Ancestry DNA Update 2025

[FortuneFaded]

Anyone else not impressed with the Ancestry DNA test 2025 update and the UK regions?

I look after several DNA accounts, and many have lost significant DNA percentages to now be more English. One has gone from 27% Germanic Europe to 0%, and another has lost Denmark and Scandinavia to be more Cornish.
It doesn’t feel useful at all.

This is the danger with DNA tests, finding all those secret relatives

I just checked my 23andMe out of interest (don't have Ancestry), and those results have changed too and make no sense. Mine used to have quite a significant chunk of French - which makes sense because my great-grandmother was French (northern part). But now there's no French at all, I have a lot more Scottish than I used to (no known Scottish relatives), and suddenly have some German.

Must be dodgy data, surely.

This is my issue as well, plus Central Scotland covers about 80% of the country on their map. I just don’t see how they can identify (inaccurately by all accounts) much smaller regions of other parts of the UK and Ireland but can’t separate Scotland and NI?

I've gone from having Scandinavian 3% with some German DNA to 1% Latvian/Estonian.

Germany has disappeared from my DNA but there are German people who are "hints" for me. I don't understand it at all.

@BleeBlahBlueYou do realise that Ulster is one of the 4 provinces in Ireland. It consists of 9 counties, 6 of these counties are in Northern Ireland and are part of the United Kingdom. This occurred after a War of Independence 1919-1921 when a treaty was signed between the Irish and British governments.

I think Ancestry are trying not to split Ulster into sub regions, @deeahgwitch. There would be quite a fuss (to put it mildly) if they created two categories which identified and separated those with Scots 'planter' ancestory and those descended from the indigenous population. I know there was obviously intermarriage over the years (we see that in surnames which occur in both communities) but there was also a strong religious taboo against it, which has probably created two genetically distinct groupings. Hence the rather baffling 'Northern Ireland and Central Scotland' region. I'd imagine it's been a bit of a headache for them, but it's ended up pleasing nobody!

Yes.....I do why do you think I wouldn't? Glaswegian with parents with Irish surnames and very well aware of the history and also of sectarianism unfortunately.

Do you know that Central Scotland and NI isn't just one homogeneous blob? I presume you do.

My point is that it is ridiculous they have broken England down to NE, NW but stuck most of Scotland and NI together. For political reasons I presume as explained by the other poster above but actually helpful for no one.

Ah but as long as the Americans are happy who cares about actual Scottish people's DNA results!

You posted the following “….but it makes no sense. Especially since its the whole of NI not just Ulster.”
My point is that Ulster is larger than NI.

Ach away you go, you know exactly what I meant and are just trying to pick a fight.

You've just proven why ancestry did this tbh

I have a new region of "Germans in Russia" which seems bizarre.

@BleeBlahBlueI really amn’t “…just trying to pick a fight.”

I think the issue may be in the explanations of what the 'Origins' section of Ancestry actually means. As far as I am aware it reflects the movements of people in much earlier times than most people can trace their family tree with any degree of accuracy, even back to ancient times. If the bits of DNA related to the geographical origins don't distinguish between different parts of a modern country (when I say modern it could be many centuries), say Scotland, its because there is no measurable difference in the relevant DNA marker across those different parts.

What it is effectively saying is that your DNA reflects the DNA typically found in this area. That area might have been invaded and/or settled numerous times by groups - Romans, Normans, Vikings, Anglo Saxons, movement between Ireland and the modern UK and so on - with those groups themselves historically having moved from somewhere else. Hence a bit of Nordic, Germanic, etc, origin being detected. Whilst different regions may have more or less heritage from those incomers, eg, Vikings in the North East, for the most part mapping modern countries or regions, especially the small countries we are talking about, is never going to be particularly helpful. This is why the DNA/genealogy companies all differ a bit in how they slice and dice it.

I was quite pleased with what they've done re Ireland. As a PP highlighted, the ancient province of Ulster was heavily populated by people from Scotland. My Mum's paternal family were from up near the border and, despite a tree going back centuries in that particular county of Ireland her original report had barely any 'Irish' DNA on the paternal side, it was all Scotland. If you previously didn't understand the high level of movement between these places, the new classification clarifies that.

I do understand why people might not be pleased but whatever sites like Ancestry do is, at best, going to be a guestimate.

Apologies if this is not as clear as I wanted - I'm a bit jaded due to having to explain DNA, on which I have a tenuous grasp, to a 90 year old - 'imagine each of your grandparents had a big bag of pick and mix sweets'.....

