Comparing the new Ancestry Origins update with 2024

 

AncestryDNA Origins. Oct 2025.

Ancestry has started the global release of its 2025 update to AncestryDNA Origins (see this video on YouTube). There's a lot of new information to digest, with macro-regions England, Celtic & Gaelic, Western Europe, Indigenous Americas, Italy, Iberian Peninsula, Northern Africa and Western Africa appearing in my results, along with new micro-regions (Madeira as an example within the Iberian Peninsula macro-region). Compared with last year's update, this is definitely a big one, as I went from six regions to eleven this year.

Looking more closely, last year England and Northwestern Europe were grouped together, and my result was showing as 38%. Scotland and Ireland were separate, and my results were showing as 14%. For the 2025 Origins update, England is 52%, but now broken out for me as 50% Southeastern England and Northwestern Europe, and 2% Devon and Somerset. That's super interesting. On my Dad's side, I know the Oylers came to America from Kent, clearly in Southeastern England. Northwestern Europe also includes parts of northern France, Belgium and southern Netherlands. We also know my Walloon ancestors came from this region through Amsterdam and helped found Dutch New Amsterdam in 1624. 

Central Scotland and Northern Ireland is now at 18%, and when you add in the Scottish Highlands (2%) and Leinster, Ireland (4%), this whole macro-region is now at 24%. Between what I already suspect about my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget's family coming from County Longford, Ireland, and my 5th-great-grandfather John McIntosh coming to America from Scotland, this tracks as well.

Southern Germanic Europe is a new sub-region for me within Western Europe, although last year I did have Germanic Europe at 26%. Now it is 12%, but this area has been floating around the 5 to 7 to 10% range since 2021. When I think about my 3rd-great-grandmother Marianna Haiss, her family came from Hausen im Killertal in present-day Baden-Württemburg, Germany. This is directly in this Southern Germanic sub-region.

Indigenous Americas - Mexico is holding steady at 5%. Again, this is not surprising given what I know about my mtDNA haplogroup and indigenous Mexico connections.

It is a bit surprising to see Spain fall away for me, as last year this was 16%. In its place is 2% Madeira (still part of the Iberian Peninsula macro-region). These islands were settled by the Portuguese. I also have a new region, Northwestern Italy, centered around the port city Genoa. This gives me some hints to look at my Mom's results and compare to see how she and her sisters' results may have changed for Portugal and Northwestern Italy.

I have not had North Africa in prior results, but others in the tests I oversee have had trace amounts for this region. I now have 1% North Africa, and 1% Nigerian Woodlands remains. This Nigerian trace is passed down from my Granny's side of the tree, according to Ancestry's Sideview tool.

There's much more to unpack, and I'll have separate posts on changes in the percentages from tests on the maternal side and my Dad's updated results.