Malayali (Nair) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India (Kerala) · South Asia
Kerala is the narrow strip of land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, and its ports traded spices with the Roman world, Arabia and China for more than two thousand years. Its language, Malayalam, is Dravidian. This page uses the average of the Nairs, a Hindu community historically known for its matrilineal family system. In our model, it is 61.8% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 23.3% Iranian Neolithic farmer, 12.6% steppe and 2.3% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, clearly more of the two northern-derived sources than our Telugu or Tamil averages. The closest modern averages are another Nair sample (0.0094), Telugu Vaidiki Brahmins, Goan Catholic Brahmin samples, Syrian Christians of Kerala (Nasrani) and Tamil Iyer Brahmins. So the Nair average groups with particular communities across several language areas, a common pattern where marriage within the community has long been the norm. Among ancient groups, Roopkund in the Himalaya, around 800 AD, stands closest at 0.0219.
- Largest ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 61.8%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 23.3%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 12.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Nair, distance 0.0094
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0219
This page sums up what the DNA of the Malayali (Nair) sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in India (Kerala), listed in the G25 sheet as "Malayali_Nair", 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 Malayali (Nair) average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Malayali (Nair) average, 61.8%, goes to South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), ahead of Iranian Neolithic farmers (23.3%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (12.6%). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (23.3%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Anatolian Neolithic farmers (under 5%) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.032): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. 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.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Malayali (Nair)
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Malayali (Nair) average is Nair, at a distance of 0.009 (very close). Next come Telugu Brahmin (Vaidiki) at 0.013 and Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin Goa) at 0.013. Even the tenth closest, Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin), is only 0.016 away: Malayali (Nair) belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nair | 0.0094 | Very close |
| 2 | Telugu Brahmin (Vaidiki) | 0.0126 | Very close |
| 3 | Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin Goa) | 0.0129 | Very close |
| 4 | Malayali Christian (Nasrani) | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 5 | Tamil Brahmin (Iyer Tamil Nadu) | 0.0141 | Very close |
| 6 | Telugu Brahmin (Andhra Pradesh) | 0.0147 | Very close |
| 7 | Nasrani | 0.0156 | Very close |
| 8 | Tamil Brahmin (Iyengar) | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 9 | Kodava (Forward Caste Profile) | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 10 | Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin) | 0.0163 | 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 Malayali (Nair)
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Malayali (Nair) average is India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD), at 0.022, followed by Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama. 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 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0219 |
| 2 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.0534 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.0609 |
| 4 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.0625 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.0709 |
| 6 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.0789 |
| 7 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.0864 |
| 8 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.0923 |
| 9 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.0942 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.0955 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Malayali (Nair) population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Malayali (Nair)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Malayali (Nair) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Malayali (Nair) 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 Malayali (Nair) individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Malayali (Nair). 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 Malayali (Nair) average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian 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 South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Malayali (Nair)?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Malayali (Nair) average is about 61.8% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 23.3% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 12.6% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Malayali (Nair)?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Malayali (Nair) average are Nair, Telugu Brahmin (Vaidiki) and Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin Goa). The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Malayali (Nair)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Malayali (Nair) 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 Malayali (Nair) ancestry?
Sindhu – South Asian Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Malayali (Nair) average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
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.