Your traits are influenced by DNA from both of your parents, but some DNA has more influence. For most traits, we can figure out which parent’s DNA has a larger effect.
How we do it
Your traits are influenced by your DNA markers. You inherit two versions of each marker in your DNA—one from each parent. Sometimes those versions are the same and have the same effect on your trait. But sometimes they’re different and have opposite effects.
Using your DNA matches, we can split your DNA into the halves inherited from each parent and measure how much the DNA from each influenced any trait.
Each trait is influenced by DNA from both parents. If DNA from one parent had more influence on a trait, it does not mean the other parent’s DNA had no influence, or that you inherited a certain trait from only one parent. Also, one parent may have influenced a certain trait more while displaying a different trait themselves. For example, if you have attached earlobes and DNA from your father influenced your trait more, it does not necessarily mean that your father also has attached earlobes.
Traits we haven’t assigned to a parent
We use your DNA matches to divide your DNA into the halves inherited from each parent. If you don’t have many matches, we may not be able to determine whether each DNA segment came from Parent 1 or Parent 2.
In order to determine which parent’s DNA had more influence, we need to match more than 75% of the markers for a trait to a specific parent. When we can’t do that, we can’t always tell which DNA markers or which parent had more influence on a trait. In those cases, we let you know we can’t make a determination.
Frequently asked questions
Are any traits inherited from just one parent?
No. All Ancestry traits are influenced by DNA from both parents.
How can one of my traits be influenced more by a certain parent if they don’t have that same trait?
You only inherited half of each of your parents’ DNA. That means half of their DNA wasn’t passed on to you. Because of this, even if a parent passed down many DNA markers that could influence your trait in one direction, markers in the other half of that parent’s DNA could oppositely influence their trait.
Why don’t my results tell me which parent is which?
We can split up your DNA from the parent it came from and determine which half of your DNA has more influence on your traits, but that doesn’t tell us which parent is which. We know the two halves, but we can’t connect each half to a specific parent.
How can I tell who Parent 1 and Parent 2 are?
A few strategies could help you identify which of your parents is parent 1 and which is parent 2. For help, see Strategies for Labeling Your Parents in DNA Inheritance.
