New ethnicity splits on Ancestry

[melba_schmelba]

Ouch Aye, I’m now 12% Scottish and my wife 27% - neither obvious. Couldn’t Ancestry have identified the tartan which goes with it? Clearly the next step!
My Irish (which I could explain)has gone from 5% to 3% to 0% while my German has gone from 0% to 11% to 15%. They’re taking us over after all!
My wife’s German (again which I could explain) has gone from 5% to 2% Norwegian to 2% Swedish. (I ‘m looking forward to the Inuit percentage next time ...)
To be fair they have singled out meaningful significant regions for both of us.

Phil

The science of ethnicity is matched only by the science of lockdown.

I think a lot, if not most people are seeing these unreasonably high levels of Scottish in these new estimates - even NW Europeans i.e. north west Germans, Dutch who were previously told they were English. Presumably it's down to Ancestry's attempts to separate out Scotland and Ireland and England and Wales and arriving with something that is perhaps not very accurate. It is not completely impossible that my testees have these levels because of many hidden Scottish ancestors some way back, I've no doubt there was a lot of migration of Scots down into England from very early days, but obviously increased during the Highland and Lowland clearances, but I have my doubts Ancestry's new estimates are really accurate.

[mona lisa]

I have noticed in comparing some  possible  matches that some ethnicity %   are  only half done ! Like they add up for
these people as maybe 60%    (like the lab had a snooze.)
Somehow myself:  now has my 10 %  Swedish is now morphed  into Norway.  Strange that my children on their paternal side is half
Icelandic which translates into  Norway  % .   I have no problem with these other DNA findings . Interesting that 10%
Of an ethnic estimate = into a greatgreatgrandparent may be 100 % of  something. Tells me to never think that
for example: that 3 % is  nothing  much.
 

[swebby]

I have gone upto 26% Scottish from having none previously. If you look a bit closer at the new estimates it gives a range.
The range I have says I could actually be anywhere from 0-26% so it is hardly accurate and they choose the top end of the range to report!

[mrcakey]

I'd love to know the methodology behind these updates. They seem to veer wildly one way or the other. Mine now much more closely matches what I'd expect from my research, but is the tail wagging the dog?

[jillruss]

Well, knock me down with a feather, for the first time I actually have my Scottish ancestors recognised in my new ethnicity estimate. Never been mentioned before even though its quite a strong ancestral line.

As for my Scandi heritage: it has varied from none, to Swedish and now to Norwegian (none of which I have found). I've even got Germanic this time round - again, no evidence found. Dummkopf!

Its a giggle - nothing more, but I bet its a winner for them because it seems to draw in a lot of DNA testers for who that's their only interest. Seems a lot to pay just for that!

[Nanna52]

What amuses me is my son and I both have 16% Scottish ethnicity.  Back to the 1700’s no Scottish blood in my line.
Son, well his father was from Scotland.  His mother back four generations is Scottish.  How do they work that out?

[Cazza47]

I was 2% norway but that has disappeared, was that a mistake initially?
Now I am 57% Scottish, 37% England & North Western Europe, 8% Ireland & 2% Wales.

[melba_schmelba]

I was 2% norway but that has disappeared, was that a mistake initially?
Now I am 57% Scottish, 37% England & North Western Europe, 8% Ireland & 2% Wales.

I think the Norway and Swedish are just to give what they think customers want, which is Viking ancestry, which for most people is ancient, apart from places like Orkney which remained Viking ruled until the 15th century. Of course many of us Brits and Irish also have a lot of Norman French and huguenot ancestry, but Ancestry seems not to really be bothered about highlighting this in the same way - that may be partly that because they can't separate it out as easily, or they have very few reference samples from France in comparison to the UK or Ireland (or Scandinavia), or it is diluted far too small and relatively randomly spread to recognise any certain pattern.

[jillruss]

Totally off topic - Cazza47, I love your little kitten picture. He/she looks just like my Dylan did when he was a kitten (all angelic and "butter wouldn't melt" innocent).

I'd like to take him/her home with me please. Please!