Update to AncestryDNA: How My Results Changed

AncestryDNA's October 2025 Update

AncestryDNA overhauled how it categorizes and presents DNA results, and rolled out this change in October 2025 on their popular DNA platform. For my AncestryDNA kit, that meant a big change to the breakdown of my Ancestral Regions and some interesting historical context added to my Ancestral Journeys.

AncestryDNA Summary Report - After the October 2025 Update

Ancestral Regions

My previous 6 ancestral regions that broadly aligned with national boundaries or broad ethnic regions, are now broken out into 13 ancestral regions that reflect more precise local ethnicities - ones which don't necessarily translate easily into the earlier broad regional categories. (For example, 26% France has been refined to 12% French Canada...but it is not clear how the remaining 13% France was reallocated - possibly being lumped into the new region Southeastern England & Northwestern Europe). 

What was previously my 6 ancestral regions

• 41% England and Northwestern Europe
• 26% France
• 18% Germanic Europe
• 10% Denmark
• 3% Ireland
• 2% Sweden

are now my 13 ancestral regions

England

• 33% Southeastern England & Northwestern Europe
• 10% East Midlands
• 6% North East England
• 6% West Midlands
• 2% Devon & Somerset

Celtic & Gaelic

• 17% Central Scotland & Northern Ireland
• 4% Hebrides & Western Highlands, Scotland

French Canada

• 8% Quebec
• 4% Acadia

Western Europe

• 3% Northwestern Germany
• 2% South Germanic Europe
• 2% The Netherlands

Nordic

• 3% Denmark

AncestryDNA still provides the breakdown of these regions by parent, as well. With these newly re-focused inheritance regions, it may make it easier to pinpoint new locations for traditional research or to corroborate the geographic origins of individuals already in my tree. 

Ancestral Journeys

Retaining the label "Ancestral Journeys," and the familiar subgroups, AncestryDNA refined the presentation and associated historical information for some of these ethnic communities.

Maternal

There was no change to my belonging to the Southeastern Quebec French Settlers journey, which includes specific assocations with the 

• Bas-Saint-Laurent & Northern Maine French Settlers subgroup; and 
• Bas-Saint-Laurent French Settlers subgroup. 

However, AncestryDNA has adjusted the presentation of the data to more clearly show the map of these regions, locations on the map of people from my tree associated with those settler groups, suggests an individual in my tree associated with this community to review, and provides a link to a timeline - featuring new navigational and interactive elements - and additional historical context for this ethnic community. 

Paternal

Similarly, there was no change to my belonging to the Greater London to Southern East Midlands jouney, and I am still associated with the

• Southern East Midlands & Northwestern East of England subgroup; and
• Northamptonshire & Surrounding Area subgroup.

But now 25 people already in my tree are linked to this journey (I can view them easily with a click of the mouse), and I can click on the timeline link to view the region in historical context relevant to the timeframe of when these 25 ancestors lived there.