Siberian Tatar DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Western Siberia) · Siberia
The Siberian Tatars are the Turkic-speaking indigenous people of western Siberia, along the Irtysh, Tobol and Ishim rivers around Tobolsk, Tyumen and Omsk. Their Siberian Khanate, with its capital at Isker, fell to the Cossack expedition of Yermak in 1582, opening Siberia to Russian expansion. In our model, the Siberian Tatar average is 25.9% steppe, 20.6% Ancient Northeast Asian, 16.2% Arctic Siberian, 11.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 9.9% Eastern hunter-gatherer and 7.0% East Asian, with small Ancient North Eurasian, Levantine and Iranian shares. The Eastern hunter-gatherer component, typical of the forest zone west of the Urals, sets them apart from most Siberian peoples. After other Siberian Tatar samples, the closest modern averages are not the Volga Tatars but the Bashkirs of the southern Urals (0.023 and beyond). The closest ancient groups are High Medieval Chiyalik people from Bashkortostan (0.0285) and Hungarian Conquest-period individuals with an early Magyar-mixed profile (0.031), a reminder that the early Hungarians came from the Ural region.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 25.9%, Ancient Northeast Asians 20.6%, Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 16.2%
- Closest other population in our data: Bashkir (Baimaksky), distance 0.0230
- Closest ancient group in our data: Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Gornovo, distance 0.0285
Where does Siberian Tatar DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Siberian Tatar individuals sampled in Russia (Western Siberia), listed in the G25 sheet as "Tatar_Siberian" 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 Siberian Tatar average
The ancient make-up of the Siberian Tatar average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (25.9%), followed by Ancient Northeast Asians (20.6%) and Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) (16.2%). 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 Ancient Northeast Asians share (20.6%) reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
Smaller traces of Ancient North Eurasians, Levantine Neolithic farmers and Iranian Neolithic farmers (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 0.029): 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.
Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Siberian Tatar
Genetically, the Siberian Tatar average sits nearest to Tatar (Siberian Buhar) at 0.014, Tatar (Siberian Ishtyak Toguz) at 0.014 and Bashkir (Baimaksky) at 0.023. On our scale, a distance of 0.014 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Bashkir (Baimaksky) (0.023), Bashkir (Kugarchinsky) (0.029) and Bashkir (0.038). By the tenth closest (Nogai (Stavropol)) the distance grows to 0.065, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatar (Siberian Buhar) | 0.0135 | Very close |
| 2 | Tatar (Siberian Ishtyak Toguz) | 0.0140 | Very close |
| 3 | Bashkir (Baimaksky) | 0.0230 | Very close |
| 4 | Bashkir (Kugarchinsky) | 0.0287 | Close |
| 5 | Bashkir | 0.0382 | Close |
| 6 | Kazakh (Uzbekistan) | 0.0419 | Close |
| 7 | Bashkir (Ishimbai) | 0.0465 | Close |
| 8 | Nogai (Dobruja) | 0.0587 | Moderate |
| 9 | Nogai | 0.0623 | Moderate |
| 10 | Nogai (Stavropol) | 0.0651 | Moderate |
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 Siberian Tatar
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Siberian Tatar average is Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Gornovo (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD), at 0.029. Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Early Magyar-Mixed Profile) and Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Ust-Menzel'ya come next. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. 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 | Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Gornovo | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0285 |
| 2 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Early Magyar-Mixed Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0310 |
| 3 | Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Ust-Menzel'ya | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0336 |
| 4 | Russia Udmurtia High-Late Medieval Zuevy-Klyuchi | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0369 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan IA Tasmola Serekty | Iron Age | 0.0398 |
| 6 | Kazakhstan Late Antiquity Xianbei-Hun Berel | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0404 |
| 7 | Kazakhstan IA Tasmola Karashoky | Iron Age | 0.0408 |
| 8 | Kazakhstan IA Tasmola Kyzylshilik | Iron Age | 0.0414 |
| 9 | Kazakhstan IA-Late Antiquity Xianbei-Hun Berel | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0424 |
| 10 | Kazakhstan IA Pazyryk Berel | Iron Age | 0.0431 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Siberian Tatar population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Siberian Tatar
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Siberian Tatar average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Siberian Tatar 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 Siberian Tatar individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Siberian Tatar. 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 Siberian Tatar average. Your own DNA has its own story: Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian 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 Central Asian / Silk Road Turkic ancestry: ancient regional core (Botai, Andronovo, BMAC Bactria-Margiana, Saka/Scythian, Wusun, Kushan Empire, Xiongnu, Turkic Khaganate, Golden Horde) versus non-regional...
More populations from Siberia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Siberian Tatar?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Siberian Tatar average is about 25.9% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 20.6% Ancient Northeast Asians and 16.2% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Siberian Tatar?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Tatar (Siberian Buhar)), the closest modern populations to the Siberian Tatar average are Bashkir (Baimaksky), Bashkir (Kugarchinsky) and Bashkir. The closest ancient matches are Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Gornovo, Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Early Magyar-Mixed Profile) and Russia Bashkortostan High Medieval Chiyalik Ust-Menzel'ya.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Siberian Tatar?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Siberian Tatar 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 Siberian Tatar ancestry?
For the Siberian Tatar average, the regional report to choose is Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian 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.