The British Are Less British Than We Think

16 September 2016

UK flagHow British are the British? It seems like a brain teaser, but it’s actually a surprising fact: The British are less British than we think.

AncestryDNA’s new study revealed the average UK resident is only about 37% British!

Let’s look at some of the unexpected findings of this study – and what it means to you if you have British heritage.

What are the Brits if not Mostly British?

Anglo Saxons inhabited Great Britain from the 5th century. But based on the AncestryDNA study of the UK’s ethnicity dating back from 500 years, their genetic legacy may have well been diluted.


Today the average UK resident is:

  • 36.94% British (Anglo Saxon)
  • 21.59% Irish (Celtic)
  • 19.91% Western European (France/Germany)

Some Brits Are More British

Not all areas of the UK are of course equally diverse. Depending on what region you or your ancestors are from in England, for example, you may well be more (or less) British than average.

Regions of England Ethnicities

  • The most British people in England are found in Yorkshire (41.17% Anglo Saxon)
  • The most Scandinavian people in England are in the East Midlands (10.37% Scandinavia)
  • The most Western European people in England are in the East of England  (22.52%  France/Germany)

How British Are You?

Are your ancestors from the UK?

Like today’s UK residents, you could well be more diverse than you think.

As Brad Argent from AncestryDNA remarked:

“The UK has been a cultural and ethnic melting pot for not just generations, but centuries, and…while it’s fascinating looking at this data on a national scale, the fun really starts when you test your own DNA…”

Are you more or less British than the average Brit? Take an AncestryDNA test to find out.