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Ancestry refers to the lineage or descent of a person, family, or group, tracing back through generations to identify their origins, heritage, and familial connections. It encompasses the genetic, cultural, and historical ties that link individuals to their forebears, shaping their identity and sense of belonging. Ancestry is a multifaceted concept, intertwining biology, genealogy, history, and culture, and it plays a significant role in how people understand themselves and their place in the world.

At its core, ancestry is rooted in genetics. Each individual inherits a unique combination of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited their DNA from their own ancestors. This genetic material carries information about physical traits, predispositions to certain health conditions, and even behavioral tendencies. Advances in genetic testing, such as DNA analysis, have made it possible for individuals to trace their biological ancestry with remarkable precision. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer services that analyze genetic markers to provide insights into a person's ethnic composition and geographic origins, often revealing surprising connections to distant relatives or previously unknown heritage.

Beyond genetics, ancestry is deeply tied to genealogy, the study of family history and lineage. Genealogical research involves constructing family trees, documenting relationships, and uncovering historical records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, census data, and immigration documents. This process often reveals stories of migration, resilience, and adaptation, offering a window into the lives of ancestors and the challenges they faced. For many, genealogy is a way to honor their forebears and preserve their legacy for future generations.

Cultural ancestry is another critical dimension, encompassing the traditions, languages, customs, and values passed down through generations. It connects individuals to their ethnic or national heritage, shaping their cultural identity and worldview. For example, someone with Irish ancestry might celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn traditional Irish dance, or explore the Gaelic language, while someone with Japanese ancestry might practice tea ceremonies, study calligraphy, or observe Obon festivals. Cultural ancestry fosters a sense of continuity and belonging, linking individuals to a broader community with shared experiences and values.

Historical ancestry delves into the broader context of a family's or group's past, including significant events, social conditions, and historical movements that shaped their lives. For instance, the transatlantic slave trade, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Jewish diaspora have profoundly influenced the ancestry of millions of people, leaving lasting imprints on their descendants' identities. Understanding historical ancestry often involves grappling with complex narratives of triumph and tragedy, resilience and oppression, and the interplay of individual and collective experiences.

Ancestry also has a deeply personal and emotional dimension. For many, exploring their ancestry is a journey of self-discovery, offering insights into who they are and where they come from. It can foster a sense of pride, connection, and continuity, as well as a deeper appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before. At the same time, it can raise questions about identity, belonging, and the complexities of heritage, particularly for individuals with mixed or multicultural backgrounds.

In a globalized world, ancestry serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting individuals to their roots while also highlighting the interconnectedness of human history. It underscores the diversity and richness of human experience, reminding us that every person's story is part of a larger tapestry woven over centuries. Whether through genetic testing, genealogical research, cultural practices, or historical exploration, ancestry offers a profound way to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

A diversification score measures the diversity of ancestries in the county. As the value appoaches 100, ancestry diversity decreases and therefore increasing the risk of a lack of cultural diversity. The ancestry diversification score for this county is:

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

Ancestry Report Part I
Description	Total Population	American	Native American	Hawaiian	Caribbean (Latino)	Mexican	Central American	South American	Other Hispanic	African American	Sub- Saharan	Caribbean (Black)

St. Mary Parish	47,133	1,831	1,006	13	374	2,546	1,051	118	327	8,893	2,501	2,464
Louisiana (in 000's)	4,642	248	25	2	48	113	113	16	32	961	236	223
National (in 000's)	343,251	13,890	2,213	626	11,327	38,879	6,181	4,644	3,687	25,893	7,852	7,174
Terrebonne Parish	104,219	6,880	5,146	37	931	3,874	1,424	159	495	13,692	3,248	3,053
Iberia Parish	67,396	2,995	239	7	651	2,115	289	131	515	14,187	3,722	3,565
St. Martin Parish	51,579	2,697	181	2	114	979	442	0	184	9,944	2,416	2,395
Assumption Parish	20,404	1,418	72	0	20	721	22	1	97	3,608	1,034	1,033

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

St. Mary Parish	12.70	3.88	2.13	0.03	0.79	5.40	2.23	0.25	0.69	18.87	5.31	5.23
Louisiana	11.28	5.34	0.54	0.04	1.03	2.44	2.43	0.34	0.69	20.70	5.09	4.79
National	7.83	4.05	0.64	0.18	3.30	11.33	1.80	1.35	1.07	7.54	2.29	2.09
Terrebonne Parish	11.32	6.60	4.94	0.04	0.89	3.72	1.37	0.15	0.47	13.14	3.12	2.93
Iberia Parish	13.48	4.44	0.35	0.01	0.97	3.14	0.43	0.19	0.76	21.05	5.52	5.29
St. Martin Parish	13.99	5.23	0.35	0.00	0.22	1.90	0.86	0.00	0.36	19.28	4.68	4.64
Assumption Parish	13.37	6.95	0.35	0.00	0.10	3.53	0.11	0.00	0.48	17.68	5.07	5.06

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

St. Mary Parish		72.72	394.35	76.12	77.07	221.62	91.62	73.07	101.16	91.13	104.17	109.06
Louisiana		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		75.75	119.13	503.64	320.52	464.71	73.99	394.88	156.62	36.43	44.91	43.60
Terrebonne Parish		123.58	912.30	97.98	86.77	152.51	56.14	44.53	69.26	63.45	61.18	61.12
Iberia Parish		83.19	65.52	28.67	93.82	128.75	17.62	56.73	111.42	101.67	108.42	110.36
St. Martin Parish		97.88	64.84	10.70	21.47	77.87	35.21	0.00	52.02	93.11	91.96	96.87
Assumption Parish		130.09	65.20	0.00	9.52	144.98	4.43	1.43	69.32	85.40	99.48	105.62

