Can we talk DNA for a minute today? As you may or may not know, Ancestry has updated their DNA Story. They have revised their ethnicity estimates based upon a larger pool of test results than was used in their prior estimates. That sounds good, right?
So why does it seem not any more accurate? I’ll qualify that by saying that is no way to be “accurate” with this stuff as it’s just a hint. Since my ancestors were all European, and there was so much movement in Europe over time, my DNA result should look like a bit of a blended cocktail–and it does.
I might share DNA with this woman, but I don’t know her name
Great hat though!
One of the biggest problems with my own DNA is the Dutch portion. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I have a lot of Dutch ancestors. But Ancestry doesn’t locate “Dutch DNA.” I don’t think any of the DNA companies do. It might show up as British and/or Scandinavian, for instance. It’s pretty annoying. Then there’s that Prussian thread. They probably lived close to Sweden, in what is now Poland. Is that Polish, German, Swedish DNA? Finally, the Alsatian portion of my DNA. What is that? Is it French or German? Well, it’s a little difficult either way because Alsace is currently in France and, in general, French people don’t get their DNA tested! That came as a shock to me, but it is illegal to do DNA testing in France where it is possible for paternity to be established. (I hope that sentence makes sense!) So there isn’t a big enough database of French and Alsatian people to help with ethnicity estimates.
Back to Ancestry’s update. I’m only going to discuss some minor findings in my new estimates as a way to show how screwed up they are. Previously, Ancestry predicted that I had 10% Eastern European DNA. I thought that must be the Prussians making a strange appearance (after all, these were Germans who lived in Poland). Now Ancestry has reduced the Eastern Eurpean DNA (nevermind that 23andme shows me with an actual specific gene that is considered Polish) to 2%.
Now my “Scandinavian” genes are no longer 6%, but I have 11% Swedish. This makes sense to me because the Prussians lived so close to Sweden that I figure there was a lot of mixing in. But then this could be Dutch DNA since that often shows up as Scandinavian. Wherever it came from, I thought it explained why my grandfather had a congenital illness that can be traced to Swedish or Italian heritage: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
For kicks, I looked at my parents’ ethnicity estimates for the Swedish components. Well, gee whiz. Mom only has 2% Swedish! I wondered if and how I could get the rest of the Swedish from my dad, but while I was checking out Mom’s I saw that she has 15% Eastern European now! and 7% Norwegian! and 3% Baltic states! She’s the Dutch and the Prussian connection, by the way. But see how different her results are from mine.
Let’s look at Dad’s. He’s got 3% Norwegian and 2% Swedish! Even if I add up both their Swedish, it only comes to 4%, and I have 10%. And wouldn’t the average be that I would get 1% from each, totalling 2%? (hahaha)
I’m going to let it lie there because I think the Swedish part alone shows that Ancestry has a LONG way to go.
So I went over to my 23andme results. 3.6% Polish. Hah. 3.1% Scandinavian! That’s a far cry from 11% Swedish. And, weirdly, 1% Balkan. I will note that Ancestry did show me with some southern European and even Iberian DNA before, but they have taken that off the table now.
It makes me mad when I hear stuff like how My Heritage tells almost everybody they have Nigerian DNA. Oh yeah? Hah, I highly doubt it. (Mine shows .9% Nigerian). It’s because the company is new, and a lot of work needs to be done before the results of our tests really should be analyzed. I think I’ll ignore the fact that they believe I have 26.5% Balkan ancestry. Geesh.
Maybe the DNA companies should explain that these estimates are just for FUN and you shouldn’t put much stock in them.
The Family Kalamazoo 
I also put little to no weight in the ethnicity stuff—it amazes me that most people test just for that reason. After all, it all depends on the numbers tested and how those in each pool have self-identified. There’s no true science to it aside from statistical analysis. Since there is no such thing as a Norwegian gene or a Dutch gene or a Jewish gene, all they can do is essentially say—since you match other people who identify as having X background, you also must have some share of X background. I know I am oversimplifying it and that there is more to it than that, but to me—the ethnicity stuff is a marketing ploy to get people to test. The main way we all benefit (at least theoretically—it hasn’t helped me much at all) is that there are more people to compare and match with for genealogy purposes.
Righto. Good description. I do think it’s a silly game for marketing purposes. But making actual familial connections is another matter. Very useful.
It has been only marginally helpful to me even with matches. It has been useful for confirming what I already knew, and that’s about it!
That is true for me, except that there have been a few exceptional happenstances in matches.
I will keep hoping!!
Here are my results, (7 of 8 great grandparents were Dutch, the 8th from England)
New (Ancestry)
England, Wales & Northwestern Europe 41%
Germanic Europe 35%
Sweden 13%
Norway 11%
Old (Ancestry)
Europe West 65%
Scandinavia 24%
Great Britain 4%
Ireland, Scotland, Wales 3%
Finland Northwest, Russia 3%
Iberian Peninsula 1%
Thanks, Joel! Hah, isn’t it funny to consider that as much as they have changed your results they haven’t really changed at all. Still no Dutch. Plus, look how your old report doesn’t even account for your 1/8 English. I had tons of English in my old one, yet NO ENGLISH ANCESTORS.
