Your DNA results, with more
detail than ever

Your DNA results, with more detail than ever

Now we’ve got even more places around the world to help you discover where you’re from. This update adds 24 new regions in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Combining regions and journeys, that’s 3,000+ places around the world where your AncestryDNA^® results could come from.

Discover your origins

Have questions? See our FAQs.

See the latest ancestral regions and journeys using the interactive map below.

24 new regions you could call home

With this latest update we have added:

8 new regions in Africa:

Benin & Togo
Yorubaland
Central West Africa
Central Nigeria
North-Central Nigeria
Nigeria
Western Bantu Peoples
Twa

8 new regions in Africa:

Benin & Togo
Yorubaland
Central West Africa
Central Nigeria
North-Central Nigeria
Nigeria
Western Bantu Peoples
Twa

5 new regions in Europe:

Cornwall
Russia
Iceland
Denmark
The Netherlands

5 new regions in Europe:

Cornwall
Russia
Iceland
Denmark
The Netherlands

3 new regions in West Asia:

Lower Central Asia
Northern Iraq & Northern Iran
Sephardic Jews

3 new regions in West Asia:

Lower Central Asia
Northern Iraq & Northern Iran
Sephardic Jews

8 new regions in South and Southeast Asia:

Southern India
Southwest India
The Deccan & the Gulf of Mannar
Gujarat
Gulf of Khambhat
Western Himalayas & the Hindu Kush
Luzon
Western Visayas

8 new regions in South and Southeast Asia:

Southern India
Southwest India
The Deccan & the Gulf of Mannar
Gujarat
Gulf of Khambhat
Western Himalayas & the Hindu Kush
Luzon
Western Visayas

54 subregions in Europe

A more detailed picture of where your ancestors may have lived

Subregions are a new feature we’re releasing with this update. They could lead you to a deeper understanding of your origins with more insight into the specific places within Europe where you might have a connection.

64 ethnic groups in Africa

New insights to help deepen cultural connection

Uncover new insights with ethnic groups in African ancestral regions. Explore your connections to different ethnic groups, learn about their daily lives, and delve into their history and culture as told by the communities themselves.

64 ethnic groups in Africa

Inside our latest breakthrough

See what makes this origins update so special and how our science team made it happen.

An unrivaled database for unrivaled results

With our enormous collections of family trees and DNA results, we’re able to combine that information to provide more precise results about where our users come from and who their ancestors were—and those results will only get better as more people use Ancestry^® and AncestryDNA.

An unrivaled database for unrivaled results

Represent your DNA

When you discover new details about the communities, places, and cultures in your DNA, you can represent all that you are.

Share your latest results and tell the world how this adds to your family story.

When you discover new details about the communities, places, and cultures in your DNA, you can represent all that you are.

Share your latest results and tell the world how this adds to your family story.

Represent your DNA

When you discover new details about the communities, places, and cultures in your DNA, you can represent all that you are.

Share your latest results and tell the world how this adds to your family story.

When you discover new details about the communities, places, and cultures in your DNA, you can represent all that you are.

Share your latest results and tell the world how this adds to your family story.

AncestryDNA—it’s a family thing

Everyone’s DNA is unique, which means that your ancestral regions could be different from your DNA matches—even close family members! Compare your DNA results with your family and other matches to see what results you share and what’s different.

Why are we updating customers’ ancestral regions?

While your DNA stays the same, our science is constantly improving to provide more precise and informative results. This year we added more samples to our reference panel, which expands the number and diversity of populations we can compare your DNA to.

How do we name our regions?

Representing the people of the world fairly is our priority. We work with a diverse network of outside scholars and experts to develop and review how our regions are named.

Why might your ancestral regions include a place your family is not from?

Because people didn’t always stay in one place, some of the ancestral regions your DNA looks most similar to today may not be where your ancestors lived.

Find more of your family story

There are many paths to finding your family history. Whichever way you choose—tracing your family generations back with a family tree or uncovering your origins with AncestryDNA—we’ll be here to help you.

Search billions of records and
discover your family story.

