English DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · United Kingdom · Northern Europe
England's genetic history is one of the best studied in the world, thanks to large ancient DNA projects. In our model, the English average is 47.6% steppe (Yamnaya), 38.5% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 13.9% Western hunter-gatherer. Farming reached Britain around 6,000 years ago, and from about 2500 BC people associated with the Bell Beaker culture brought steppe-related ancestry and replaced much of the earlier Neolithic population. Much later, in the early medieval period, migrations from the coasts of northern Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark added a large share of continental northern European ancestry in England. The closest modern averages in our data are Cornish, Welsh and Scottish samples. The closest ancient groups include High Medieval people from Sint-Truiden in Belgium and Iron Age people from England itself, all at very close distances around 0.01.
- Ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 47.6%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 38.5%, Western hunter-gatherers 13.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Cornish, distance 0.0061
- Closest ancient group in our data: Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile), distance 0.0101
English is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the English individuals sampled in United Kingdom. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the English average
The ancient make-up of the English average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (47.6%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (38.5%) and Western hunter-gatherers (13.9%). 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 (38.5%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.045), 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 English
Genetically, the English average sits nearest to Cornish at 0.006, English (Cornwall) at 0.007 and Welsh at 0.007. On our scale, a distance of 0.006 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Cornish (0.006), Welsh (0.007) and Scottish (0.008). Even the tenth closest, Breton (Cotes-d'Armor), is only 0.010 away: English belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornish | 0.0061 | Very close |
| 2 | English (Cornwall) | 0.0066 | Very close |
| 3 | Welsh | 0.0067 | Very close |
| 4 | Scottish | 0.0076 | Very close |
| 5 | Breton (Finistere) | 0.0098 | Very close |
| 6 | English (Kent) | 0.0098 | Very close |
| 7 | Orcadian (other sample set) | 0.0100 | Very close |
| 8 | France (Brittany, N=17) | 0.0100 | Very close |
| 9 | Manx | 0.0101 | Very close |
| 10 | Breton (Cotes-d'Armor) | 0.0104 | 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 English
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern English average is Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD), at 0.010, followed by Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) and England MIA-LIA. 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 | 0.0101 |
| 2 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0112 |
| 3 | England MIA-LIA | Middle Iron Age | 0.0116 |
| 4 | England Roman Empire-Late Antiquity | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0125 |
| 5 | Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Deersheim (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0126 |
| 6 | England Late Modern Cambridgeshire Holy Trinity College | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0131 |
| 7 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Zealand (Mixed Northern Euro Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0133 |
| 8 | England LIA-Roman Empire Durotrigian | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0138 |
| 9 | Germany High Medieval Rathausmarkt | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0144 |
| 10 | Belgium Late Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0144 |
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 English 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 English
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the English average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers English 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 English individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as English. 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 English 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 English?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the English average is about 47.6% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 38.5% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 13.9% 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 English?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as English (Cornwall)), the closest modern populations to the English average are Cornish, Welsh and Scottish. The closest ancient matches are Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile), Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) and England MIA-LIA.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am English?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled English 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 English ancestry?
For the English 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.