every new Ancestry update I have either 10%+ or 0%, it's a total crapshoot, the hilarious thing is, I uploaded my DNA data file to MyHeritage and the first match was to a cousin in Germany on that line!
And don't get me started on my non-existent Irish line! Similar weirdness there as well, at least my mother has a consistent %20+ Irish result after each update.
I lost confidence in Ancestry DNA ethnicity too. It was always a bit off for me (my parents and cousins of multiple generations have certain ethnicity groups that show up on them all and I have the traits that match those groups too, but Ancestry was insistent I had none- so my ethnicity chart was different to the rest of my family while still being their DNA match) but that aside, my results were otherwise not bad.. up until the last update this September @_@ Now my results on Ancestry don't even match my parents to the point where I don't look I'm like their daughter and I don't match the rest of my family if you only looked at the ethnicity result (but in real life you couldn't mistake me for being anything else) and they've totally wiped some genealogical lines/ethnicity that I know I have ( I even have DNA matches to go with them on Ancestry, but nope, I'm not supposed to be from those ethnic groups). I felt so upset that like you I tested with My Heritage recently for a second opinion/comparison, and I found that not only do I have my results close to what I originally had on Ancestry, but My Heritage results are absolutely spot on with my ethnicity - and now it matches exactly that of my parents and other relatives DNA tests/ethnicity results that they had on Ancestry but were missing from the start for me or totally wiped out on the Ancestry September update. I didn't send my parents samples to My Heritage because I wanted it to be a test of my DNA results alone, and my paper trails. I was so relieved and impressed to finally match my family/known heritage/paper trails. I have a big family tree on Ancestry but only added a few immediate family to a tree on My Heritage so that the ethnicity estimate would be purely based on my own DNA sample. My Heritage wins by a mile when it comes to ethnicity results!
I had an interesting experience with Ancestry's DNA. My father had some Cherokee blood. The story is well known and documented in the family, although it is from my 4th great-grandfather, Chulio Tuskingo, who kidnapped my 4th great-grandmother, Clarinda Allington, whe she was 12 and made her his wife a few years later (it's a good read, by the way). Ancestry showed I had no DNA for the Native American group. At first I found this exciting because I was hoping my father (who was beyond a jerk) was not my real father, but found me in a cabbage patch somewhere), No such luck on my part. I later did a 23andMe DNA and it showed a small amount of NA DNA. My first cousins also did DNA testing, one through 23andMe and one through Ancestry. Both showed up with the expected NA DNA so I wrote Ancestry and explained this to them and asked how this came about (this was some years ago and I was fairly naive regarding DNA). No response, but suddenly I had 1% NA blood added during the next update, which I found even more bizarre than showing none. Next Ancestry update, the NA DNA was gone. Talk about trying to pacify the customer.
I find Ancestry to be the most accurate, especially after the most recent update. Folk who find the ethnicity estimate doesn't match their paper trail need to question their paper trail. Check your second and third cousin matches, if there are individuals there who don't fit in to your tree then you are probably looking at a non-parental event. Don't assume great grandmother was a paragon of virtue.
Yes! Give up on the ethnicity percentages and focus on building your family tree through DNA matches and paper trials. Glad you're in the club.
Hello ! I tested with MyHeritage, the results to me were pretty inaccurate and I think it's because they don't have a good database for African and Asian people... They told me that I am Nigerian (I'm not, I'm Bantu Kongo) and missed my Ethiopian side (I think they mixed with Kenya) and they completely miss my Asian side (it shows in Gedmatch that I have obviously Asian descents especially from Central Asia...) so instead of Central Asian, they claim it as Finnish...
You are correct. Each DNA testing company compares your DNA to its own reference population. The databases have significant underrepresentation of many regions around the world. I talk about that in this video ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html
Q: my direct maternal 3x great grandparents and my 2x great grandma immigrated from Transylvania between 1910-1920. My 23andMe test pinged 1.8% Sibiu, Romania and when I uploaded that raw DNA file to MyHeritage, it says 28.7% Eastern European(their region map) with a genetic group for "Germans in Romania(Transylvania) and in Germany". But when I did a spit test for MH, the genetic group disappeared. My Ancestry test did not populate for Transylvania either, nor did I receive a genetic group for it.
I have traced back to my 5th great grandparents in Transylvania but I've hit a language barrier with documents to be able to continue. Is there a standardized length of time a family needs to be in a region to be considered part of a genetic group? Also, why would an upload test ping for a region, but not a spit test? 🤔 TIA
Watch this video about references populations and you might have some insights that you're seeking. if not, leave a follow-up question on that video. ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html
Nationality is different than ethnicity?
To an extent. Often they are very much interconnected.
@@FamilyHistoryFanatics so can AMERICAN be an ethnicity?
@@FamilyHistoryFanatics I was born in Mexico I Mexican, but my two sons were born and raised in the USA one in California the other in Illinois, to me they are not Mexican, but American, you have to be born and raised in the country to be that nationality and ethnicity, my son's to me are 💯 American by nationality e ethnicity am I wrong?