Get started

Uncover your ethnicity and more
with AncestryDNA.

Explore AncestryDNA

Search billions of records and
discover your family story.

Get started

Uncover your ethnicity and more
with AncestryDNA^®.

Explore AncestryDNA

Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions

Details about the new estimates

While your DNA stays the same, our science is constantly improving to provide more precise and informative results. With this update we added more samples to our reference panel, which expands the number and diversity of populations we can compare your DNA to. You may see new regions or changes in your percentages with this update.
AncestryDNA calculates your ancestral regions by comparing your DNA to a reference panel made up of DNA samples from more than 116,800 people, representing 107 different populations. Because our reference panel and the way we analyze your DNA both change as we get more data, your results can change as we get more data, too. See this support article for a deeper dive into ancestral regions.
Ancestry is constantly updating our technology and cutting-edge science. As we update our algorithm and reference panel, your results may change. Additionally, as we add more and more customers to our AncestryDNA database, we hope to increase the number and granularity of our regions, making each update more precise.

We calculate your ancestral regions by comparing your DNA to a reference panel made up of thousands of DNA samples from people with long family histories in one place or within one group. Our reference panel is robust due to the millions of family trees linked to our DNA customers. For this update, Ancestry’s team of scientists increased the AncestryDNA reference panel size we use to make these comparisons. The updated reference panel has more samples from more parts of the world, which allowed us to increase the total number of regions available for analysis from 88 to 107.

Additionally, in this update we’ve added new subregions to some ancestral regions. Subregions look at short matching DNA segments within reference panels. Similar to regions, this provides insights about deep historical connections. Because subregions leverage DNA matches, they can add greater specificity to your assigned regions.

Because this update is more precise overall, many users will see improvements in their results as percentages change. Others will see new or updated regions in their results. Ancestry will continue to work to expand the diversity of our products to provide more precise insights to our customers.
To estimate your ancestral origins, we compare your DNA to the DNA of people with long family histories from specific parts of the world. This group of individuals is called our reference panel. The unique AncestryDNA reference panel is a collection of over 116,800 DNA samples from around the globe that we use to identify 107 different populations. It’s unique because most samples come from our database, and their heritage is documented through Ancestry family trees.
Representing the people of the world fairly is our priority. We go through several steps and work with a diverse network of outside scholars and experts to develop and review how our regions are named. We start with a set of maps that show us where we typically find a particular ancestral region in the results of people who are native to an area. We also consider who will typically be getting a region in their results to make sure a name is broad or narrow enough to be a good fit. That gives us a starting point. From there we sometimes test various names with members local to an area or ask them for suggestions. Finally, we have a panel of outside subject-matter experts with local and scholarly expertise who review our names for both accuracy and cultural sensitivity.

Details about new or changed regions you might see

With this update, we’ve added more samples to the reference panel we use to determine ancestral regions. As a result, we’re able to add 24 regions. These include:
South and East Asia

