Anyone get surprise with their AncestryDNA results?

[bdcp]

My mom's cousin (my second cousin) popped up on my ancestry page this week. Her father looked like he was native american and a lot of people thought that or Mexican. He had a dark tan as long as I knew him. I said, don't be surprised if he isn't. He must not have been because she came up with most of the same things we are, British, Irish, Europe West, Scandinavia, and one we (my mom and I) don't have which is Greek/Italian. No native american and trace of Iberian Peninsula and Asia South. So, his coloring obviously came from the Greek/Italian. I don't know her percentages, but she and her brother inherited her dad's complexion. Their mom was my grandmother's sister and they were very fair. We recently purchased the kits for our 2 DS, DDIL and MIL. I'm curious about our boys. Our oldest son looks like my side of the family-very fair, with dark straight hair. Our youngest looks like DH's side of the family-olive complexion and dark curly hair. We'll see what theirs turn up. My DDIL's mother is from England and swears she's 100% British. I tried to tell her probably not, but she won't hear it. We'll see when DDIL's results come back. Her dad is very fair and the family name is British so her percentages could be higher than her mom's would be if we could just get her to take the test.

 

[manning]

The only one of us who took the test was DS. We were surprised to see that he supposedly didn't have Native American ancestry, since we have a Native American in our family graveyard. DH said he also has Native American ancestry. I'm not convinced the test is accurate.

I read an article that an organization sent DNA to three places and got three different results.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I read an article that an organization sent DNA to three places and got three different results.

I heard identical triplets got different results

 

[bdcp]

I heard identical triplets got different results

Not exactly. Their percentages weren't identical, but they had the same regions/countries. Nothing is 100% accurate and most people do the test for fun. As I've said previously, I know someone who found her birth family using it. Also, my cousin and I and my parents came up with the percentages of countries/regions that correlate with each other. DH and his cousin and aunt came up very similar also. Funny thing is, through this, they found out his aunt and his uncle (by marriage to this aunt) are 3rd cousins. So, DH is related to both his aunt and uncle who both showed up on his ancestry report. I find it interesting they didn't know as they all grew up in a small area in NYC. I know almost all my 3rd cousins and I know who the rest are even if I don't know them.

 

[bdcp]

I read an article that an organization sent DNA to three places and got three different results.

And, I've seen youtube videos done by people who did the same and got very similar results. Mainly because each groups tests a bit differently and labels some regions differently. Some were a little more exact than others.

 

[AndreaDM]

Yep! Not a total shock as I had my suspicions, but still. I am adopted, have always known that and always knew my birth parents' names and had even met them years ago. This past summer I took a 23andMe test which confirmed that my "birth father" who is listed on my original birth certificate was indeed NOT the father (just like on Maury lol). With a lucky match to a first cousin I was able to figure out pretty quickly who was my father, but sadly, he passed away 8 years ago. Turns out even he was pretty sure I was his daughter but because my mom was married to someone else at the time, he really had no rights (1969). My birth mother & her husband split up about a year after I was born, and my 2 older (half) siblings and I were all adopted by different families. Lots more detail but I won't bore you! Anyway, I have spoken to my "new" half sister and cousins and an aunt, and plan to meet some of them very soon! Most live in Arkansas where my birth father was from, I'm in Ohio so not exactly a short trip.

Ethnicity wise, I had always thought I was mostly Swiss/German, nope, mostly British/Irish with a good chuck of Scandinavian.

 

[weather_lady]

[Deleted] - Accidental repeat post, sorry!

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I did the My Heritage test for both myself and DS just after Christmas. He was conceived using a donor egg, and someone in one of my donor groups on FB mentioned that she and her donor-conceived child were related after all! I had always been told that I was English, Scottish, German, and Hungarian, and our donor listed herself as English, Irish, Scottish, and Hungarian, so I held a *little* hope that maybe DS and I might share some DNA, too. Just for comparison, my DH believes himself to be 1/2 Polish, 1/4 French Canadian, and 1/4 Irish.

So...DS came out 59.2% Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and English, 38.3% Balkan and Baltic, and 2.5% Northern African. No Polish or French whatsoever. And me? 46.4% French and German, 37.1% Scandinavian, and only 16.5% Eastern European (Hungary, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, etc.). I know for a fact that 3/4 of my ancestors came from England and Scotland, so our DNA must go way back to when the Saxons and Vikings invaded Britain! Quite the eye-opener, that's for sure

(I know this is a zombie post, but I found it very interesting...)

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I did my test in early December and got my results in January.

I'm Puerto Rican and we know Puerto Rico is a huge melting pot. My great grandmother just recently passed away a few years ago and her last name was French. Her husband (my great grandfather) was Afro Puerto Rican. As far as she could go back (she remembers her great grandparents) they are all from Puerto Rico.

So I was expecting mostly anything and everything.

