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What does 16% Scotland mean on an ancestry test?

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ArishMell · 70-79, M
It doesn't mean much at all. Those tests are not accurate!

If it is correct, it is credible that at least one of your great-great-great-great-grandparents was Scots from a long-established Scots family (16 X 6 = 96, approximating to 2^6 generations back). That's probably within normal, and more credible, geneological tracing.

If we take 4 generations per century as a very rough mean, then it might be than one of those ancestors came to America in the latter half of the 19C, or later.

These geneolocal tests by DNA, which I think is what you mean, are not reliable in more than very general ways, because we more-or-less halve our own family-line DNA by each generation. So it does not take long, historically, for the "original" line to fade for most people in highly-mobile areas of the world's populations.

Miss Bloggs marries Mr. Smith.. each child is half a Blogg, half a Smith, at genome level.

Mary Smith marries Mr. Green.... each child is half a Green, quarter Blogg, quarter Smith,...

... half A, quarter Green, eigth Blogg and Smith... and the first Blogg and Smith are as recent as Great-Grandma and Grandad.

etc. If all come from the same region their DNA may reflect that but people are mobile and all sorts of different regions enter the mix over many generations. It's even more complicated with descendents of North-Western European regional natives (such as I), naturally likely to have a right cocktail of origins over the centuries.

DNA does not read maps, does not know nations; and the halving series is a powerful piece of arithmetic!
Nitedoc · 51-55, M
@ArishMell Those DNA tests are a joke. They should be marked "For entertainment purposes only".
Doesn't mean anything much yet. Ancestry.com a few months ago had me 51% Scottish, and I just checked just now and I am down to 26%. I think it was going off geneology, because I am partially descended from New England Blue Bloods, and alot of Scot was mixed in and paternal names carried. But this was all on the frontier.


23andme.com wasn't ever claiming I was 51% Scottish. It won't even bother to list scottish.

Gibbon · 70-79, M
@Dignaga I only know what they were told by both outfits inquiring why this known great great aunt by tride trace show up no where in any of the families DNA submissions.
@Gibbon You wrote that a bit weird. My trace DNA for native american is colonial period. It's a stupid small amount, but if a "real Native American" got pissed off at my meager claim and went back in time and eliminated that ancestor, I would not exist today. That ancestor matters that much.

Most of your ancestors have left you no genetic heritage. As Europeans, we all have some Roman in us, but it never pops up in commercial DNA tests (you can use your DNA profile and submit it to see how much you have of african pygmy and ancient kurdish- ancestry and 23andme doesn't scan for this). Most of your ancestors DNA is gone. I'm ststistically 100% certain I am a ancestor of Confucius and of Muhammad. You will not find them in my DNA. You build a time machine, kill either, 99.99% of whites and blacks would dissapear. A good number of native americans too.

You also gotta factor in who Indians considered Indians. The local tribes from my area, Mingo (a fairly new tribe, started in 1700s) and Wyandot heavily adopted white and blacks. Your aunt's ancestor could of been one of them. Due to soverign issues, most indian tribes don't want to reach out and sleuth these claims, especially those with casino dividens.
Gibbon · 70-79, M
@Dignaga It's Vickies family not mine. I only know what she and her daughter told me.
I found late in life I was adopted and my natural parents are most likely both French Canadian. I have no interest in my own heritage or them.
I am the son of the parents who raised me. I couldn't have selected better myself. That's all I need to know about myself.
ImNotHungry · 36-40, M
Please don't change accents all of a sudden.
JRVanguard · 26-30, M
You’re 84% Tennessean
Full Scottish of any generation before you would mean

1/(2^g)

for the g-th generation:

50% for a parent,
25% for a grandparent,
12.5% for a great-grandparent,
etc.

Remember that these results are based upon samples which might not lead you in the right direction. The specific numbers might be off.

But that's a significant result, just like the comment that your combined Scottish, Irish, Welsh is around 25%, which suggests a grandparent (or the equivalent) from the British Isles.
SaorUladh · 26-30, M
It's time to buy a kilt
cherokeepatti · 61-69, F
@SaorUladh and learn to play the bagpipes.
It means that the person is not Scottish, but actually 16% composed of soil and rocks from there.

Since you are what you eat, this person has very strange eating habits and should seek qualified treatment from mental health professionals.

You're welcome...

to completely ignore this non-serious answer.
Tennessean · 31-35, F
10% Ireland and Wales and 16% Scotland.
basilfawlty89 · 36-40, M
@Tennessean so quarter Celtic.
ChipmunkErnie · 70-79, M
16% of your DBA can be traced to Scottish roots, I assume.
You’re practically Robert de bruce..
newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
What would make DNA 'Scottish'?
newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
Absolutely nothing
HannahSky · F
You're part of the UK
Time to shop for tartan
basilfawlty89 · 36-40, M
Like lava said.
You probably had a Scottish great grandparent.
It means you're partial to haggis and irn bru on a good day
MethDozer · M
Those ancestry banks aren't very accurate or based on much good science. The human population is far to mixed at this point in time for them to have any reliable co trolls. It's a lot of woo mixed with a smidgen of basis.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@MethDozer "basis" ... and an invoice.

 
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