If you can’t decide between these two, we have published an article comparing 23andMe and AncestryDNA. Given the sizes of the databases, you are most likely to find a missing family member – or a clue to your missing family member – in the AncestryDNA or 23andMe databases, since these are the largest. For instance, if someone has taken a DNA test with AncestryDNA, then they will not show up in the 23andMe family finder feature unless they have also taken this test.Ĭurrent database sizes for the major ancestry companies are: Each ancestry testing company has their own database of users, and these databases do not overlap.
When it comes to picking an ancestry DNA test to find relatives, what you really want to think about are numbers. First things first: which ancestry test should I take? This guide will help you figure out which ancestry test is best for you, and how you can trace an unknown father or missing family member, even if they aren’t in the database you choose. It may be that you have to take multiple ancestry tests in order to find family more closely related to you, or upload your DNA data file elsewhere. Odds are that whichever test you choose to take, you will probably have some relatives in the database, even if the closest are only third or fourth cousins. With all these stories of hope and heartbreak, you may be wondering how you can use an ancestry DNA test to find a lost parent or other family member. Can I use an ancestry DNA test to find my father?Įvery week, there are stories of people finding lost family members, or discovering that their biological parents are not who they thought they were – or even that their biological father is a rogue fertility doctor.