Romanian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Romania · Eastern Europe
Romanian is the largest of the Eastern Romance languages, which grew from the Latin spoken north and south of the lower Danube in Roman times, when Dacia and Moesia were provinces of the empire. Genetically, however, Romanians share most of their profile with their Balkan neighbours rather than with Italians. In our model, the Romanian average is 51.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 43.1% steppe and 5.7% Western hunter-gatherer, close to the Bulgarian (52.8% and 42.4%) and Serbian (49.6% and 43.4%) averages, and with more early farmer ancestry than Moldovans across the Prut (45.6%). After regional samples from Arges and Gorj (distance 0.0103), the nearest averages are Bulgarians from Montana (0.0115), Pomaks, Serbs from Jablanica and the Serbian average. The closest ancient groups are early medieval people with a South Slavic profile from Avar-period Austria (0.0115) and Nustar in Croatia, and High Medieval people with a North Balkan profile from Foggia in Apulia.
- Ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 51.2%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 43.1%, Western hunter-gatherers 5.7%
- Closest population outside Romania in our data: Bulgarian (Montana), distance 0.0115
- Closest ancient group in our data: Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile), distance 0.0115
Where does Romanian DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Romanian individuals sampled in Romania 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 Romanian average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Romanian average comes out as 51.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 43.1% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 5.7% 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 (43.1%) 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 fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.031): 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 Romanian
Genetically, the Romanian average sits nearest to Romanian (Arges) at 0.010, Romanian (Gorj) at 0.010 and Bulgarian (Montana) at 0.012. On our scale, a distance of 0.010 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Bulgarian (Montana) (0.012), Pomak (0.012) and Serb (Serbia Jablanica) (0.013). Even the tenth closest, Macedonian, is only 0.014 away: Romanian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romanian (Arges) | 0.0103 | Very close |
| 2 | Romanian (Gorj) | 0.0103 | Very close |
| 3 | Bulgarian (Montana) | 0.0115 | Very close |
| 4 | Pomak | 0.0120 | Very close |
| 5 | Serb (Serbia Jablanica) | 0.0128 | Very close |
| 6 | Serbian | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 7 | Serb (Serbia Belgrade) | 0.0137 | Very close |
| 8 | Montenegrin | 0.0138 | Very close |
| 9 | Bulgarian | 0.0138 | Very close |
| 10 | Macedonian | 0.0141 | 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 Romanian
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Romanian, Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.012, with Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile) 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 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0115 |
| 2 | Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0137 |
| 3 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0139 |
| 4 | Serbia Early Medieval Ravna Kuline (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0175 |
| 5 | Italy Apulia High Medieval Foggia (North Balkans Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0187 |
| 6 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Balkan Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0187 |
| 7 | Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0188 |
| 8 | Hungary Late Antiquity Sarmatian (South Balkan Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0189 |
| 9 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (North Adriatic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0192 |
| 10 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle/Late (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0204 |
Ancient DNA from Romania
Our ancient DNA database holds 307 individuals excavated in present-day Romania, dated from about 38,032 BC to 1575 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (37), I2a (30) and G2a (24), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (40), J1 (29) and T2 (29). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Romanian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Romania
- On the Edge of Empire: Paleogenomic Insights into Roman Dacia (2026)
- Analysis of Gyimes Csango population samples on a high-resolution genome-wide basis (2024)
- Ancient DNA and paleoproteomic analysis on Roman Imperial-era individuals from Histria, Romania (2024)
- Gene-flow from steppe individuals into Cucuteni-Trypillia associated populations indicates long-standing contacts and gradual admixture (2020)
- Genetic affinities among the historical provinces of Romania and Central Europe as revealed by an mtDNA analysis (2017)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 307 from Romania.
Compare yourself with Romanian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Romanian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Romanian 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 Romanian. 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 Romanian 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 Romanian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Romanian average is about 51.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 43.1% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 5.7% 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 Romanian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Romanian (Arges)), the closest modern populations to the Romanian average are Bulgarian (Montana), Pomak and Serb (Serbia Jablanica). The closest ancient matches are Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile), Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile) and Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Romanian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Romanian 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 Romanian ancestry?
For the Romanian 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.