Oh the DNA, it does not lie,
we all have pieces, of the sky.
The twinkle, that is in your eye,
is only star dust, from up high.
Nigerian princess, I knew you were,
your family writing, tells me so.
So regal, are the words you write,
they tell me, all about your might.
That’s all the rhyme, I have today,
your blog post bitching, made my day.
Well, it did inspired me to write a poem.
I don’t take much stock in DNA testing, it is for fun as you say and someday they will perfect it where it will be useful, but not now.
I LOVE IT! I’ve inspired a new poet in the poetsphere! My favorite line of all: “your blog post bitching, made my day.” In fact your comment has made my day!
It is funny how people take the ethnicity as the one thing they want out of DNA testing. I don’t care much about it. I use it to find out WHO my ancestors are, not so much WHAT.
That’s exactly how I felt. I kind of ignored that part. But when Ancestry made this big deal about updating their estimates, I thought I’d take a look. HAHAHAHA
So complicated – and yet so important for some, such as you, Luanne
Not too important haha! And kind of a scam anyway, but mildly interesting!
🙂
RATS! Now I shall never know what I was “before”. Saved the fee to find the error, though.
🤣 yes, rats and double rats! Haha.
Ancestry’s update brings it closer to my Family Tree DNA estimates, which are more differentiated than the results from Ancestry. My father was born in Sweden but I have many Norwegian and Finnish matches. The new estimates seem to map onto my matches better than the old estimates.
Beth, you are lucky! I am not surprised about Norwegian and Finnish matches. My kids are Korean and had their DNA done through 23andme and the way it shows up to now is that they have much Chinese and Japanese DNA as well. So either that is the way it is because of wars and other movements OR it’s just more of the “silly game” aspect of ethnicity estimates.
My thought is we all tend to forget that this type of DNA testing is still just being discovered and still has a long way to go. The new results for me have come closer to my family research. The test and the results will steadily get better as time goes by. A very bad example would be how in the old days one may find a broken bone by pain and feeling, then came X-rays, then CAT scans, then MRIs and so on. I think that with DNA we are just getting into the X-ray part of the program.
Charles, that’s a great way to put it. And even through we have MRIs and all that today, sometimes the cause of trouble is still so elusive!
So very true!
I am wondering if anyone has found any family connections via DNA. My wife had one ancestor who never married the father of her child. the child used the surname of his mother. The father’s name was never mentioned other than a few whispers. Ancestry DNA provided my wife with the verification she needed and identified unknown cousins along that branch of her tree.
Yes, I have. This is the stuff that the DNA is REALLY helpful for, in my opinion!
I’m considering doing the test with my foster daughter who coincidentally has my grandmother’s maiden name. Her father’s family seems to have come from the same county in Upstate New York. We are adopting the girl but how weird would it be if we were actually already related!
Yay! I didn’t know you were adopting her! I’m so excited to hear that. And wow! Did you know about the surname “coincidence” from the outset?
I knew the names were the same but it was only when I found out that my mother’s family and my foster daughter’s father were from the same small upstate ny county I started really wondering …
I would be, too!
Ummm yeah. Same crazy results that got worse for me as well. How do they determine Swiss? Apparently, it’s French now. And my Danish formerly Scandinavian? Swedish? Norwegian? Germanic? I have no idea. That’s the problem. PS I love myheritage and think it’s way more accurate than anything else out there.
Hah, sounds like mine. But I am shocked to hear that you love My Heritage. There ethnicity estimates for me are absolutely ridiculous and totally contradicted not only by lots of research, but by 23andme, FTDNA, and Ancestry results! So strange, Jen!
I’ve never paid too close attention to the ethnicity on Ancestry or on MyHeritage where I have an Ancestry kit uploaded. But yes, there is that small Nigerian percentage on MH. I understand why Jen says she loves MH. Coming into the game a bit late, they have the advantage of seeing what people want, i.e. chromosome browser and comparison of shared matches.
I especially liked your last sentence – but we will never see this as the ethnicity thing is their bait.
Happy Blogiversary, Luanne!
Cathy, you are so right. It is their bait. Will it be lederhosen or a kilt? 🤣
By the way, I am referring to an American TV commercial for Ancestry.
Gosh, well, duh…I didn’t know you could update the Ancestry DNA…but now that you’ve shared this, maybe I will let sleeping DNA lie and not tell Pretty we could get an update. Her Iberian Peninsula wasn’t a surprise to either of us so we probably shouldn’t muddy those waters.
Shelia, You don’t have to do anything, they just run your electronic file thru their genetic database again and you get a new ethnic estimate. Just go look at your results and they will let you know new results are available.
Hi Joel, thanks so much for this info!! I do appreciate
Just login and they will let you know.
I raced to do that last night after reading your post and asked for mine and Pretty’s again. I was pleased to find the 13% German which I knew was a much better number (since my great great grandparents were German immigrants…Pretty, on the other hand, was distressed to find her Iberian Peninsula heritage removed…I tried to console her that French people were often darker skinned, too, but she wasn’t convinced! 🙂
Hahahaha. Pointing out the second part of my title: a silly game!!!!
Ancestry has created a mess! Glad you seem to be ok!