At a glance
- When
- about 450 to 1066 CE
- Where
- England, with origins on the continental North Sea coast
- Entries in our catalogue
- 385 (317 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 3
What ancient DNA shows
A 2022 study in Nature compared several hundred early medieval individuals from England with people from the continent. In eastern England, many individuals carried mostly continental northern European ancestry, close to that of people from northern Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, while others carried local British ancestry or a mix of the two, often within the same cemetery.
Mixed families were common, and individuals of local and incoming ancestry were buried in similar ways, which suggests integration rather than separation.
Their genetic legacy today
The same study estimated that present-day people in central and eastern England carry a substantial share of continental northern European ancestry from this period, generally less than the early medieval migrants themselves, with lower shares further west and north.
Anglo-Saxons samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 385 entries whose culture label names the Anglo-Saxons. 317 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 384 dated entries fall between 550 CE and 750 CE, with a median of 600 CE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 383 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| Isle of Man | 1 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Anglo-Saxon (England) | 372 |
| Anglo-Saxon (Buckland, Dover, Kent) | 12 |
| Anglo-Saxon | 1 |
Measured from the live catalogue on 2026-10-17. Dates are those recorded for each entry; the archaeological dates of the culture are given above. See our data sources for where the samples come from.
Compare your DNA with the Anglo-Saxons
To see how close you sit to Anglo-Saxons samples, you need your DNA as G25 coordinates. Download your raw data file from your testing company, convert it, and MYDNATLAS compares your coordinates with these entries and the rest of the catalogue, period by period, in its closest population and mixture tools.
- Download your raw DNA file: step by step for each testing company.
- Upload it from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage or FamilyTreeDNA, or another supported provider.
- Explore the results with the period by period breakdown and closest populations.
Start free: browse the Population Encyclopedia. The Population Encyclopedia is free to browse with a free account; analysing your own DNA needs a paid plan.
Questions
How many Anglo-Saxons samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 385 entries labelled as Anglo-Saxons, of which 317 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Anglo-Saxons samples found?
They come from 3 countries, most often United Kingdom, Denmark and Isle of Man. Half of the dated entries fall between 550 CE and 750 CE.
Did the Anglo-Saxons replace the Britons?
No. Ancient DNA shows large-scale migration but also mixing, and a considerable share of the ancestry of people in England today traces back to the population that lived there before the migrations.