Scotland's Ancient DNA Revealed

Embark on a fascinating journey through Scotland's genetic history, spanning 12,000 years! Discover how waves of migration - from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Vikings and Normans - have shaped Scottish DNA.

Learn about groundbreaking studies revealing unexpected connections to Siberian tribes and North African genes.

We'll explore regional genetic clusters, the origins of Scottish surnames, and even uncover some royal DNA!

Whether you're a history buff, genetics enthusiast, or proud Scot, this video offers a unique perspective on Scotland's rich heritage.

Don't forget to check out our related videos on Irish and Spanish DNA history!

#ScottishDNA #GeneticHistory #ScotlandAncestry #VikingGenetics #CelticHeritage #PictishDNA #ScotlandsDNAProject #ScottishSurnames #AncientMigrations #PopulationGenetics #ScottishHistory #Archaeology #Genealogy #ancestrydna

00:00 - Introduction
01:02- Mesolithic hunter-gatherers
01:33- Anatolian Farmers and the Bell Beaker Culture
02:40 - Celts
04:03 - Picts
04:36 - Romans
05:04 - Anglo-Saxons
05:27 - Vikings
06:07 - Normans
06:35 - Flemish
06:56 - Irish
07:23 - The ScotlandsDNA Project
09:10 - Surprising Genetic Connections
11:46 - Unique Genetic Traits
13:23 - Surnames
15:45 - Conclusion

[OkieJammer]

I inherited 49% DNA from my ancestors in Scotland, most from the Highlands but also my blue-eyes from Norse-Scots of the Lothian region. I am obviously proud of this heritage and continue to learn as much as I can on everything Scottish. Thank you for this video.

[annaburns]

I was adopted so I have always had a fascination with my ancestry. I did the ancestry swab and it shows nearly 100% Scottish and 1% North African! Finding this had been such a gift. So grateful for these brilliant Scots who worked so hard on this. Way to go Jim and team!
Anna Lee Ross🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤

[patroberts]

Half Scottish half Mohawk here…. What a combo!!! Exploring both sides has been the pleasure of my life. Us humans are such a cool species!

[coco-ycl]

Im scottish & my great grandfather was irish & he gave his life in WW2 hero . Im so proud yo be Scottish & have irish in me great combination of ppl ❤

[evenichols]

Really enjoyed this interesting video. I am half English half Scot and was born in Edinburgh and emigrated to New Zealand when 12 years old. I have been back to the old country many times and love Scotland very much and yes, the bag-pipes make me cry when I hear them.

[davederrick]

I found this fascinating, as an Australian, my DNA results were Scottish about 98%, the rest Western European and Scandinavian.

[davidpaterson]

A good few historical inaccuracies here but the most glaring is “after the Norman conquest”. There was no “Norman Conquest” of Scotland - that happened in England. The introduction of Norman feudalism - forms of law, land holding, market towns etc - from England happened under King David I of Scotland who was not a Norman (father a Gael, Malcolm III of Scotland, mother Margaret, an Englishwoman descended from AngloSaxon Wessex) but spent much of his youth in the court of the Anglo-Norman King Henry I of England. David was certainly backed and probably funded by the Anglo-Normans in the (usual) succession dispute in Scotland when his father died and It is certainly true that David set out to “Normanise” Scotland - it’s called “the Davidian Revolution” in Scottish history - but it was nothing like a “conquest”.

[molecatcher]

It is wrong to say that the Norse period in Scotland ended in 1066. This may be true in England but in Scotland the key dates are 1266 (The Treaty of Perth, between Scotland and Norway, where Norway handed over big areas of land to Scotland) and 1472 when Orkney and Shetland was transferred from Norway to Scotland.

[stevestruthers]

As someone of mostly Scots ancestry, I really enjoyed watching this video. Thanks.

My surname looks totally Anglo-Saxon, by virtue of the fact that it derives from the Old English word 'strowdyr', meaning 'dweller on or near damp or marshy ground'. It's believed that it first originated in northern part of the border region between England and Scotland. In time, the surname became more commonly found in Scotland than England. By the time Middle English arrived, around 1100AD, the spelling of the surname was changed from 'Strother' to 'Struthers', with the letter 'u' replacing the 'o' to suit Scots spelling conventions of the time, and 's' appended to signify 'son of Struther'.
This was around the time that most surnames began to emerge in Great Britain.

