What is my heritage in a fraction?

Question

My great grandpa on my mom's side was 100% Italian and his wife (my great grandma) was 100% Irish. They had three boys and three girls, one of the boys is my grandpa.

His wife (my mom's mom) is half Italian/ half Brazilian.

My great grandpa on my dad's side was half German/ half Irish and my great grandma was 100% British. They had 6 boys and 2 girls. One of those girls is my grandma.

Her husband (my dad's dad) is half Italian/ half Swiss

What does that make me? I really have NO ideas what so ever. Please let me know. 10 points.

Answer 1

You're missing half of your great-grandparents.  You should have 8, not four.

Come back with more info. to them and someone can give you your fractions.

...

O.K.  Now it's easier:

3/8ths Italian

3/16ths Irish

1/8th Brazilian

1/16th German

1/8th British

1/16th Polish

1/16th Swiss

Not that it matters.  That's also assuming that those people have only the ancestry you said.

Answer 2

Make it easier on yourself by tossing out percentages of this/ that.

Chart out who your ancestors are.. you have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 gr grandparents, 16 gr gr grandparents.  EACH of the gr gr grandparents represent 1/16th of your background.  If you have all the names and origins of the gr gr gr grandparents.. that goes to 1/32nd.

USE THE SAME generation when you can.  If you have all 16 of the gr gr grandparents, work with who they are, and what they "are".   If 3 of them come from Italy (and no where else), that is 3/16ths.   In order to do this, if any of them are part of two things.. you go back to the next generation, but need all of them as well.

How many children anyone had, is completely outside the needed information.

Or.. don't even get lost in all of that..

Answer 3

37.5% Italian

25% Irish

12.5% German,Brazilian,Swiss

Answer 4

If you take a sheet of paper and outline it, the way you gave it above, you can come up with a percentage.

The problem is that no one, since Adam & Eve, are 100% of anything. No even race. Germany was overrun by Danes; Ireland was run over by Romans, Celts, Picts, Anglos, Saxons, and Danes; before, Switzerland did not exist, but was part of the Roman Empire, Charlemagne's empire, etc., meaning that the people there are completely mixed.

If you go back to the early Medieval Period, Europe was run over by the Chinese hordes (just do a DNA test and you will most likely find you are part Chinese. I am.) The Vikings during their peak ran as far east as the Black Sea, so most people in Europe will have some Viking blood.

As to Brazilian, everyone in Brazil (unless a relative new-comer) is part American Indian AND part black, as well as part European.

Since it is impossible to get a very full picture by the paper trail, I suggest you opt for a DNA test. I used www.familytreedna.com, but there are others. Your DNA test will give you a MUCH BETTER OVERVIEW than you could ever hope to achieve by paper trail.

Answer 5

You are 1/8th of each of your great grandparents and 1/16 of each of your GG GPs; you just divide by 2.

So, in the order you listed them, you are

1/8 Italian (GGF)

1/8 Irish (GGM)

1/8 Italian & 1/8 Brazilian (Mom's Mom)

1/16 German & 1/16 Irish (GGP)

1/8 British (GGM)

1/8 Italian & 1/8 Swiss (Dad's Dad)

Then you add. I get

3/8 (6/16) Italian

3/16 Irish

1/8 (2/16) Brazilian

1/16 German

1/8 (2/16) British

1/8 (2/16) Swiss

That makes 16 16/ths, so you are all there.

Answer 6

You are a mutt.   If you trace your family history as you go back the fractions will change.

There isn't any such thing as a pure nationality or a pure race or ethnicity.