All makes sense. I wish many more people would test. The kits should be made available to many countries but I doubt their governments will allow it, but those living in the free world, should definitely test.
Every should make the decision best for them. There are concerns about privacy (both of relatives you don't wish to be found and those with fears of their DNA being used against them. ruclips.net/video/T9Edt6Vew-c/видео.html
And yes, not all countries support commercial genetic testing ruclips.net/video/_vsPS5KPrBI/видео.html
I believe in informed consent but wish more people would either 1) take a DNA test and link it to a public family tree or 2) build their family tree tree on a Genetic genealogy platform (like Ancestry or MyHertiage) to help people solve the pieces of their heritage puzzles.
So 3 of my grandparents have Scottish Surnames and we have records coming from Britain and I have 0 Scottish DNA. How is this possible?
Because my parents had me when they were teenagers I had the privilege to get to know my great grandparents and even a great-great grandma.
So,my maternal great grandma (my mother's mother's mother..so,no illegitimacy issues)was born in Sicily. I knew her well, because she didn't die until I was in my 20s. She spoke fluent Italian and sometimes had relatives from there come to visit. I have copies of her parents immigration records and her birth certificate.To my surprise my test came back 0% Italy. BUT I am a fairly close relative match with her brother, even though it says we have NONE of the same ethnicities.
My paternal grandma is 1/2 German. Her father was the child of immigrants and she's gotten in touch with cousins over there. Yet,her son,my uncle has 0% German in his estimate while I have 23%. His daughters also got it on theirs.
My maternal 2x great grandma I also knew. She was native American. Not a family myth since she babysat me on occasion. Again, some family members get ethnicity for it and some do not. And everyone gets different results with different companies.
So, that part of these tests is not super accurate, but they seem to be good at matching you up with relatives. Again, I personally knew several generations so I could easily see the connection to people. Helpful for making family trees mostly.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Be sure to watch Blame Reference Populations if Your Ethnicity Results Are Wrong ruclips.net/video/ScZtHuU78n4/видео.html
Would it also be true that their ethnicity result could be missing or different, if it was discovered that they had a different biological father than the person they thought was the biological father, as we get half from our mother & half from our father.
That is always a possibility, although if you have siblings or one of your parents tested it can be easily verified or discounted based on the total amount of shared DNA.
I must be one of the few white Americans who never had a family story about a Native American ancestor and yet Ancestry, 23andMe, Gedmatch, and Family Tree DNA all show a tiny amount from at least 200-250 years ago. I didn't think my family got here until the 20th century but it turns out my paternal great-grandfather's family were from Nova Scotia. They were a mix mostly of Loyalists and there's even a Mayflower ancestor in there. However, the admixtures point to Indigenous Central Americans. Is it possible that's a misinterpretation? I would have expected any indigenous ancestor of mine to have been Miꞌkmaq or maybe one of the upstate NY peoples. But I suppose it could also be tied to maybe British Honduras given the timeframe. I've just never heard any stories.
I wonder if you and I are related, John? I have a number of ancestors who sailed to America on the Mayflower. Last name is Allington. Are you related to them, but chance? The reason I ask, is that many were as spouses died and the spouse remarried.
@@bettinahalpern5655 My ancestor was Edward Doty, the indentured servant of Stephen Hopkins. Apparently, Doty was a real piece of work who was always in trouble and going to court lol
@@jamesvejvoda2659 I would probably be always getting into trouble if I were an indentured servant to anyone. That would be a horrendous life. He sounds more like a rebel to me which means he had the ability to make it here during a most difficult time in our country's beginning. I hope you inherited a bit of his rebellious nature; not enough to get you into trouble, but enough to say you got that from him! I love these kind of stories for the show the true personalities of our forefathers. I have yet to discover who I got my bullheadedness and tenacious nature from. I am sure it did not start with me, however. Oh, by the way, the surname is Allington, not Arlington. I have a cast on my right hand and it gets in the way of daily life.
I totally get what you are saying and I should have clarified, 23 and Me shows Indigenous American, South Central, 1.2%. I was just abbreviating it as NA because of this darn cast on my arm. I'm trying to take shortcuts as best I can because you can tell I talk (in text anyway) a lot. Chulio, I believe, had a French or English mother.
Yep... Native American in these databases point to Central and South American tribes. However, you didn't indicate how large the percentage is. Since the reference populations are so small throughout the world for most groups, some of the percentages are false %s.
Im wondering because my 2nd great grandfather was from Finland and came to Alaska, had a child with an Aleut woman, but can only see Indigenous Arctic (aka the Aleut part) on my dna test, and cannot see any Finnish. Im wondering if there is any possible answer to why?
Start by watching this video and then asking any follow-up questions you may have.
Understand How Genetic Inheritance Impacts Your DNA Test Results ruclips.net/video/-f7VUPmgy2U/видео.html
My mom's maternal James Phillip Bourget, his father was born in Quebec, Canada and his mother was born in France, while he and his siblings were born in California. Before Ancestry did the September update it said my mom was 4% (range 0-13%) France, so since James was 50% French Canadian and 50% French, my mom's should have 12.5% French Canadian and 12.5% French, before the update my mom's French was in the ethnicity range, after the update, she has no french and some how they have now added Sweden and Denmark, don't know where that came from, unless it came from the vikings who invaded the British Isles.
