African American DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · United States · Americas
Most African Americans trace their roots to the hundreds of thousands of Africans brought to North America in the transatlantic slave trade between the 17th and 19th centuries, mainly from West and West-Central Africa, and their history includes emancipation, the Great Migration from the rural South to northern and western cities, and the civil rights movement. In our model, the African American average is 73.4% West African, with smaller Nilotic (3.5%) and western rainforest forager (2.8%) shares that bring the African-related total to about four fifths, while steppe (9.3%), Anatolian Neolithic (8.7%) and Western hunter-gatherer (2.4%) components describe a European-related share of about a fifth. The closest ancient group is especially meaningful: African Americans who lived and worked at the Catoctin Furnace ironworks in Maryland in the 18th and 19th centuries, at 0.03, whose DNA has been studied together with their living relatives. The closest modern averages are Afro-Vincentians (0.0144) and Afro-Bahamians, whose histories followed a similar path.
- Largest ancient components in our model: West African 73.4%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 9.3%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 8.7%
- Closest modern population in our data: Afro-Vincentian, distance 0.0144
- Closest ancient group in our data: USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile), distance 0.0300
Where does African American DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the African American individuals sampled in United States, listed in the G25 sheet as "African_American" and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the African American average
The ancient make-up of the African American average is led by West African (73.4%), followed by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (9.3%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (8.7%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Nilotic East African, Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) and Western hunter-gatherers (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The model fits well (fit distance 0.011), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to African American
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the African American average is Afro-Vincentian, at a distance of 0.014 (very close). Next come Afro-Bahamian at 0.032 and Afro-Trinidadian at 0.044. By the tenth closest (Haitian) the distance grows to 0.072, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afro-Vincentian | 0.0144 | Very close |
| 2 | Afro-Bahamian | 0.0316 | Close |
| 3 | Afro-Trinidadian | 0.0442 | Close |
| 4 | Afro-Panamanian | 0.0460 | Close |
| 5 | Afro-Brazilian | 0.0462 | Close |
| 6 | Afro-Grenadian | 0.0583 | Moderate |
| 7 | Surinamese (Creole) | 0.0585 | Moderate |
| 8 | Fulani (Burkina Faso A) | 0.0667 | Moderate |
| 9 | Fulani (Guinea B) | 0.0713 | Moderate |
| 10 | Haitian | 0.0715 | Moderate |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to African American
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to African American, USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile) (Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD) comes first, at 0.030, with USA Maryland Early Modern St. Mary's City African-American next. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile) | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0300 |
| 2 | USA Maryland Early Modern St. Mary's City African-American | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0468 |
| 3 | Tanzania Late Medieval-Early Modern Kilwa Swahili (Swahili-Mixed Profile) | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0687 |
| 4 | Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Swahili-Mixed Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0884 |
| 5 | USA Delaware Early Modern Avery's Rest (Mixed SSA Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.1038 |
| 6 | Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Makwasinyi Swahili | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.1169 |
| 7 | Kenya IA Deloraine | Iron Age | 0.1307 |
| 8 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.1329 |
| 9 | USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (West African Profile) | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.1435 |
| 10 | USA Delaware Early Modern Avery's Rest (West/Central African Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.1505 |
Ancient DNA from USA
Our ancient DNA database holds 421 individuals excavated in present-day USA, dated from about 10,762 BC to 1850 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are Q1b (78), O2a (64) and E1b (28), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are E2 (115), A2 (72) and L3 (28). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's African American population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on USA
- The genetic legacy of the 17th-century colonial capital of St. Mary’s City (2026)
- Picuris Pueblo oral history and genomics reveal continuity in US Southwest (2025)
- The genome of a Late Pleistocene human from a Clovis burial site in western Montana (2014)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 421 from USA.
Compare yourself with African American
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the African American average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers African American and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not African American. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the African American average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sankofa – African Ancestry Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of predominantly Sub-Saharan African (SSA) ancestry: modelling against 230+ regional African populations (West, Central, East & Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Madagascar) plus the European, Amerindian and...
More populations from Americas
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of African American?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the African American average is about 73.4% West African, 9.3% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 8.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to African American?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the African American average are Afro-Vincentian, Afro-Bahamian and Afro-Trinidadian. The closest ancient matches are USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile), USA Maryland Early Modern St. Mary's City African-American and Tanzania Late Medieval-Early Modern Kilwa Swahili (Swahili-Mixed Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am African American?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled African American average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits African American ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the African American average closely. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.