Cornish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · United Kingdom · Northern Europe
Cornwall, at the south-western tip of Britain, kept its own Celtic language, Cornish, into the 18th century, and a revived form is spoken today. Cornish is closely related to Breton, which emigrants from this part of Britain carried to Brittany in the early Middle Ages. In our model, the Cornish average is 46.7% steppe-related, 39.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 14.0% Western hunter-gatherer, almost identical to the English average (47.6%, 38.5% and 13.9%). A second Cornish sample, listed as English (Cornwall), is extremely close (distance 0.0025). Beyond it come the Welsh (0.0059), English (0.0061) and Manx, then Bretons from Brittany and Finistere, still under 0.010, an echo of the old sea links across the Channel. The very closest ancient group has a Northwest European profile and comes from High Medieval Sint-Truiden in Belgium (0.0096), followed by Middle to Late Iron Age Britons (0.0112) and Roman to Late Antique people from England.
- Ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 46.7%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 39.2%, Western hunter-gatherers 14.0%
- Closest population outside Cornwall in our data: Welsh, distance 0.0059
- Closest ancient group in our data: Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile), distance 0.0096
Where does Cornish DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Cornish individuals sampled in United Kingdom 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 Cornish average
The ancient make-up of the Cornish average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (46.7%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (39.2%) and Western hunter-gatherers (14.0%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (39.2%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.046), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Cornish
Genetically, the Cornish average sits nearest to English (Cornwall) at 0.003, Welsh at 0.006 and English at 0.006. On our scale, a distance of 0.003 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, French (Brittany), is only 0.010 away: Cornish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English (Cornwall) | 0.0025 | Very close |
| 2 | Welsh | 0.0059 | Very close |
| 3 | English | 0.0061 | Very close |
| 4 | Manx | 0.0080 | Very close |
| 5 | France (Brittany, N=17) | 0.0091 | Very close |
| 6 | Breton (Finistere) | 0.0094 | Very close |
| 7 | Scottish | 0.0096 | Very close |
| 8 | Breton (Cotes-d'Armor) | 0.0099 | Very close |
| 9 | English (Kent) | 0.0100 | Very close |
| 10 | French (Brittany) | 0.0103 | 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 Cornish
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Cornish, Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD) comes first, at 0.010, with England MIA-LIA next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. 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 | Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0096 |
| 2 | England MIA-LIA | Middle Iron Age | 0.0112 |
| 3 | England Roman Empire-Late Antiquity | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0114 |
| 4 | England Late Modern Cambridgeshire Holy Trinity College | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0120 |
| 5 | England LIA-Roman Empire Durotrigian | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0121 |
| 6 | England High-Late Medieval Cambridgeshire Hospital of St. John | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0128 |
| 7 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0130 |
| 8 | England Early-High Medieval Cambridgeshire Cherry Hinton | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0137 |
| 9 | Belgium Late Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0142 |
| 10 | England EIA | Early Iron Age | 0.0143 |
Ancient DNA from United Kingdom
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,753 individuals excavated in present-day United Kingdom, dated from about 12,800 BC to 1844 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (471), I2a (152) and I1a (54), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (200), H1 (190) and K1 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Cornish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on United Kingdom
- Diachronic reuse of Neolithic burial monuments by Bronze Age newcomers in Southwestern Britain (2026)
- Ancient DNA reveals matrilineal organisation and recurrent unions between dominant matrilines in Iron Age Britain (2026)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,753 from United Kingdom.
Compare yourself with Cornish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Cornish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Cornish 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
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Cornish individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Cornish. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
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 Cornish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Nordsee – North Sea Germanic 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 North Sea Germanic ancestry: ancient regional core (native British/Dutch/Danish Iron Age, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon migration, Viking Age, Frisian Saxon, Anglo-Norman) versus non-regional outside admixture...
More populations from Northern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Cornish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Cornish average is about 46.7% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 39.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 14.0% Western hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Cornish?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Cornish average are English (Cornwall), Welsh and English. The closest ancient matches are Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile), England MIA-LIA and England Roman Empire-Late Antiquity.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Cornish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Cornish 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 Cornish ancestry?
For the Cornish average, the regional report to choose is Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. 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.