Ilocano DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Philippines · Southeast Asia
The Ilocano are the people of the Ilocos coast of northwestern Luzon, and the third largest language group of the Philippines. Their colonial town of Vigan is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Ilocanos were prominent among the Filipino workers who went to the plantations of Hawaii in the early 20th century. In our model, the Ilocano average is 100.0% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer, a result it shares with the Amis and Atayal of Taiwan. Northern Luzon was probably one of the first stops of Austronesian speakers moving south from Taiwan around 4,000 years ago, and the neighbours fit that picture: after a Luzon Filipino sample (0.0218), the closest modern averages are the Yami of Orchid Island (0.0264), a Filipino sample and the Atayal. The closest ancient groups are Iron Age Hanben in Taiwan (0.0238) and early people of Vanuatu and Tonga from about 2,900 and 2,500 years ago.
- Ancient components in our model: Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 100.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Filipino (Luzon), distance 0.0218
- Closest ancient group in our data: Taiwan IA Hanben, distance 0.0238
Ilocano 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 Ilocano individuals sampled in Philippines. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Ilocano average
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Ilocano average is explained almost entirely by Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers (100.0%). The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia. That does not make the population uniform: the model simply has no finer reference population for this part of the world, and the closest populations below show the detail it cannot.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.043), 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. 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.
Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific Report
Closest modern populations to Ilocano
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Filipino (Luzon) first for Ilocano, at 0.022, then Yami and Filipino. By the tenth closest (Nias (Gomo)) 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 | Filipino (Luzon) | 0.0218 | Very close |
| 2 | Yami | 0.0264 | Close |
| 3 | Filipino | 0.0275 | Close |
| 4 | Atayal | 0.0292 | Close |
| 5 | Formosan | 0.0299 | Close |
| 6 | Dusun (Brunei) | 0.0326 | Close |
| 7 | Mentawai | 0.0335 | Close |
| 8 | Dusun (Malaysia) | 0.0336 | Close |
| 9 | Amis | 0.0337 | Close |
| 10 | Nias (Gomo) | 0.0343 | 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 Ilocano
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Ilocano average is Taiwan IA Hanben (Iron Age), at 0.024, followed by Taiwan Pre-IA Hanben and Vanuatu 2900BP. 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 | Taiwan IA Hanben | Iron Age | 0.0238 |
| 2 | Taiwan Pre-IA Hanben | Iron Age | 0.0242 |
| 3 | Vanuatu 2900BP | c. 950 BC | 0.0308 |
| 4 | Tonga 2500BP | c. 550 BC | 0.0317 |
| 5 | Taiwan N Hanben | Neolithic | 0.0322 |
| 6 | Northern Mariana Islands Saipan Latte Anaguan | Latte period, c. 900-1700 AD | 0.0323 |
| 7 | Guam Latte Naton | Latte period, c. 900-1700 AD | 0.0339 |
| 8 | Guam Unai Late Naton | Unai period, before c. 900 AD | 0.0356 |
| 9 | Guam Latte Haputo | Latte period, c. 900-1700 AD | 0.0361 |
| 10 | Guam Unai Late Ritidian | Unai period, before c. 900 AD | 0.0369 |
Ancient DNA from Philippines
Our ancient DNA database holds 2 individuals excavated in present-day Philippines, dated from about 167 AD to 189 AD. The most frequent mtDNA haplogroups among them are B5 (1) and F1 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Ilocano population.
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2 from Philippines.
Compare yourself with Ilocano
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Ilocano average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Ilocano 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 Ilocano. 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 Ilocano average. Your own DNA has its own story: Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific 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 Austronesian / Indo-Pacific ancestry: ancient regional core (the Taiwan Neolithic homeland, the Lapita culture, Guam Unai and Latte periods, the Medieval voyage to Madagascar) versus non-regional outside...
More populations from Southeast Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Ilocano?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Ilocano average is about 100.0% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Ilocano?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Ilocano average are Filipino (Luzon), Yami and Filipino. The closest ancient matches are Taiwan IA Hanben, Taiwan Pre-IA Hanben and Vanuatu 2900BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Ilocano?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Ilocano 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 Ilocano ancestry?
For the Ilocano average, the regional report to choose is Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific 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.