No, I’ve known for a year. Worked out how it may have happened as the cousin has the same surname. My dad and uncle 🙄

Indeed. But, dad always used to ‘joke’ that I may have a brother or sister out there 😬

I would like to know how they incorporate countries such as France where there is such a limited pool of genetic data. The prohibition on private DNA tests within France means there is a generation of missing genetic data compared to countries where tests are legal and quite commonly used.
I know quite a few people with well documented French ancestors who find nothing on their profile for France or a vague regional area which overlaps with other countries. The distribution of French documentation, limited online availability, loss of documents during WW2 and relationship evidence required by archives which do permit searches can make documentary research very difficult as well.

Why are private DNA tests banned in France @C8H10N4O2 ?

Historically I believe its due to the interpretation of privacy laws. In the early days I imagine it made a degree of sense - there were a lot of concerns about data privacy in this space. However they are now ubiquitous and various attempts have been made over the years to amend the law but unsuccessfully.

Its not just “leisure” private tests which are banned. Private paternity/familial tests even with consent require a legal order to say they are necessary. The fines for using private DNA tests in France are quite hefty - up to 15k last time I looked and most suppliers don’t operate there. I think the fines are less stringently imposed now but the only way to take a private DNA test is to do one abroad. A cynic might wonder how much of an influence is the cinq à sept culture in the governing classes 😂

As a consequence, those with money and the interest sometimes take them whilst abroad but the effect is minimal genetic data for the French population over the past 25 years by comparison with less restrictive countries. I dare say it will change at some point but not yet.

Germany (the strictest country in Europe on data privacy) has some restrictions. You cannot buy over the counter and need a physician or legal sign off. However I believe that is more about ensuring informed decision making and consent from all involved parties. I think Israel has something along these lines.

I’m surprised that by now France hasn’t moved to the German level - ie some involvement from a trained person to ensure consent and counsel on implications. It seems like a reasonable compromise for them based on my understanding of the German system.

edit to add - its all just a PITA for anyone with a French ancestor who doesn’t have some form of pedigree ensuring publicly documented lives. I’ve largely given up on the French lines because its just so damned difficult compared to any other country.

Interesting! So there's a fear that the use of commercial DNA tests, be they to establish paternity or find long-lost/unknown relatives may set the cat amongst the pigeons where there have been, ahem, 'indiscretions'? It certainly does that in other countries.

Oh that fear over paternity due to the mistress culture is my cynical conjecture 😁However it is the most restrictive practice I know of and was originally justified on citizen privacy laws I think. That would refer to the third parties discovered rather than the person making the request. I don’t think anything has changed in the last year (I periodically check to see if anything has loosened up in the vague hope of filling a black hole).

The compromise of a mandatory discussion with a relevant person is not such a bad idea, considering some of the problems which have arisen from unexpected discoveries (especially for the third parties who didn’t even choose to take the test).

Mines not too bad actually, though it has lost some detail that was right (used to show the family link to Canada, whereas now it traces that back further to older ancestors in Germany and Cornwall). As far as I know there isn’t a known Cornish link for me, but there is a strong link to Devon, so I won’t split hairs I guess.

My update is ridiculously accurate. I have a complicated heritage that I know a lot about and it’s bang on.

Right down to the parent bit. It’s actually almost a bit spooky.

I’ve gained some Munster, too.

I manage five accounts. I think all five are pretty accurate - the exception being my friend who should be more Isle of Man than its showing. I think it's hidden by too much NI/Central Scotland.

But otherwise its spot on my paper research and what I'd expect to see. I definitely can't complain about it (on paper I have got back to about 1800 on almost every branch now).

Keep in mind when you click on the region it has a shaded map and also says below 'also found in' so its not an exact science either still.

They have under ‘Celtic and Gaelic’ merged North Wales with North West England. Although my previous 100 % Welsh hasn’t changed really, just split into 59% South which they include mid and west wales, and 41% North, which they include NW England. So it feels less specific now ? I have one parent with West and South Wales ancestry, and the other with North and mid Wales, so the split is accurate, just the regions less so.

Mine’s gone a bit weird. My Bristol and Somerset links through my Dad have gone and he has got 1% of the Germans in Russia. Which I guess shouldn’t be a surprise as some of his matches go back to a group in Quebec who are linked to the Mennonites. His side appeared to be quite accurate before this latest update.

There’s something a bit strange going on with my Dad’s DNA though as instead of him being marked paternal (after I assigned parent 1 and 2) Ancestry have marked him as being ‘both sides’ - somehow his line seems to have crossed with my Mum’s family who are from Germany. I have just used Ancestry.de to send a test to my Aunt in Germany and I hope it may shed some light on it.