Southern India

Southwest India

The Deccan & the Gulf of Mannar

Gujarat

Gulf of Khambhat

Western Himalayas & the Hindu Kush

Luzon

Western Visayas

West Asia

Lower Central Asia

Northern Iraq & Northern Iran

Sephardic Jews
Europe

Cornwall

Russia

Iceland

Denmark

Netherlands

Africa

Benin & Togo

Yorubaland

Central West Africa

Central Nigeria

North-Central Nigeria

Nigeria

Western Bantu Peoples

Twa
As our reference panel continues to grow, we are able to refine our regions and provide more precise results.
In this update we’ve also added 54 new subregions to the ancestral regions in Europe. Subregions look at short matching DNA segments reference panels. Similar to regions, this provides insights about deep historical connections. Because subregions look at matching DNA segments, they can add greater specificity to your assigned regions.
We break down the regions you inherited from each parent using your own DNA information. Using our proprietary SideView™ technology, we can distinguish the DNA you inherited from each of your biological parents and then run an ancestral region analysis on each set of DNA separately. Because this update expands the number and diversity of populations we compare your DNA to during this analysis, the regions you inherited from each parent might also change. You may see new regions or changes in percentages with this update.
We’ve added 8 new regions in Africa, and 6 of those are in and around Nigeria. We were able to develop these ancestral regions by making concerted efforts to increase the representation of these groups in our reference panel. As a result, many people with roots in areas like Benin, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, and/or Côte d’Ivoire may see new top regions or new regions entirely.
As we developed our reference panel, we were able to separate our Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples region into a distinct Cameroon region and a Western Bantu Peoples region. You may still see some combination of these two regions in your results. Over time, as our reference panel continues to grow, we are often able to make clearer distinctions between neighboring regions that have shared genetic histories.
We’ve added 6 new regions in India, splitting up both Northern and Southern India and the surrounding areas. We were able to develop these ancestral regions by making concerted efforts to increase the representation of these groups in our reference panel by using our large database of Ancestry customers. As a result, most people in India will see a new breakdown, pointing them to one or more of these regions in India.
We’ve added 2 new regions in the Philippines, allowing increased resolution in our results. We were able to develop these ancestral regions by making concerted efforts to increase the representation of these groups in our reference panel by using our large database of Ancestry customers.
What it means to be Jewish is a complex issue, and being Jewish can mean different things to different people. It can be a matter of religion. Being Jewish can also be a matter of heritage and culture. The AncestryDNA^® test explores the less than 1% of DNA that varies among humans to estimate the populations your ancestors came from.
Like many of our other ethnicity regions, the reference panel we use for our Sephardic Jews region was built using samples from Ancestry customers. Specifically, these customers’ DNA results and family tree information linked them to the Sephardic Jewish community.
Our Sephardic Jews region does not represent the shared history of all Sephardic groups. Instead, it represents Sephardic people who live or have historically lived in specific areas around the Mediterranean including Spain, Turkey, Greece, and North Africa. Importantly, having this region in your ethnicity results does not prove or disprove whether you belong to this ethnic group. Identifying with or being a member of an ethnic or cultural group involves much more than genetics.
Before we added our Sephardic Jews region, some people with Sephardic roots would get a mix of ancestral regions that might include Jewish, Anatolia & the Caucasus, Greece & Albania, Southern Italy, and other regions in the Mediterranean.

A mix of results across this area is consistent with both early Sephardic history and the way our analyses work.

But, while that mixture of ancestral regions may reflect the population’s complex ancient history, it’s not very useful for understanding a person’s individual family history. The mixture of regions can make it more difficult to trace where family members may have lived or moved to.

Our goal at Ancestry is to empower members to make discoveries about their family history; with this update, we aimed to provide greater precision in members’ results by adding our new Sephardic Jews region. Adding this new region could make interpreting your own results easier and will allow us to identify lower amounts of this ethnicity in your DNA.
As we developed our reference panel, we were able to separate our Sweden & Denmark region into a distinct Sweden region and a Denmark region. You may still see some combination of these two regions in your results. Over time, as our reference panel continues to grow, we are often able to make clearer distinctions between neighboring regions that have shared genetic histories.
We’ve added 5 new regions in Europe, providing more precise estimates for people with ancestry from the Netherlands, Iceland, Cornwall, Russia, and Denmark. Each of these changes can also affect the percentages of neighboring regions you see in your results. Additionally, with new advances in technology, our estimates are becoming more precise, especially for people of an admixed origin. Many customers will notice a significant update to their Western European results as a result of this advancement in technology.
With new advances in the technology behind the ancestral regions, our estimates are becoming more precise, especially for people of an admixed origin. Many customers will notice a significant update to their Western European results as a result of this advancement in technology, often including an increase of assignment to Germany.
As people move, so does their DNA. To bring you the most precise results we aim to build a reference panel that includes people whose DNA is typical of DNA from a certain place. To do this, we look for people whose families have lived in the same country or part of a country for generations. These are customers with deep roots to that place, and their long family history in that place is reported in their Ancestry family trees.
Many customers won’t see big changes. As our science and data improve, we’re able to provide more precise and informative results, but this doesn’t always happen all over the world at once. So while some customers may see new regions or changes in their percentages, others may see smaller changes or no changes at all. We'll keep using advances in science to enhance our customers' experiences, which means that your results could evolve as the resolution of our DNA estimates improve even more.

