Manx DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Isle of Man · Northern Europe
The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea, roughly halfway between Britain and Ireland. Its Celtic language, Manx, is a Gaelic language like Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and the island was part of the Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles until 1266; its parliament, Tynwald, traces its origins to that Norse period. In our model, the Manx average is 45.7% steppe-related, 39.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 15.3% Western hunter-gatherer, the highest hunter-gatherer share of the British and Irish populations in our atlas, with less steppe than the Irish (50.3%). Despite the Gaelic language, the nearest modern averages are the Cornish (distance 0.0080), Welsh (0.0084) and Bretons, while the Scots only come at 0.0124 and the Irish are not among the ten closest. The closest ancient groups are Middle to Late Iron Age Britons (0.0099), Late Iron Age to Roman-era Durotriges and Early Iron Age people from England.
- Ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 45.7%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 39.0%, Western hunter-gatherers 15.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Cornish, distance 0.0080
- Closest ancient group in our data: England MIA-LIA, distance 0.0099
Where does Manx DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Manx individuals sampled in Isle of Man 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 Manx average
The ancient make-up of the Manx average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (45.7%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (39.0%) and Western hunter-gatherers (15.3%). 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 (39.0%) 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 Manx
Genetically, the Manx average sits nearest to Cornish at 0.008, Welsh at 0.008 and English (Cornwall) at 0.009. On our scale, a distance of 0.008 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Scottish, is only 0.012 away: Manx belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornish | 0.0080 | Very close |
| 2 | Welsh | 0.0084 | Very close |
| 3 | English (Cornwall) | 0.0091 | Very close |
| 4 | France (Brittany, N=17) | 0.0098 | Very close |
| 5 | Breton (Finistere) | 0.0100 | Very close |
| 6 | English | 0.0101 | Very close |
| 7 | French (Brittany) | 0.0108 | Very close |
| 8 | Breton (Cotes-d'Armor) | 0.0116 | Very close |
| 9 | Breton (Ille-et-Vilaine Rennes) | 0.0123 | Very close |
| 10 | Scottish | 0.0124 | 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 Manx
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Manx, England MIA-LIA (Middle Iron Age) comes first, at 0.010, with England LIA-Roman Empire Durotrigian 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 MIA-LIA | Middle Iron Age | 0.0099 |
| 2 | England LIA-Roman Empire Durotrigian | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0108 |
| 3 | England EIA | Early Iron Age | 0.0127 |
| 4 | England High-Late Medieval Cambridgeshire Hospital of St. John | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0134 |
| 5 | Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0137 |
| 6 | Belgium Early Medieval Merovingian Koksijde (Northwest Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0137 |
| 7 | England Roman Empire-Late Antiquity | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0138 |
| 8 | England Late Modern Cambridgeshire Holy Trinity College | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0143 |
| 9 | England Early-High Medieval Cambridgeshire Cherry Hinton | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0150 |
| 10 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0153 |
Compare yourself with Manx
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Manx average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Manx 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 Manx individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Manx. 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 Manx 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 Manx?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Manx average is about 45.7% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 39.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 15.3% 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 Manx?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Manx average are Cornish, Welsh and English (Cornwall). The closest ancient matches are England MIA-LIA, England LIA-Roman Empire Durotrigian and England EIA.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Manx?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Manx 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 Manx ancestry?
For the Manx 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.