Icelandic DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Iceland · Northern Europe
Iceland was settled from about AD 870 by people sailing from Norway and from Norse communities in the British Isles, and the island's founders included many women of Gaelic origin from Ireland and Scotland. Small founding numbers and centuries of isolation have made Icelanders one of the best-studied populations in genetics. In our model, the Icelandic average is 51.0% steppe-related, 33.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 15.6% Western hunter-gatherer, very close to the Norwegian average (50.6% steppe, 15.2% hunter-gatherer). The nearest modern averages are Norwegians (distance 0.0109), then Faroese and Danes (both 0.0112), Frisians and Orcadians, a mix of Scandinavian and North Atlantic neighbours. The closest ancient groups are early medieval Anglo-Saxons from England (0.0094) and individuals with a Northwest European profile from Avar-period and Thuringian cemeteries in Central Europe.
- Ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 51.0%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 33.4%, Western hunter-gatherers 15.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Norwegian, distance 0.0109
- Closest ancient group in our data: England Saxon, distance 0.0094
This page sums up what the DNA of the Icelandic sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Iceland, 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 Icelandic average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Icelandic average, 51.0%, goes to Steppe herders (Yamnaya), ahead of Anatolian Neolithic farmers (33.4%) and Western hunter-gatherers (15.6%). 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 (33.4%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.047), 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 Icelandic
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Icelandic average is Norwegian, at a distance of 0.011 (very close). Next come Faroese at 0.011 and Danish at 0.011. Even the tenth closest, English, is only 0.019 away: Icelandic belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
Most of the closest populations that have their own atlas page (7 of 8) are also from Northern Europe, as geography would predict.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian | 0.0109 | Very close |
| 2 | Faroese | 0.0112 | Very close |
| 3 | Danish | 0.0112 | Very close |
| 4 | Frisian | 0.0127 | Very close |
| 5 | Norwegian (Bergen) | 0.0131 | Very close |
| 6 | Orcadian | 0.0135 | Very close |
| 7 | Orcadian (other sample set) | 0.0158 | Very close |
| 8 | Irish | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 9 | Swedish | 0.0188 | Very close |
| 10 | English | 0.0191 | 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 Icelandic
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Icelandic average is England Saxon (Anglo-Saxon period, c. 450-1066 AD), at 0.009. Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) and Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Obermollern (Northwest Euro Profile) come 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 | England Saxon | Anglo-Saxon period, c. 450-1066 AD | 0.0094 |
| 2 | Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0100 |
| 3 | Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Obermollern (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0101 |
| 4 | Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Brucken (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0103 |
| 5 | Netherlands Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Frisian Midlum | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0107 |
| 6 | England Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Anglo-Saxon Oakington | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0111 |
| 7 | Sweden Early-High Medieval Viking Age Skara (Norse Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0112 |
| 8 | England Early Medieval Anglo-Saxon Hatherdene Close | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0119 |
| 9 | Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Rathewitz (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0120 |
| 10 | Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Northwest Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0122 |
Ancient DNA from Iceland
Our ancient DNA database holds 45 individuals excavated in present-day Iceland, dated from about 925 AD to 1714 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (12), I1a (10) and R1a (10), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are H3 (6), J1 (6) and K1 (5). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Icelandic population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Iceland
- An Icelandic pangenome reference (2026)
- Ancient genomes from Iceland reveal the making of a human population (2018)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 45 from Iceland.
Compare yourself with Icelandic
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Icelandic average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Icelandic 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 Icelandic individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Icelandic. 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 Icelandic 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 Icelandic?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Icelandic average is about 51.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 33.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 15.6% 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 Icelandic?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Icelandic average are Norwegian, Faroese and Danish. The closest ancient matches are England Saxon, Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) and Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Obermollern (Northwest Euro Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Icelandic?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Icelandic 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 Icelandic ancestry?
For the Icelandic 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.