The twist here that a Y-DNA test (paternal line only) I took a number of years ago, shows my paternal DNA is closely associated with the Brittonic Celtic tribes that inhabited Britain at one time, particularly the west and southwest regions of lowland Scotland. The test also revealed distant genetic relationships with men who have the Strother surname, indicating that I have a long and unbroken lineage. The testing also revealed a distant connection to Clan Stewart.

[evelynmclachlan]

I' was born on Scotland, I have English, Irish, Norwegian Welsh western European and eastern, so this video was very interesting to help me understand a lot better !

[drusillamartin]

My mother was a Stewart, and I am 59% Scottish. I have found my ancestors back to the 1600" s where I am pretty much stuck. I really enjoyed this program.

[witchways]

So refreshing to see a video like this that isn't just unedited circular chatGBT. Good clear info.

[peternel]

I have no Scottish DNA at all but love Scotland and its great peoples so much, almost as if I and my ancestors have lived there forever. I am a yearly visitor and I love your country as much as I love mine .

[linzibingbong]

Wow Scotland really has been through a lot of turmoil over the centuries no wonder the people are so resilient

[ChandaKhavari]

I’m from a Romani family. Did my dna testing just for the knowledge. My haplogroup was definitely Roma, I knew that but my 16 ancient ancestors were under the Viking category. But I was 83% Scottish! I’ve only known I’m Romani. The rest was Punjabi (of course) Anatolia, North African, ancient Palestinian, Native American, and Basque (kinda figured it would show up cos I’m RH and O negative) what?! I have always been obsessed with Scotland but had no clue I’m actually Scottish!! No clue. In my family there wasn’t a lot of written knowledge of my people, just oral! My great grandparents traveling around the world. I’m just blown away. I did 3 dna tests and genomelink. All the same. Did ancient ancestry and I had 50 pages with 4 or 5 cultures in each page that my dna is directly connected. So wild! I wish I knew who my ancestors were. 😢 I do have dna relatives in almost every country so that is cool. Just started emailing people. I never knew my biological paternal grandmother because she passed before I was born. I found out she had like 5 or 6 sisters, imagine all the cousins I have that I don’t know. I imagine I had a close relative that passed as Romani. No one married outside that I knew of! Now I know someone passed as Romani but was actually Scottish. At least that the only reason I have so much Scottish in my dna! Sorry for the long story but I found this all out recently so I’m still pretty blown away!

[amandapittar]

I’m 83% Scottish, 8% Irish 2% Swedish and the rest is NW European - fairly Celtic! Short, sturdy with skin that burns on a cloudy day. Yup. Definitely Scottish.

[akeeperofoddknowledge]

This helps me realize just how rich my mixed (German, Scotts- Irish, Finn and Siberian Russian) my heritage is! Thank you!

[scgrl]

I'm a genealogist and historian from South Carolina. I'm 37% Scottish through the Buchanans. I am a Clan Buchanan member. My 6th gr-grandfather's (Walter Buchanan) Buchanan Inn, built in the 1700s in Drymen on the shore of Loch Lomond, still operates as a hotel. This is a fascinating video. When I think of the origins of Scots, I do think immediately of Vikings. So, this is wonderfully informative.

[NikiLivi]

I’m 25% Scottish, 25% English, 35% Irish, & 15% Cherokee Native. My pappaw traced that side back to Scotland then made 2 trips to Scotland bringing back our family crest & plaid. This completely explains my love of unicorns growing up & as long as I can remember I’ve always loved plaid. I don’t think my family was very big but I haven’t been able to look up much. Livingston.

[bonnienichalson]

I'm Scottish/ Irish from Nova Scotia Canada 🇨🇦
Great-grand mother is of the Mimac tribe of the area around Halifax:)
So I don't burn on a sunny day ! Don't fall asleep in the sun :( I'm a good Canadian Mutt ! LoL
Genetically speaking 👍🇫🇮