If you’ve taken an AncestryDNA® test, we can split up your matches by the two sides of your family—even without your parents taking AncestryDNA tests.
Viewing matches by parent
To use matches by parent, you must have matches turned on.
- From any Ancestry® page, click the DNA tab and select Matches.
- Above your matches, click By parent.
- Under the parent side you want to see, click View matches.
You can also filter your list of matches by parent.
How we split up matches by parent
You get half of your DNA from each parent. To split your matches by parent, we use SideView™ technology to compare your DNA to your close matches’ DNA. This shows us which half of your DNA came from each parent.
Then, if at least 90% of the shared DNA with a match points to one parent, we assign the match to that parent.
- If neither of your parents has taken an AncestryDNA test, you’ll see:
Who is parent 1, and who is parent 2? - If at least one parent has taken an AncestryDNA test, you’ll see:
- Maternal for your biological Mother’s side.
- Paternal for your biological Father’s side.
- If a match is related to both parents, we label them “Both sides.” This can happen if:
- They’re your full siblings or their descendants.
- They connect to both sides of your family through different ancestors.
- They share DNA segments with both parents because both parents' ancestors come from a somewhat isolated group of people who had children with others in that group for many generations. (Learn about endogamy.)
If we can't tell which parent a match is from, we mark them as “Unassigned.” However, as we get more data and science advances, your unassigned matches may get assigned to a parental side.
Labeling your matches by parent
If one or both of your parents have taken an AncestryDNA test, your matches will automatically be labeled by parent.
If neither parent has taken a test:
- You can quickly label your matches’ parental side with help from our SideView™ technology. To do this:
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- Go to your list of matches and select the By parent tab.
- Under Parent 1 or Parent 2, select Edit parent.
- In the opened side panel, choose Maternal or Paternal.
- Click Confirm.
Your matches will now show “Maternal” or “Paternal” based on your selection.
Changing your matches' labels
If a match has the wrong label or isn't labeled, you can change it by following these steps:
- From your list of DNA matches, click on the name or username of the match you want to change.
- Click Edit Relationship and choose the correct parent label.
- Click Save.
Matches you label manually or whose labels you change will show that you made the label.
Filtering your list of matches by parent
To see the matches from one side of your family:
- Above your list of matches, click Filter.
- In the opened side panel, choose Parental sides.
- Select Maternal or Paternal, or use the custom-labeled maternal/paternal options.
- Click Apply filters.
Frequently asked questions
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How can I tell who parent 1 and parent 2 are?
We can split your DNA by parental side, but we don’t know which parent is parent 1 and which is parent 2. For help figuring this out, see Strategies for Labeling Your Parents in DNA by Parent.
Why don’t you tell me which parent is maternal and which is paternal?
We can split your matches into two groups but can’t tell which group is linked to which parent. If one of your parents takes an AncestryDNA test, we can label the two groups as “maternal” and “paternal.”
I have a membership, but my matches aren't split up by parent. Why is that?
To split up your matches by parent, we must find enough shared DNA segments to cover your whole genome. If your matches aren't split yet, we haven't found enough shared DNA segments. This may change as more of your relatives take AncestryDNA tests, especially close relatives.
Another reason could be that both of your parents' ancestors come from a somewhat isolated group of people (learn about endogamy). This might cause many matches to share DNA with both parents, making it harder to split them up.
If your ancestral regions are split by parent but not your matches, it's because we need less information to determine regions by parent. We can use data from just one DNA segment to assign your ancestral regions to Parent 1 or Parent 2.
Why do I see common ancestors with some “unassigned” matches?
We use shared DNA segments to split your matches by parent, not family trees, and common ancestors are based on trees. Even if you have a common ancestor with a match, they might not share enough DNA segments with you to assign them to a parent.
The unassigned matches may have also taken their AncestryDNA test after our last update. Future updates might assign some unassigned matches to a side.
