Pomak DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Bulgaria · Eastern Europe
The Pomaks are Slavic-speaking Muslims of the Rhodope mountains, in southern Bulgaria and north-eastern Greece, with further communities in Turkey; linguists class their speech with the Bulgarian dialects. Their communities took shape during the Ottoman centuries, when part of the local population of the Rhodopes adopted Islam. In our model, the Pomak average is 49.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 44.4% steppe, 4.0% Western hunter-gatherer and 1.7% Natufian, with slightly more steppe ancestry than the Bulgarian average (42.4%). Genetics confirms these local roots: the closest modern average is the Bulgarian average itself (distance 0.0094), closer even than the Pomaks of Greece (0.0101), then Bulgarians from Sofia, Moldovans from Stefan Voda and Romanians, with no Anatolian Turkish sample among the ten nearest. On the ancient side, an early medieval South Slavic group from Nustar in Croatia comes first (0.0139), ahead of Avar-period burials in Austria with a South Balkan profile.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 49.9%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 44.4%, Western hunter-gatherers 4.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Bulgarian, distance 0.0094
- Closest ancient group in our data: Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile), distance 0.0139
This page sums up what the DNA of the Pomak sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Bulgaria, listed in the G25 sheet as "Pomak_Bulgaria", 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 Pomak average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Pomak average comes out as 49.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 44.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 4.0% Western hunter-gatherers. 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 (44.4%) 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.
Smaller traces of Western hunter-gatherers and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (under 5% each) 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 0.033): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic Report
Closest modern populations to Pomak
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Bulgarian first for Pomak, at 0.009, then Pomak (Greece) and Bulgarian (Sofia). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Bulgarian (0.009), Bulgarian (Sofia) (0.010) and Moldovan (Stefan Voda) (0.011). Even the tenth closest, Romanian (Galati), is only 0.013 away: Pomak belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgarian | 0.0094 | Very close |
| 2 | Pomak (Greece) | 0.0101 | Very close |
| 3 | Bulgarian (Sofia) | 0.0103 | Very close |
| 4 | Moldovan (Stefan Voda) | 0.0107 | Very close |
| 5 | Bulgarian (Montana) | 0.0114 | Very close |
| 6 | Romanian (Arges) | 0.0118 | Very close |
| 7 | Romanian | 0.0120 | Very close |
| 8 | Macedonian | 0.0122 | Very close |
| 9 | Pomak (Danubian Plain) | 0.0132 | Very close |
| 10 | Romanian (Galati) | 0.0134 | 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 Pomak
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Pomak average is Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD), at 0.014. Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Balkan Profile) and Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic 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 | Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0139 |
| 2 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Balkan Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0166 |
| 3 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0176 |
| 4 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0177 |
| 5 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Late (South Balkan Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0191 |
| 6 | Serbia Early Medieval Ravna Kuline (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0191 |
| 7 | Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0209 |
| 8 | Hungary Late Antiquity Sarmatian (South Balkan Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0218 |
| 9 | Italy Apulia High Medieval Foggia (North Balkans Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0225 |
| 10 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (North Adriatic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0234 |
Ancient DNA from Bulgaria
Our ancient DNA database holds 251 individuals excavated in present-day Bulgaria, dated from about 43,421 BC to 1153 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are G2a (19), I2a (19) and R1b (18), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (28), T2 (28) and H (26). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Pomak population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Bulgaria
- Paleogenomic evidence for genetic heterogeneity and prior admixture in Gothic-associated communities of late antique Bulgaria (2026)
- Gothic Identity as Cultural Practice: Paleogenomic Evidence for Multi - Ethnic Assemblages Under Gothic Material Culture in Late Antique Bulgaria (4th - 6th centuries CE) (2026)
- Great Bolgar’s historical genetics: a genomic study of individuals from burials close to the Greek Chamber in the 14th century (2025)
- The Genetic Variability of Present-Day Bulgarians Captures Ancient and Recent Ancestral Contributions (2025)
- Ancient human mitochondrial genomes from Bronze Age Bulgaria: new insights into the genetic history of Thracians (2019)
- Genetic evidence suggests relationship between contemporary Bulgarian population and Iron Age steppe dwellers from Pontic-Caspian steppe (2019)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 251 from Bulgaria.
Compare yourself with Pomak
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Pomak average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Pomak 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 Pomak individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Pomak. 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 Pomak average. Your own DNA has its own story: Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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 Balkan ancestry: ancient regional core (Illyrian, Thracian, Dacian, Paeonian, Scordisci Celtic, Proto-Slavic, Roman-provincial Dalmatia/Moesia/Macedonia, Sarmatian) versus non-regional outside admixture, across...
More populations from Eastern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Pomak?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Pomak average is about 49.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 44.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 4.0% 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 Pomak?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Pomak (Greece)), the closest modern populations to the Pomak average are Bulgarian, Bulgarian (Sofia) and Moldovan (Stefan Voda). The closest ancient matches are Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile), Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Balkan Profile) and Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Pomak?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Pomak 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 Pomak ancestry?
For the Pomak average, the regional report to choose is Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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.