At a glance
- When
- the Hallstatt (about 800 to 450 BCE) and La Tene (about 450 BCE to the Roman conquest) Iron Age
- Where
- Central and Western Europe, including Gaul, the Alps, Bohemia, the Carpathian Basin and Britain
- Entries in our catalogue
- 1,027 (813 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 17
What ancient DNA shows
Iron Age people of Central and Western Europe carried the same three deep sources as other Bronze Age Europeans: early farmer ancestry from Anatolia, hunter-gatherer ancestry and steppe ancestry that arrived with the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker horizons. Studies of French and Central European Iron Age cemeteries found strong continuity with the Bronze Age populations before them.
In Britain, a 2022 study in Nature found a gradual migration from the continent into southern Britain during the Middle to Late Bronze Age, around 1000 to 875 BCE, which raised early farmer ancestry and may have helped spread early Celtic languages. Later work on Iron Age Britain has found communities organised around female lines of descent.
Their genetic legacy today
Ancestry from Iron Age Britain, Gaul and Central Europe forms a large part of the background of modern people in Britain, Ireland, France and their neighbours. Celtic identity today is a matter of language and culture more than a distinct genetic signature.
Celts samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 1,027 entries whose culture label names the Celts. 813 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 1,022 dated entries fall between 500 BCE and 229 BCE, with a median of 300 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 448 |
| France | 255 |
| Czechia | 105 |
| Hungary | 72 |
| Germany | 51 |
| Slovenia | 28 |
| Austria | 19 |
| Switzerland | 17 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| British Iron Age (Insular Celtic) | 448 |
| La Tène Celtic (Czechia) | 64 |
| La Tène Celtic (Hungary) | 53 |
| Hallstatt (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France) | 39 |
| Iron Age Gaul (France) | 31 |
| La Tène Celtic (Belgic Gaul / Aisne) | 25 |
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 Celts
To see how close you sit to Celts 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 Celts samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 1,027 entries labelled as Celts, of which 813 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Celts samples found?
They come from 17 countries, most often United Kingdom, France, Czechia, Hungary and Germany. Half of the dated entries fall between 500 BCE and 229 BCE.
Is there a Celtic gene?
No. Iron Age Celtic speakers shared most of their ancestry with neighbouring Bronze and Iron Age Europeans. What a DNA comparison can show is how close you sit to Iron Age samples from particular regions, such as Britain or Gaul.