Ethnicity estimate

[Jill Eaton]

I recently got my results from Ancestry for my ethnicity estimate

40% Irish
32% West Europeam
25% other regions with 25% Great Britain.

Having done a fair bit of research that wasn't too surprising although the Irish was a much higher percentage than I'd expected.

I uploaded my raw DNA to another, free site (not sure if I can mention it's name?)
and got back very different percentages

85.6% Irish, Scots and Welsh
11.6 English
2.8 Greek

Why such a discrepancy? The Irish, Scots and Welsh is very much higher than anticipated.

[davidft]

In short because these tests do not tell you your ethnic ancestry. What these tests tell you is what you have in common with the samples in their database sample populations. As different companies may use different sample populations you may get very different results.

At best all these ethnic DNA tests are is just a bit of fun and too much credence should not be given to them, in my opinion.

[Jill Eaton]

In short because these tests do not tell you your ethnic ancestry. What these tests tell you is what you have in common with the samples in their database sample populations. As different companies may use different sample populations you may get very different results.

At best all these ethnic DNA tests are is just a bit of fun and too much credence should not be given to them, in my opinion.

Fair enough.

[Elwyn Soutter]

Most of the population of the British isles share the same Brythonic roots, ie they are descended from people who migrated up from Western Europe. Add to that the fact that they have been rattling around these islands from one part to another for thousands of years, the idea of say Welsh roots being clearly distinguishable from English, Scots, or Irish becomes pretty silly. The further back you go they nearly all share the same roots.

It’s just a bit of fun. About as reliable method of determining ethnicity as a horoscope is of predicting the future.

[shellyesq]

One thing that is worth considering for Ancestry's categories is that their description covers a bigger area than just what is mentioned in the name.  For example, for the category of Ireland, it says "Primarily located in: Ireland, Wales, Scotland   Also found in: France, England".

Keeping that in mind, my and my husband's results matched the paper trail pretty much perfectly.  Certainly, it was more accurate than horoscopes for us.  We both have ancestors from areas outside the UK/Ireland, so that variety may be to our benefit with testing. 

[Jill Eaton]

One thing that is worth considering for Ancestry's categories is that their description covers a bigger area than just what is mentioned in the name.  For example, for the category of Ireland, it says "Primarily located in: Ireland, Wales, Scotland   Also found in: France, England".

Keeping that in mind, my and my husband's results matched the paper trail pretty much perfectly.  Certainly, it was more accurate than horoscopes for us.  We both have ancestors from areas outside the UK/Ireland, so that variety may be to our benefit with testing.

Thanks Shelly,

whilst I accept that the ethic estimates, supposedly from "Thousands of years ago" as stated on their site might be something of a lottery and possibly (for some people) a bit of a wish list, Ancestry having assigned various genetic communities from "Hundreds of years ago" does follow my own research

"England in the South East" - the majority of my most recent ancestors are from London, Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

"Munster Irish" - although I can't confirm exactly where my Irish ancestors lived before moving to Ireland, the little information I do have is from the Cork region of Ireland

"English in Yorkshire and the Pennines" - my mothers paternal line are from the West Riding of Yorkshire.

It might be coincidence but if so it's a very happy and useful one.

I've uploaded my raw DNA onto various sites in the hope that somewhere out there will be a match to my Irish forbears who can finally put the location of their origin to rest.

My concern over the ethic estimates is if they all come back with differing approximations how accurate are their varying DNA conclusions concerning potential DNA/relationship matches?

[davidft]

My concern over the ethic estimates is if they all come back with differing approximations how accurate are their varying DNA conclusions concerning potential DNA/relationship matches?

You are conflating two things that have nothing in common and thus will only serve to confuse matters.

Ethnicity DNA testing is a pseudo science which takes a few scientific procedures and overlays them on a host of random data and claim as a result they are fact, when they are nothing more than poorly supported opinion. They are a fraud akin to 19th century snake oil salesmen who occasionally hit on a cure by random chance. True ethnicity DNA testing could get your ethnicity correct by random chance but the chances of this are millions to one.

On the other hand the calculation of relationship matches is an actual science based on observable facts. When your DNA is tested they measure approximately 6800 centi Morgans of data. If you share 3400 in common then you are identical twins or a parent\child. Share 1700 and you are grandparent/grandchild or aunt-uncle/nephew-niece or half siblings and so on

https://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_statistics

I believe you used Ancestry for your test. If that is correct then a lot of your questions are answered on their website

[Elwyn Soutter]

This is what Peter Calvert of Lost Cousins commented in June 2016 about DNA ethnicity testing:

“Of course, most DNA testing companies will claim to tell you something about your ethnicity - but as I pointed out recently, Ancestry reckon my brother's ancestry is 20% Irish, which is virtually impossible, given how far I've traced back without finding any Irish ancestors in our tree.
 
I've uploaded my brother's results to FamilyTreeDNA - they reckon he's 40% Scandinavian, 40% British Isles (including Ireland) and 20% Southern Europe; but they tell me that I'm 59% Western & Central Europe, and 41% Scandinavia. We have the same parents, so how can our ancestry be so different - of course, the answer is that it can't!
 
The truth is, DNA tests are pretty poor at telling us about our origins hundreds or thousands of years ago. One of the reasons for this is the simple fact that we haven't inherited any DNA at all from most of our ancestors!”
 Source: http://lostcousins.com/newsletters2/latejun16news.htm

Snake oil probably sums the whole science up pretty accurately.

[shellyesq]

I guess the "snake oil" magically worked for me and my husband, despite the supposed "millions to one" odds.  I suppose I should go buy a lottery ticket.