At a glance
- When
- about 750 to 1050 CE
- Where
- Scandinavia, and the coasts and rivers they reached from Greenland to Russia
- Entries in our catalogue
- 965 (544 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 15
What ancient DNA shows
The largest study of the period, published in Nature in 2020, sequenced several hundred Viking Age individuals. It found that Scandinavia itself received gene flow from the south and east before and during the Viking Age, and that the three homelands sent people in different directions: ancestry typical of present-day Denmark is most visible in England, ancestry typical of Sweden around the Baltic and in Eastern Europe, and ancestry typical of Norway in Ireland, Scotland, Iceland and Greenland.
Some people buried with full Viking honours had little or no Scandinavian ancestry, for example individuals on Orkney whose ancestry matches earlier inhabitants of Britain. Iceland was settled by people of mixed Norse and Gaelic ancestry, with Gaelic ancestry more common on the female side.
Their genetic legacy today
Scandinavian ancestry from this period is part of the background of modern Scandinavians and contributes, in smaller and variable shares, to populations in Britain, Ireland, Iceland and around the Baltic.
Vikings samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 965 entries whose culture label names the Vikings. 544 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 963 dated entries fall between 900 CE and 1,000 CE, with a median of 975 CE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 377 |
| Denmark | 158 |
| United Kingdom | 101 |
| Norway | 97 |
| Russia | 73 |
| Iceland | 57 |
| Estonia | 45 |
| Greenland | 22 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Viking-Age Norse | 573 |
| Viking-Age Scandinavia | 76 |
| Norse Viking (Estonia) | 38 |
| Norse (Viking Age) | 15 |
| Rus (Viking Age) | 15 |
| Sweden Early Medieval Viking Age Gotland | 11 |
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 Vikings
To see how close you sit to Vikings 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 Vikings samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 965 entries labelled as Vikings, of which 544 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Vikings samples found?
They come from 15 countries, most often Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Norway and Russia. Half of the dated entries fall between 900 CE and 1,000 CE.
Can a DNA test show Viking ancestry?
Not as a single label. Viking Age Scandinavians were genetically close to the Scandinavians before and after them, so a test can show how close you sit to Viking Age samples from particular regions, which is what a comparison against dated ancient genomes does, but it cannot prove descent from a raider.