My Ancestry DNA Results

Posted on: 22 February 2025 by Andrew Perry
Posted in: [Family History]

Just over three years ago, I bought and carried out an Ancestry DNA test. The results came out a few weeks later and they provide an estimated breakdown of one's ethnic origins, by comparing the DNA with that of others from various regions of the world. On the Ancestry web site, it also links oneself to others that have taken the test and are shown to be closely or more distantly related. Since I first did the test, the results have been updated/refined two or three times. A person's DNA does not change, but the technology used to interpret the results is constantly improving. One of the key changes that has occurred, is in the fact that a person's DNA results can now be split into two parts as per the two parents. It does not specify which parent is which, but if you can work it out (which didn't prove at all difficult), then you can label your two parents as father and mother respectively.

Here is my latest set of results:

Before taking the test, I had reason to wonder if I had a small amount of Asian blood in me, but the results have shown conclusively that I am 100% European! As the interpretation has gone through its various iterations, England has always dominated, followed by Scotland and Ireland, and finally small amounts of other regions, which have varied in detail along the way. According to my results, the English part is predominantly linked to East Anglia, which is exactly as I would have expected. The Scottish and Irish percentages have varied a bit, but they now line up much better than ever before with my family history as I understand it. Most of the Scottish connection relates to my father's family and I can specifically link this to my great-grandmother Helen Maud MacDonald. The Irish connection relates to my mother's family and I can specifically link this to my great-great-grandmother Ellen Kennedy.

As of yet, the Danish and Germanic connections are a complete mystery! Although they have varied in detail, Germanic and Scandinavian regions have featured in some way in successive versions of my results. I might however have a slight clue about the Cornish connection (which is new to the latest set of results), but this will need some further investigation.

All totally fascinating! As a scientist, I am awe-struck by the absolute complexity of DNA, and have written about it in my creation blog articles. Although much has been discovered to date, scientific research continues to unearth previously hidden complexities in the genetic code, and I am sure that new discoveries will help sites like Ancestry to enhance their technology. What is more however, is that as further discoveries are made in the field of genetics, this can only add to the argument that it has to be the work of an intelligent designer.

Origins