Questions for existing customers

This update is provided free of charge to AncestryDNA customers.
No, your new results will appear in your DNA Origins whether you are logged in via mobile or desktop. If you would like to view your new results in the Ancestry App, please make sure you have downloaded the most updated version.
You will be able to view and download the prior version of your results in DNA Origins for 90 days after the update.
No, we can update your results without you having to provide a new sample.
When you receive your DNA results, they’ll include the latest update.
As soon as your new results are ready, we will automatically apply this update. The new results will replace your current ones.

What should I expect from my new estimate?

We’ve added thousands of additional samples to the reference panel we use to determine your ancestral regions. With this additional data, we can now identify 107 different world populations to compare your DNA to, and we’re also better able to tell neighboring regions apart. With this increased precision you could see changes to the regions your DNA is assigned to, your percentages, or both.
Don’t worry—your DNA hasn’t changed! What’s changed is the amount of data we have available to compare it to. We’ve added thousands of additional samples to the reference panel we use to determine your ancestral regions. This means we can now identify 107 different world populations to compare your DNA against. Our larger reference panel lets us provide results that are even more precise. Analyzing DNA to estimate a person’s ancestral origins is at the cutting edge of science—in a field that is evolving rapidly. We are always keeping an eye on the latest developments and how we can use them to make improvements to your test results.
Increased precision means we’re better able to tell neighboring regions apart. This means that some regions from previous results may not appear in your results anymore.
Your previous results represented our best science at the time. But our science is always improving. Your latest Origins results take advantage of a larger reference panel, which allows us to provide an even higher degree of precision.
We’re confident in the science behind our proprietary algorithm and the precision of these results. The consumer genomics industry is rapidly evolving, and these results are as precise as possible for where the science is today. At the same time, we’ll keep using advances in science to enhance our customers’ experiences, which means that these results can evolve over time as the resolution of DNA estimates improve. A good example of this is our ability to break up large regions into smaller, more specific regions—which means you may see more precise geographies in your ancestral regions over time.
Your latest results take advantage of a larger reference panel, which allows us to provide a higher degree of precision. That said, your DNA is only one element of a much larger picture, and your family history and relatives play an important role in your personal story, even if they are not specifically reflected in your AncestryDNA results.
While we each inherit 50% of our DNA from our father and 50% from our mother, that also means that there’s 50% of each parent’s DNA we don’t get. If your parent has only a small percentage of DNA for a specific region, you might not inherit any of that portion of their DNA. Additionally, with our updated estimates, regions you previously inherited only small percentages for could now be below the level that we report in your results. Siblings also get 50% of each parent’s DNA, but which DNA segments they get is completely random, which is why your results won’t necessarily match your sib’s–unless you’re identical twins. See "Understanding Inheritance" for a deeper dive on why your DNA results might be different than your parents and your siblings.
The update will not affect your DNA matches.
Region updates don’t affect journeys. Instead of a reference panel, our proprietary Genetic Communities™ technology identifies groups of people in our DNA database who have more matches to each other than to other people in our database and who had ancestors that lived in the same area at the same time. These are the basis for ancestral journeys.
Yes! To share your ethnicity results with friends and family outside of Ancestry, click the “Share” button on your results page. Then you can share your results via various social media or messaging channels, download an image of your results, or copy a shareable link of your results. Once you share that link, anybody can use it to access a summary of your results.
Yes. With DNA compare, you can compare your regions and journeys with anyone who’s taken an AncestryDNA^® test. You can compare with DNA matches and anyone else who’s shared their results with you. To compare with a non-match, ask them to share their results. You need to have matches turned on in order to compare (and so does anyone you’re comparing with).

When you select Compare my DNA, you’ll see two of your closest matches already featured. You can remove them (or add anyone else) anytime. You can compare up to 10 people at the same time.

