How many DNA matches should I expect 5 years after test with Ancestry please?

[Braytons]

It looks like it's about 3 years since I was last on here.  I am back still trying to find my grandmother's forebears. 

How many DNA matches should I expect 5 years after test with Ancestry please?   

Did the maternal side of my ancestors have low fertility?  I feel I should have more matches.  Am I correct in believing that?

Braytons

[Gadget]

It really depends how keen your kin are to do tests 

I did a DNA test about 4 years ago. Amazon reduced the cut off to 8cMs or more a while back and many of us managed to keep the 6cM-9 cM matches by colour coding them. Today, I  have 37,189. This includes 532 clsoe matches (20 cMs and over)  and the 6-8cMs that I managed to save. I get on average about 10 new matches a week, most of which are below 20cMs.

Gadget

[Gadget]

Looking through other tests that I have access to, my match total seems fairly high. Most of them are in the 19000 - 27000 range.

[pughcd]

Hi Braytons,

Maybe it depends on your family background. Just looking at 4th Cousins or Closer at Ancestry I have only 88 'close cousins' (as per Ancestry definition) yet my half sister has 205 'close cousins'. I manage four more accounts who have 251, 266, 310  and 461 'close cousins'.

I have just over 8,000 DNA matches, whilst my half- sister has 10,675 matches. The other accounts range from 11,488 to 17,681. These are all British testers however mine is on the low side as I have a South Asian grandparent.

pughcd

[pharmaT]

I don't think you can set any specific expectations.  It depends how big your family is and how many of that family have tested with Ancestry.  For example my paternal grandfather was an only child , his father only had one sister, his father only had half siblings, his father's siblings,most of them didn't have children limiting how many descendants there are alive today.  My mum's side however generation after generation of having at least 8 children and each of these children having big families and so on.  A lot of them emigrated too which i think provides incentive to get tested.

[Braytons]

Thank you everyone for your replies.  I think I am well within the normal range then.  I have 302 4th cousins or closer.  I was obviously feeling unnecessarily disappointed.  I shall just have to try harder.

Braytons

[pughcd]

Hi Braytons,

If you go to the DNA Matches page and  click the Filter by; Shared DNA tab it should tell you your total number of DNA matches.

302 4th Cousins and closer sounds quite reasonable. I get very excited if I get a new match to add to my 88 close cousins.

pughcd

[Braytons]

11,631

You'd think I should be able to find my great grandmother somewhere amongst that lot. 

Thanks pughcd.  Belinda

[brigidmac]

i'm on the 2nd year of managing my cousins dna results
on his fathers side

 he only has 7 shared matches over 40cm and we didnt know how any of them matched >

 the highest is a half second cousin they share one great grandfather who i only identified today both only children of their mothers who were themselves only children.

i think one high match is worth dozens of low ones ,

it seems like a lot of american distant matches have tested just to see their ethnicity and havent linked test to a tree ..that wouldnt make a difference to the number of matches but is frustrating .

you can add your results to GED (do imean GDF ?)+ may find relatives who have tested on different sites