Ancestry has announced updated ethnicity estimates for those who have taken an autosomal DNA test with them.

Yes, I realize that estimates are just that, I still have to wonder why a few groups have such a startlingly wide gap in numbers.

I’ve kept track of ethnicity percentages for both my husband and myself since 2019. Neither of us has had any surprises in the family tree and I’ve documented many of our lines back into the 1600s or, in some cases, even earlier.

Take a look at my estimates:

My paternal ancestry is Rusyn – all Eastern European in today’s Slovakia – so the 3% spread from 45-48 is quite accurate.

Many of my lines are colonial New England, leading back to the British Isles, so the change from 2% in 2019 to 28% now is unexpected, as is my Germanic Europe estimates.

I have no known “German” ancestry, which is a very fluid term, but since Scandinavia is separated out, I am quite surprised to find even 12% in that category. If I combine 12% with the 10% Norway, Sweden and Denmark, I think the number is way too high. I have one great grandmother from Copenhagen, Denmark, whose grandparents were Swedish and Danish. I have no known Norwegian ancestors.

The trace amounts for the Baltics, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are to be expected, given my family tree.

My husband’s results have been more consistent, with the exception of Germanic Europe, which again I don’t understand:

The Stufflebeans, and many of the people who married into the family, have all been traced back to villages in today’s Germany AND my husband has plenty of DNA matches corroborating the paper trail.

I’m not talking about 3X or 4X or 5X great grandparents – both of his paternal grandparents are of 50% German heritage.

6% was a big surprise in 2019, but in both 2020 and 2021, Dave now shows 0% Germanic Europe ancestry. Not possible!

It’s always interesting and fun to look at DNA ethnicities, but there is a reason why they are presented as ESTIMATES.

Have you found unexpected changes in your Ancestry DNA estimates?