Misc

We assign the most likely percentage for each of your ancestral regions based on our analysis. These are the percentages that show up in your results. These percentages are our best estimate, but our analysis also provides additional combinations of regions and percentages that could fit your DNA, though they are less likely. We use these other combinations to show you the possible range for your ancestral regions’ results.
Ancestry is continually working to expand the diversity of our products to provide more precise results to our members. Building new regions requires having enough data to identify a genetic profile specific to a population or area. In the cases where we have not collected enough data to do this, your results will likely reflect neighboring regions. However, it is important to note two details. First, some populations do not differ enough at a genetic level to be distinguished as separate regions. Second, countries change over time, and borders on a map today don’t necessarily reflect genetic boundaries, so there may be countries that are covered by ancestral regions different from modern political boundaries.
Yes. Your previous privacy settings will remain the same with this update. Additionally, you can adjust your settings at any time via your DNA Results Summary Page. We also offer a host of resources and tools that help you manage your privacy settings on our website.
Yes, you can find it on our White Papers page.

Your DNA results, with more detail than ever

Your DNA results, with more detail than ever

Your DNA results, with more detail than ever

See the latest ancestral regions and journeys using the interactive map below.

See the latest ancestral regions and journeys using the interactive map below.

See the latest ancestral regions and journeys using the interactive map below.

24 new regions you could call home

24 new regions you could call home

24 new regions you could call home

8 new regions in Africa:

8 new regions in Africa:

5 new regions in Europe:

5 new regions in Europe:

3 new regions in West Asia:

3 new regions in West Asia:

8 new regions in South and Southeast Asia:

8 new regions in South and Southeast Asia:

A more detailed picture of where your ancestors may have lived

A more detailed picture of where your ancestors may have lived

A more detailed picture of where your ancestors may have lived

New insights to help deepen cultural connection

New insights to help deepen cultural connection

New insights to help deepen cultural connection

Inside our latest breakthrough

Inside our latest breakthrough

Inside our latest breakthrough

An unrivaled database for unrivaled results

An unrivaled database for unrivaled results

An unrivaled database for unrivaled results

Represent your DNA

Represent your DNA

Represent your DNA

Represent your DNA

Represent your DNA

Represent your DNA

AncestryDNA—it’s a family thing

AncestryDNA—it’s a family thing

AncestryDNA—it’s a family thing

Why are we updating customers’ ancestral regions?

Why are we updating customers’ ancestral regions?

Why are we updating customers’ ancestral regions?

How do we name our regions?

How do we name our regions?

How do we name our regions?

Why might your ancestral regions include a place your family is not from?

Why might your ancestral regions include a place your family is not from?

Why might your ancestral regions include a place your family is not from?

Find more of your family story

Find more of your family story

Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions

Details about the new estimates

Details about the new estimates

Why are you updating customers’ ancestral region results?

How do you calculate these results?

What makes the latest update more precise?

What is a reference panel?

How do we name our regions?

Details about new or changed regions you might see

Details about new or changed regions you might see

What regions have you added?

What other improvements have you made?

Will this update change my “By parent” results?

Why did my results in west Africa change so much?

My results previously included the region Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples, but now only includes Cameroon and/or Western Bantu Peoples. What happened?

Why did my results in India change so much?

Why did my results in the Philippines change so much?

Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews aren’t ethnicities/regions.

How did you develop your Sephardic Jews region?

I do/don’t have the Sephardic Jews in my results. Does that mean I am/am not Sephardic?

My old results seemed more detailed. Why did they change to Sephardic Jews?

My results previously included the region Sweden & Denmark, but now only includes Denmark and/or Sweden. What happened?

Why did my results in Europe change so much?

Why did my assignment to Germany increase?

What do you mean by “deep roots” or “people with a long family history in a place”?

What if I don't see big changes?

Questions for existing customers

Questions for existing customers

How much will the new version cost?

Will the results be presented differently on mobile and desktop?

Can I go back to the old version?

Your DNA results, with more
detail than ever