Tahitian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · French Polynesia · Oceania
Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia, in the Society Islands of eastern Polynesia, the last major region of the Pacific to be settled, about a thousand years ago. From there, Polynesian voyagers went on to reach Hawaii, New Zealand and Rapa Nui. Tahitian is a Polynesian language, and the islands have been French since the 19th century. In our model, the Tahitian average is 80.3% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer and 19.7% Papuan and Near Oceanian, very close to the Samoan profile (82.0% and 18.0%), and Samoans are indeed the closest modern average (0.0213). The closest ancient groups fit the eastern Polynesian story: modern-era Maori and Moriori from New Zealand, which was settled from this region (0.0251), and people from French Polynesia about 150 years ago (0.0376). A genetic study has also reported a small trace of Native American ancestry in eastern Polynesia from contact around 800 years ago, too small to show in our model.
- Ancient components in our model: Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 80.3%, Papuan and Near Oceanian 19.7%
- Closest modern population in our data: Samoan, distance 0.0213
- Closest ancient group in our data: New Zealand Early-Late Modern Maori/Moriori, distance 0.0251
Tahitian is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Tahitian individuals sampled in French Polynesia. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Tahitian average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Tahitian average comes out as 80.3% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers and 19.7% Papuan and Near Oceanian. The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia. The Papuan and Near Oceanian share (19.7%) reflects the ancestry of the first peoples of New Guinea and Australia. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.035): 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.
Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific Report
Closest modern populations to Tahitian
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Samoan first for Tahitian, at 0.021, then Tongan and Bajo. By the tenth closest (Manggarai (Rampasasa)) the distance grows to 0.073, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samoan | 0.0213 | Very close |
| 2 | Tongan | 0.0395 | Close |
| 3 | Bajo | 0.0440 | Close |
| 4 | Micronesian | 0.0457 | Close |
| 5 | Kambera (Wunga) | 0.0505 | Moderate |
| 6 | Kambera (Rindi) | 0.0543 | Moderate |
| 7 | Anakalangu | 0.0548 | Moderate |
| 8 | Manggarai (Bere) | 0.0701 | Moderate |
| 9 | Mamanwa | 0.0712 | Moderate |
| 10 | Manggarai (Rampasasa) | 0.0727 | 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 Tahitian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Tahitian average is New Zealand Early-Late Modern Maori/Moriori (Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD), at 0.025, followed by French Polynesia 150BP and Indonesia Kayoa N Gua Uattamdi. 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 | New Zealand Early-Late Modern Maori/Moriori | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0251 |
| 2 | French Polynesia 150BP | c. 1800 AD | 0.0376 |
| 3 | Indonesia Kayoa N Gua Uattamdi | Neolithic | 0.0447 |
| 4 | Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Na Island Early Modern | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0449 |
| 5 | Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Nan Madol Early Modern Isokelekel Period | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0467 |
| 6 | Indonesia Morotai EBA Aru Manara | Early Bronze Age | 0.0468 |
| 7 | Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Nan Madol Saudeleur Period | Saudeleur period, c. 1100-1630 AD | 0.0473 |
| 8 | Indonesia Sulawesi Early-Late Modern Topogaro | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0591 |
| 9 | Indonesia Komodo High Medieval Majapahit Ntodo Leseh | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0775 |
| 10 | Indonesia Morotai N-EBA Tanjung Pinang | Early Bronze Age | 0.0837 |
Ancient DNA from French Polynesia
Our ancient DNA database holds 3 individuals excavated in present-day French Polynesia, dated from about 1584 AD to 1747 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are C1b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are B4 (3). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Tahitian population.
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 3 from French Polynesia.
Compare yourself with Tahitian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Tahitian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Tahitian 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 Tahitian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Tahitian. 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 Tahitian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific 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 Austronesian / Indo-Pacific ancestry: ancient regional core (the Taiwan Neolithic homeland, the Lapita culture, Guam Unai and Latte periods, the Medieval voyage to Madagascar) versus non-regional outside...
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Tahitian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Tahitian average is about 80.3% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers and 19.7% Papuan and Near Oceanian. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Tahitian?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Tahitian average are Samoan, Tongan and Bajo. The closest ancient matches are New Zealand Early-Late Modern Maori/Moriori, French Polynesia 150BP and Indonesia Kayoa N Gua Uattamdi.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Tahitian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Tahitian 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 Tahitian ancestry?
For the Tahitian average, the regional report to choose is Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific 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.