French Basque DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · France · Western Europe
The French Basque Country, Iparralde in Basque, covers the old provinces of Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule in the western Pyrenees, where Basque, the only surviving pre-Indo-European language of western Europe, is still spoken. In our model, French Basques are 55.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 25.8% steppe and 18.8% Western hunter-gatherer, almost the same as Spanish Basques (56.1%, 25.7% and 18.2%) and very different from the French average, which has far more steppe ancestry (39.7%). Their Western hunter-gatherer share is the highest of any population of France in our atlas. The closest modern averages are other French Basque samples, including one from Soule, then Basques from the Spanish side of the border (distance 0.0129), followed by their Gascon neighbours from Chalosse and Bearn. The closest ancient groups are early medieval people with a Vasconic profile from Castile and Leon (0.0148) and the Late Iron Age Cantabri of northern Spain.
- Ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 55.4%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 25.8%, Western hunter-gatherers 18.8%
- Closest population outside the French Basque Country in our data: Spanish (Pais Vasco), distance 0.0129
- Closest ancient group in our data: Spain Castile and Leon Early Medieval (Vasconic Profile), distance 0.0148
Where does French Basque DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the French Basque individuals sampled in France, listed in the G25 sheet as "Basque_French" 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 French Basque average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the French Basque average, 55.4%, goes to Anatolian Neolithic farmers, ahead of Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (25.8%) and Western hunter-gatherers (18.8%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (25.8%) 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 fit is loose (fit distance 0.048), 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.
Hesperia – Iberian Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to French Basque
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the French Basque average is Basque (France), at a distance of 0.005 (very close). Next come Basque (France Soule) at 0.011 and Spanish (Pais Vasco) at 0.013. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Spanish (Pais Vasco) (0.013), Basque (0.014) and French (Chalosse) (0.015). By the tenth closest (Catalan) the distance grows to 0.034, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basque (France) | 0.0054 | Very close |
| 2 | Basque (France Soule) | 0.0109 | Very close |
| 3 | Spanish (Pais Vasco) | 0.0129 | Very close |
| 4 | Basque | 0.0141 | Very close |
| 5 | French (Chalosse) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 6 | French Occitan (Nouvelle Aquitaine Pyrenees-Atlantiques Bearn) | 0.0167 | Very close |
| 7 | French (South) | 0.0185 | Very close |
| 8 | Spanish (Biscay West, Cantabrian) | 0.0191 | Very close |
| 9 | Spanish (Aragon North, Aragonese) | 0.0210 | Very close |
| 10 | Catalan | 0.0336 | 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 French Basque
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to French Basque, Spain Castile and Leon Early Medieval (Vasconic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.015, with Spain Castile and Leon LIA Cantabri 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 | Spain Castile and Leon Early Medieval (Vasconic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0148 |
| 2 | Spain Castile and Leon LIA Cantabri | Late Iron Age | 0.0215 |
| 3 | Spain Andalusia IA Punic-Roman Republic San Fernando (Iberian IA Profile) | Roman Republic, c. 500-27 BC | 0.0228 |
| 4 | Spain Castile and Leon Early-High Medieval (Vasconic Profile) | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0229 |
| 5 | Spain Pais Vasco IA Celtiberian | Iron Age | 0.0229 |
| 6 | Portugal Late Antiquity Idanha-a-Velha | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0229 |
| 7 | France Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Sarrebourg (Iberian Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0232 |
| 8 | Italy Lazio Roman Republic Palestrina Colombella (Italic Profile) | Roman Republic, c. 500-27 BC | 0.0241 |
| 9 | Spain Navarre EIA | Early Iron Age | 0.0243 |
| 10 | Spain Madrid Bell Beaker | Copper to Bronze Age (Bell Beaker) | 0.0248 |
Ancient DNA from France
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,113 individuals excavated in present-day France, dated from about 52,000 BC to 1821 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (163), I2a (144) and G2a (142), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (131), U5 (116) and H1 (104). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's French Basque population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on France
- Ancient DNA Reveals Limited Hunter-Gatherer Ancestry in the Cerny Culture (Middle Neolithic, France) Despite Hunting-Associated Practices (2026)
- Population discontinuity in the Paris Basin linked to evidence of the Neolithic decline (2026)
- L’apport de la paléogénétique à la compréhension des populations de la fin de l’Antiquité et du début du Moyen Âge. L’exemple de la nécropole de la gare Saint-Laud à Angers (2025)
- Ancient DNA sheds light on the funerary practices of late Neolithic collective burial in southern France (2025)
- How local reference panels improve imputation in French populations (2024)
- Genomic ancestry and social dynamics of the last hunter-gatherers of Atlantic France (2024)
- Earliest evidence of human occupations and technological complexity above the 45th North parallel in Western Europe. The site of Lunery-Rosieres la-Terre-des-Sablons (France, 1.1 Ma) (2024)
- Late Neolithic collective burial reveals admixture dynamics during the third millennium BCE and the shaping of the European genome (2024)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,113 from France.
Compare yourself with French Basque
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the French Basque average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers French Basque 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 French Basque individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as French Basque. 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 French Basque average. Your own DNA has its own story: Hesperia – Iberian 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 with roots in the Iberian Peninsula: ancient regional core (Iberian hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers, Bell Beaker steppe arrival, El Argar and Bronze Age Iberia, Celtiberians and Iberians, Phoenician and...
More populations from Western Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of French Basque?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the French Basque average is about 55.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 25.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 18.8% 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 French Basque?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Basque (France)), the closest modern populations to the French Basque average are Spanish (Pais Vasco), Basque and French (Chalosse). The closest ancient matches are Spain Castile and Leon Early Medieval (Vasconic Profile), Spain Castile and Leon LIA Cantabri and Spain Andalusia IA Punic-Roman Republic San Fernando (Iberian IA Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am French Basque?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled French Basque 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 French Basque ancestry?
For the French Basque average, the regional report to choose is Hesperia – Iberian 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.