26% Iberian Peninsula
19% Europe South
14% Native American
13% Ireland/Scotland/Wales - This caught me off guard

I had a mix of African countries that equaled about 18%. There were also small amounts of Russian, Middle Eastern, Great Britain and Asia.

I then had 1000+ cousin matches. I know 3 on the list as my second cousins. The rest are 3rd cousins and up. I've only gone through and taken a peek the first 20 or so and I have no idea who they are. They are all on my mother's side so far. It states we share a great great grandparent. Considering my great grandparents all had about 10-15 siblings I doubt even my grandma would know who they are. It was very interesting.

 

[10MoreMinutes]

My mother did the 23andme test and just got her results last week. The genetic results weren't that surprising...100% European (broken down into 96.6% northwestern European, 1.8% southern European, 0.4% Ashkenazi Jewish, and 1.2% broadly European). What was surprising was a first cousin in her maternal line that no one knew existed. She has contacted him and they're in the process of figuring out which of my grandmother's siblings was his biological parent.

Also, I know this is a somewhat older thread, but for the people asking about the ancestry test vs. the 23andme test, my mom did both. Her ancestry test results were very similar to 23andme...99% Europe (broken down into 54% western Europe, 26% Ireland, 10% Great Britain, 7% Iberian peninsula) and 1% Pacific Islander.

 

[aprilgail]

Also, I know this is a somewhat older thread, but for the people asking about the ancestry test vs. the 23andme test, my mom did both. Her ancestry test results were very similar to 23andme...99% Europe (broken down into 54% western Europe, 26% Ireland, 10% Great Britain, 7% Iberian peninsula) and 1% Pacific Islander.

Mine are very similar- I have tested at 23 and Me, Ancestry, my Heritage and FTDNA and also have my DNA uploaded into GEDMatch- all of the testing places were fairly similar in that regard- I was searching more for people who were related to me so I wanted my DNA out into as many as possible until I found what I was looking for. I am in the process right now of helping my friend find her birth father/ family through DNA- still in the processing stage, can't wait for the results!

 

[lambdabeta]

My DH and I had our DNA done on Ancestry. DH's DNA came back as expected. Mine on the other hand had a surprise. That was that I was 25% Italy/Greece. Specifically Southern Italy. This didn't make sense because no one in my family is Italian that I know of. Well I started to look at my matches and I kept matching to this one particular Italian family. They actually showed up as 2nd and 3rd cousins. Through these matches and other matches I figured out the my maternal grandfather was not my biological grandfather. My brother also did his DNA on Ancestry and matches all the same people. I haven't told anyone about this because I don't know what to do with it. Our Grandfather was our grandfather. What good is it to destroy that memory? I also found out my maternal grandmother had a child when she was a teenager. I have met my cousins but my uncle has passed away. My grandmother and mother has also passed away. So they aren't around which is a good thing for my mom because she would not be happy learning she had a brother for 80 years and her mother never told her. I also found out my paternal grandfather also fathered a child when he was a teenager. It seems that generation slept around a lot. At least in my family. I also helped a cousin find her biological dad who was one of my first cousins.

 

[lisaviolet]

My mother did the 23andme test and just got her results last week. The genetic results weren't that surprising...100% European (broken down into 96.6% northwestern European, 1.8% southern European, 0.4% Ashkenazi Jewish, and 1.2% broadly European). What was surprising was a first cousin in her maternal line that no one knew existed. She has contacted him and they're in the process of figuring out which of my grandmother's siblings was his biological parent.

Also, I know this is a somewhat older thread, but for the people asking about the ancestry test vs. the 23andme test, my mom did both. Her ancestry test results were very similar to 23andme...99% Europe (broken down into 54% western Europe, 26% Ireland, 10% Great Britain, 7% Iberian peninsula) and 1% Pacific Islander.

Looking at your results I'm somewhat perplexed. 23 and Me lists that they have a distinctive English and Irish designation on their website and your mother received percentages in Ireland/Scotland/Wales (Ancestry's new extended Ireland designation) and Great Britain from Ancestry.com.

Why wouldn't the English and Irish distinct designation show up on 23 and Me? Or are you not breaking the 96.6% Northwestern Europe down?

Simply curious.

All the best to your mom and her new relative.

My DH and I had our DNA done on Ancestry. DH's DNA came back as expected. Mine on the other hand had a surprise. That was that I was 25% Italy/Greece. Specifically Southern Italy. This didn't make sense because no one in my family is Italian that I know of. Well I started to look at my matches and I kept matching to this one particular Italian family. They actually showed up as 2nd and 3rd cousins. Through these matches and other matches I figured out the my maternal grandfather was not my biological grandfather. My brother also did his DNA on Ancestry and matches all the same people. I haven't told anyone about this because I don't know what to do with it. Our Grandfather was our grandfather. What good is it to destroy that memory? I also found out my maternal grandmother had a child when she was a teenager. I have met my cousins but my uncle has passed away. My grandmother and mother has also passed away. So they aren't around which is a good thing for my mom because she would not be happy learning she had a brother for 80 years and her mother never told her. I also found out my paternal grandfather also fathered a child when he was a teenager. It seems that generation slept around a lot. At least in my family. I also helped a cousin find her biological dad who was one of my first cousins.

