Family history site Ancestry says county of David Hockney and Barbara Hepworth is 41% Anglo-Saxon, while UK average is 37%

People in Yorkshire have more Anglo-Saxon heritage than any other region in the UK, according to DNA analysis.

The average person in the county – which brought us Alan Bennett, David Hockney, Barbara Hepworth and Guy Fawkes – has 41% Anglo-Saxon ancestry, compared with the UK average of 37%.

Family history site Ancestry examined data from more than 15,000 saliva samples submitted by people using its home DNA test. It deduced the genetic ethnic make up of the “average” person in the UK and what countries and/or regions they can trace their ancestry back to over the past 500 years.

It found that the average UK resident is 36.94% Anglo-Saxon, 21.59% Irish and 19.91% western European (French/German). Also among the highest regional ethnicities in the average UK resident were Scandinavia (9.20%), Spain and Portugal (3.05%), and Italy and Greece (1.98%).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, London – often claimed to be one of the most diverse cities in the world – was the most ethnically diverse region. The average Londoner has the highest percentage of ancestry from 17 out of the 26 global regions studied. The 26 heritage regions included north Africa, the Middle East, Polynesia, the Caucasus and Scandinavia.

Brad Argent, from AncestryDNA, said: “At a time when the concept of British identity is at the forefront of many people’s minds, it’s interesting to see that when it comes to our ancestry, we’re not as British or Irish as we may think. The UK has been a cultural and ethnic melting pot for not just generations, but centuries, and our DNA data provides a fascinating glimpse into our ancestors, including hints of immigration and emigration.”

The east Midlands were found to have the most Scandinavian ancestry (10.37%) as well as the most eastern European (2.47%), while the east of England has the most Italian/Greek ancestry (2.53%) and western European (French/German) ancestry (22.52%), as well as the highest amount from Spain/Portugal (3.43%).

Within England, the north-east is home to people with the most Irish (Celtic) ancestry (27.58%). But the percentage is significantly higher in Scotland (43.84%), Wales (31.99%) and Northern Ireland (48.49%).