Cochin Jewish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India · South Asia
Cochin Jews lived for centuries on the Malabar coast of Kerala in south-western India, around the port of Kochi, where the Paradesi Synagogue was built in 1568; their community history goes back at least to medieval copper-plate grants from a local ruler. They spoke Judeo-Malayalam, and most moved to Israel in the 1950s. In our model, the Cochin Jewish average is 60.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 22.9% Iranian Neolithic, 10.0% steppe and 6.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, close to the profile of their Malayali neighbours (61.8%, 23.3% and 12.6% in Malayali Nairs), with a little more Anatolian farmer ancestry (2.3% in Nairs) that may reflect West Asian links. The nearest modern averages are the Knanaya, an endogamous Christian community of Kerala (distance 0.0125), then Dakhni Muslims of Hyderabad, Malayali Poduvals, Tamil Brahmins and Nairs, all closer than a second Cochin Jewish sample (0.0216). The closest ancient group is early medieval Roopkund in the Himalayas (0.0305).
- Largest ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 60.3%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 22.9%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 10.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Knanaya, distance 0.0125
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0305
This page sums up what the DNA of the Cochin Jewish sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in India, listed in the G25 sheet as "Cochin_Jew", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Cochin Jewish average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Cochin Jewish average, 60.3%, goes to South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), ahead of Iranian Neolithic farmers (22.9%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (10.0%). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (22.9%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
The model fits well (fit distance 0.022), 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.
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report
Closest modern populations to Cochin Jewish
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Knanaya first for Cochin Jewish, at 0.013, then Dakhni Muslim (Hyderabad) and Malayali (Poduval). Even the tenth closest, Malayali (Nair), is only 0.023 away: Cochin Jewish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knanaya | 0.0125 | Very close |
| 2 | Dakhni Muslim (Hyderabad) | 0.0188 | Very close |
| 3 | Malayali (Poduval) | 0.0201 | Very close |
| 4 | Tamil Brahmin (Iyer Tamil Nadu) | 0.0213 | Very close |
| 5 | Nair | 0.0215 | Very close |
| 6 | Cochin Jew (B) | 0.0216 | Very close |
| 7 | Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin Goa) | 0.0220 | Very close |
| 8 | Konkani Brahmin (Gaud Saraswat) | 0.0221 | Very close |
| 9 | Telugu Brahmin (Vaidiki) | 0.0221 | Very close |
| 10 | Malayali (Nair) | 0.0226 | Very close |
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 Cochin Jewish
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Cochin Jewish, India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD) comes first, at 0.031, with Pakistan IA Aligrama 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 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0305 |
| 2 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.0585 |
| 3 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.0599 |
| 4 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.0603 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.0669 |
| 6 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.0735 |
| 7 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.0791 |
| 8 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.0869 |
| 9 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.0899 |
| 10 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.0899 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Cochin Jewish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Cochin Jewish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Cochin Jewish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Cochin Jewish 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 Cochin Jewish. 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 Cochin Jewish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora 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 Jewish ancestry: ancient Israelite & Levantine core (Canaanite, Iron Age, Phoenician) plus the host admixture of your diaspora community, on a Jerusalem-centred animated map.
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Cochin Jewish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Cochin Jewish average is about 60.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 22.9% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 10.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Cochin Jewish?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Cochin Jewish average are Knanaya, Dakhni Muslim (Hyderabad) and Malayali (Poduval). The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Pakistan IA Aligrama and Pakistan HP Butkara.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Cochin Jewish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Cochin Jewish 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 Cochin Jewish ancestry?
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Cochin Jewish 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.