On the bold I'm sure that is not true in comparison. It probably has more to do with the ability to use birth control and have an abortion.

Thanks for sharing your findings. It is very interesting. I'm sure it brought up a lot.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

DH was adopted at birth in the early 60s and has never had any idea who his birth parents might be. We did some research at the Genealogy Library in Salt Lake City several years ago. We found a record that matched his date, time and place of birth. The name on the record was of Italian origin. Earlier that year, his mom passed away and we found an envelope she had left for DH containing his adoption certificate. His birth parents' names were not on the certificate, but there was a handwritten last name on the envelope that seemed to be of German origin.

We were on the right track because his 23andMe results said he's mostly Italian and German. Just last week, a woman matched as his 2nd cousin. She contacted him, said she didn't recognize his name, and wondered how they might be related. DH wrote her back, said he was adopted, and told her his date and place of birth. She talked to her father and they determined that her father's uncle might be DH's birth father. The family is originally from Texas, but the uncle's sister moved to California with her family and the uncle spent a lot of time visiting her in the early 60s. They found an old picture of him and WOW! He definitely looks like he could be related to DH! Apparently many members of this family are registered with Ancestry.com. DH sent away for the kit and is anxious to see if he matches with more of them. We might also have our two DS's (both adults) take the test to see if they match with the family.

We're not totally convinced yet, but we're definitely on an interesting track. Unfortunately, the potential father passed away several years ago. He married later in life and didn't have any kids, so no potential siblings for DH on that side. We're anxious to see how this pans out and if it's a legitimate lead!

 

[10MoreMinutes]

Why wouldn't the English and Irish distinct designation show up on 23 and Me? Or are you not breaking the 96.6% Northwestern Europe down?

Simply curious.

All the best to your mom and her new relative.

I just didn't break it down...it was 56.1% British and Irish, 24.5% French and German, 1.7% Scandinavian, and 14.4% broadly northwestern European.

Also, thanks! They've been talking on the phone and via e-mail. She says he seems like a really nice guy, but understandably a little overwhelmed. Hopefully soon, more of us will get to talk to him.

 

[lifesavacation]

My husband did 23andme after Christmas and found out he has Native American dna

Linking his results to my daughter’s, we found out she (and me) have a small portion of Ashkenazi Jewish dna and Oceanian.

All surprises.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

My son showed 11% Iberian peninsula - curious as to where that came from. He also had a trace of Russian and Eastern European Jew. I wish my Dad was still alive so we could do his DNA, my Mother was talking about how some of the older generation of that side of the family had very dark complexions and she always assumed Native American roots (which DS showed none of).

He did show several second cousins that we didn't know. My parents are both only children so I don't have any first cousins. I'll need to see if my SIL knows them, she's better about keeping track of family than my husband is.

 

[wvjules]

Ethnicity Estimate

Scandinavia 38%
Ireland/Scotland/Wales 12%
Europe West 8%
Finland/Northwest Russia 8%
Great Britain 10%
Europe East 8%
Europe South 6%
Senegal 1%

And some others that are <1%


I find it odd that Finland is broken out separately since I considered it to be part of Scandinavia. I wasn't really surprised with the results since I did get my tree back to Finland before taking the DNA test. I wish more of my matches had family trees for me to look at. I think the most surprising result is 1% Senegal.

My DBF's mom was adopted and he did the test. I can't wait for his results. He most likely will be Ireland/Scotland/Wales. Fair skin and hair, blue eyes and his sister has red hair and blue eyes. Definitely going to be some Irish I think.

 

[HannaBelle]

http://genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/same-parents-different-ancestry

Here's the answer for some of you wondering why your cultural history may not add up with your DNA history

Awesome link ,TY!

This is explains why I have curly red hair and green eyes while my older brother had brown hair and brown eyes and swore I was adopted.

I am a card carrying member of the Chickasaw tribe with a 1/16th blood quantum. I do not look like I have a drop of native american blood, it looks like I might not! LOL

 

[Disneychick75]

The DNA tests are more accurate than guessing but they're not anywhere close to 100%. My BIL did the Ancestry kit. It showed a high percentage of Iberian Peninsula but no French, French Canadian, and nothing from Ireland/Britain. The family has records from France and they left Nova Scotia and moved to Louisiana during the Expulsion. That's their Dad's side. Their mom's family came over from Ireland in the early 1900's. She knew her grandparents and they were definitely Irish. Maybe they mixed up his sample.