Reliability of predicted relationships from 23andme

The company 23andme tests about one million genes in a DNA-test. From the results it is possible to predict relationships with other tested persons. In 23andme’s relative finder predicted relationship with other persons are showed. I have found out the ancestors in the north of Sweden for the persons I have got information from among my relatives with the closest predicted relationships. I myself have most of my ancestors in the north of Sweden and my haplogroups are maternal U4c1 and paternal I1*.

In the table below my 36 closest relatives are listed. The six last columns contain information 23andme has given. The four first columns show information I have found out through my genealogical research. For each relative, I have determined how many generations back the closest common ancestor is. If two persons have a common ancestor five or more generations back, they almost always have a lot of more common ancestors further back. In the first column I show how many common ancestors I have found in total. That number does not say so much, because more generations back I am not able to find all ancestors.

As can be seen 23andme’s predictions are too optimistic.

Number of found common ancestors	Generations to closest common ancestor from me	Generations to closest common ancestor from relative	Closest relationship	Predicted Relationship	Predicted Range	DNA Shared	Segments Shared	Maternal Haplogroup	Paternal Haplogroup
				3rd Cousin	2nd to 3rd Cousin	0.97%	7	J2a1a1	R1a1a*
				3rd Cousin	2nd to 4th Cousin	0.56%	6	H2a1
64	6	7	5th cousin once removed	3rd Cousin	3rd to 4th Cousin	0.78%	4	H1a	R1a1a
				3rd Cousin	3rd to 4th Cousin	0.58%	3	H2a5	R1b1b2a1a1a
52	7	6	5th cousin once removed	3rd Cousin	3rd to 4th Cousin	0.57%	5	I4
27	8	9	7th cousin once removed	3rd Cousin	3rd to 4th Cousin	0.55%	5	H6a1	N1c1*
				3rd Cousin	3rd to 4th Cousin	0.54%	5	X2c1	R1a1a*
25	8	9	7th cousin once removed	3rd Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.40%	3	N1a1	R1b1b2a1a2f
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.47%	2	V
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.39%	3	H7
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.38%	3	U8a1a	R1b1b2a1a2d3*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.35%	2	HV0a	N1c1
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.33%	3	U8a1	I1
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.32%	2	W1e	N1c1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.32%	3	V1a	N1c1
36	6	8	5th cousin twice removed	4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.32%	3	H10	N1c1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.31%	2	C4	I1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.31%	2	H2a1	I1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 5th Cousin	0.24%	3	U4d1	N1c1
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.32%	1	J1c5a	R1a1a
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.31%	2	J1b1a	N1c1
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.30%	2	W1	R1a1a
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.30%	1	V	I1
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.30%	1	V	I1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.30%	2	H2a1	R1a1a
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.29%	3	K1c1
21	7	5	5th cousin twice removed	4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.28%	2	H28	I1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.28%	2	H7	I1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.27%	2	H7	I1*
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.26%	2	L3e2a
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.26%	2	J1b1a	I1
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.26%	2	W1a
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.25%	2	J1c2
				4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.24%	2	K1b2a
31	9	9	8th cousin	4th Cousin	3rd to 6th Cousin	0.24%	2	H11a	I1

This page was created 2011, July 14^th, by Leif Boström, Sweden