Always remember the key word "estimate". Beyond a continental level, you will see lots of fluctuations as new data is added.
I did a dna test with my mom, she got 1% central asian and 2% mesoamerican and 2% gaelic and 95% finnish. I got 92% finnish 2% eskimo and 6% gaelic. Why doesnt this central asian and mesoamerican show up?
First, your ethnicity results might be wrong. ruclips.net/video/i70SZRW9t90/видео.html
Second, it could be the nature of genetic inheritance. ruclips.net/video/-f7VUPmgy2U/видео.html
I have a full German great great grandfather but no German in my DNA. I also have many French DNA matches along with Canadian. My search angel told me DNA testing is illegal in France so.....
Yes but they are doing tests. I can see this most easily at MyHeritage where I have several dozen matches there through this or that shared ethnicity. (My last known direct ancestor with a French name was born in the early 1600's!) (A lot of French people also upload their DNA kit at Geneanet. Go figure. Too many for me there... just on the X chromosome so almost meaningless for matching. They're there though! Try uploading your kit to Geneanet for free.)
DNA testing is not available in all parts of the world ruclips.net/video/_vsPS5KPrBI/видео.html
And the reference populations that are DNA is compared to isn't as large as it's needed to ensure the accuracy of the DNA test results. So, I wouldn't put too much stock in the ethnicity reports. Instead, focus on DNA matching to build your family tree.
My ethnicity was in my DNA. I am 75% Iberian.
Glad it worked out for you.
A friend has 1% African DNA. She says it’s her Native American ancestry. Since Ancestry DNA doesn’t test for Native American they just show it as African. Could this possibly be true?
It's a bit of a stretch to make that claim. I consider most ethnicities of 1% or lower to be statistical noise. Have you watched my ethnicity video series? ruclips.net/p/PLcVx-GSCjcdlvwsLScE4NPKwGA-XUNhhM
I think you'll find out more of your answers after watching these videos.
@@FamilyHistoryFanatics I show 1% Indigenous America on ancestrydna it's definitely not noise on 23andme it's a little more, I found Cherokee cousin matches on ancestrydna and 23andme and I've been able to trace back the line it comes from.
Thanks for the information. I'm curious as to why none of your examples include any references to African dna and African ethnic groups? Could you please speak to your thoughts on various testing companies and their level and ability to trace African ethnic groups? Thanks!
Since I don't have any African DNA, I haven't looked into it very much. I know there are some testing companies that cater to people of African ancestry, but from a high level view they are not anywhere equivalent to what you would get from 23andMe, MyHeritage and Ancestry.
My parents were both born in Germany, with that ancestry primarily. However, even I have matches who are part African and am always intrigued about their potential stories. I often wonder how the companies are doing, trying to sort out the great diversity that stems from Africa. My hunch is that among the mainstream companies 23andMe might offer the best breakdown on a global scale.
I manage several family kits to get the more dna coverage. Is there a way to calculate how much coverage of a grandparent you have? Sibling 1, Sibling 2, child of sibling 3 + 1st cousins from 3 different families (one 1C for each) .... in other words the target grandparent couple had 5 children... for child 1: 1 kit, for child 2: 2.5 kits, for child 3: 1 kit, child 4: 0 kits, child 5: 1 kit.
I did discuss this in a previous video, but after 500+ videos across 6 years, I can't remember which one I included it in.
But in short, after 4 siblings, you start having less increase in coverage. With about 4 siblings tested, you could between 75-85% of the shared parent's DNA. After that, each additional test adds little more to the percentage. You'll likely never get full coverage, even with 12 full-siblings tested. It's just how recombination works.
I'm not sure that your simplistic arithmetic helped in this case. The distinguishing of regional genetic groups is a mathematical and particularly statistical problem. It's a matter of probabilities and reference to samples. It's beyond me, and best left for the experts. One important message for gereral viewers to take home is, that, DNA is DNA it doesn't come in distinct different forms identfiable or labelled as group A or group B, it's not that easy. A can be distinguished from B only after comparing the different frequencies of many markers, sometimes, if we are lucky!
I could try to be more thorough in my explanations but the majority of our audience would be lost. That's why the comment section is available.
@@FamilyHistoryFanatics and I thank you for making comments available and for responding so well. I'm sorry that my own comment was complcated and unclear. The point I was trying to draw out is that it is easy to start talking and thinking as if the DNA itself can be seen as X, Y, or Z. As if it comes labelled. I don't think this is the reality, or am I wrong?
Well… Ancestry blocks Native American links because they have a “deal” not to identify more, eliminating any pay they might be owed.
Subtitles for the hard of hearing? Otherwise I can't understand a word you say -
This past week we added improved subtitles to our public videos that aren't from a livestream. However, this video should have had it when you watched. I'm not sure why you didn't see it.
Because its not your ethnicity LMAO. Imagine being from somewhere and not being from there.