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

St. Mary Parish		96.00	331.02	15.11	24.05	47.69	123.83	18.50	64.59	250.12	231.96	250.12
Louisiana		132.01	83.94	19.86	31.20	21.52	135.15	25.32	63.85	274.47	222.68	229.33
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Terrebonne Parish		163.13	765.78	19.45	27.07	32.82	75.87	11.28	44.22	174.16	136.24	140.16
Iberia Parish		109.82	55.00	5.69	29.27	27.71	23.81	14.37	71.14	279.05	241.42	253.08
St. Martin Parish		129.21	54.42	2.12	6.70	16.76	47.59	0.00	33.21	255.57	204.77	222.16
Assumption Parish		171.74	54.73	0.00	2.97	31.20	5.99	0.36	44.26	234.41	221.53	242.23

Ancestry Report Part II
Description	Total Population	Canadian	British	Dutch	French	German	Italian	Polish	Scandinavian	Scotish/ Irish	Spanish	Other European

St. Mary Parish	47,133	609	994	33	3,582	1,063	839	25	32	957	338	195
Louisiana (in 000's)	4,642	63	170	8	254	149	99	10	17	186	26	43
National (in 000's)	343,251	1,350	18,069	1,828	3,642	24,708	9,027	4,667	5,969	20,625	1,140	9,563
Terrebonne Parish	104,219	2,781	2,743	106	12,323	1,986	1,353	126	256	2,347	656	477
Iberia Parish	67,396	1,020	1,063	39	5,483	1,089	470	126	76	1,440	872	307
St. Martin Parish	51,579	3,317	679	18	5,261	927	366	67	44	803	234	192
Assumption Parish	20,404	604	397	2	2,151	349	187	1	22	205	287	23

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

St. Mary Parish	12.70	1.29	2.11	0.07	7.60	2.26	1.78	0.05	0.07	2.03	0.72	0.41
Louisiana	11.28	1.36	3.66	0.17	5.47	3.21	2.14	0.21	0.36	4.00	0.57	0.93
National	7.83	0.39	5.26	0.53	1.06	7.20	2.63	1.36	1.74	6.01	0.33	2.79
Terrebonne Parish	11.32	2.67	2.63	0.10	11.82	1.91	1.30	0.12	0.25	2.25	0.63	0.46
Iberia Parish	13.48	1.51	1.58	0.06	8.14	1.62	0.70	0.19	0.11	2.14	1.29	0.46
St. Martin Parish	13.99	6.43	1.32	0.03	10.20	1.80	0.71	0.13	0.09	1.56	0.45	0.37
Assumption Parish	13.37	2.96	1.95	0.01	10.54	1.71	0.92	0.00	0.11	1.00	1.41	0.11

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

St. Mary Parish		94.86	57.58	42.06	139.05	70.15	83.24	25.25	18.86	50.77	126.45	44.31
Louisiana		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		28.88	143.72	319.90	19.41	223.90	122.98	647.33	483.12	150.24	58.57	298.42
Terrebonne Parish		195.90	71.86	61.10	216.35	59.27	60.71	57.56	68.25	56.31	110.99	49.02
Iberia Parish		111.11	43.06	34.76	148.85	50.26	32.61	89.01	31.33	53.43	228.14	48.79
St. Martin Parish		472.12	35.94	20.96	186.63	55.90	33.18	61.85	23.70	38.93	79.99	39.87
Assumption Parish		217.32	53.12	5.89	192.89	53.20	42.86	2.33	29.96	25.12	248.02	12.07

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

St. Mary Parish		328.49	40.06	13.15	716.31	31.33	67.68	3.90	3.90	33.79	215.88	14.85
Louisiana		346.29	69.58	31.26	515.13	44.66	81.31	15.45	20.70	66.56	170.73	33.51
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Terrebonne Parish		678.39	50.00	19.10	1,114.47	26.47	49.36	8.89	14.13	37.48	189.48	16.43
Iberia Parish		384.76	29.96	10.87	766.80	22.45	26.52	13.75	6.49	35.56	389.49	16.35
St. Martin Parish		1,634.94	25.01	6.55	961.38	24.97	26.98	9.55	4.91	25.91	136.57	13.36
Assumption Parish		752.57	36.96	1.84	993.63	23.76	34.85	0.36	6.20	16.72	423.43	4.05

Ancestry Report Part III
Description	Total Population	Chinese	Filipino	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	South Central Asian	South East Asian	Other Asian	Middle Eastern	Other Ancestry	Unknown

St. Mary Parish	47,133	10	28	2	0	420	5	92	42	16	11,630	5,097
Louisiana (in 000's)	4,642	12	8	2	3	25	17	11	6	13	819	686
National (in 000's)	343,251	4,461	3,010	793	1,541	1,913	5,452	1,643	1,229	1,931	47,322	51,000
Terrebonne Parish	104,219	193	138	76	9	276	227	192	107	157	19,024	19,727
Iberia Parish	67,396	76	129	9	13	170	152	1,234	88	88	15,562	9,474
St. Martin Parish	51,579	98	25	12	1	156	10	107	36	22	12,678	7,172
Assumption Parish	20,404	0	8	0	7	54	10	9	7	76	4,572	3,407

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

St. Mary Parish	12.70	0.02	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.89	0.01	0.20	0.09	0.03	24.67	10.81
Louisiana	11.28	0.25	0.17	0.04	0.07	0.53	0.36	0.23	0.13	0.28	17.64	14.78
National	7.83	1.30	0.88	0.23	0.45	0.56	1.59	0.48	0.36	0.56	13.79	14.86
Terrebonne Parish	11.32	0.19	0.13	0.07	0.01	0.26	0.22	0.18	0.10	0.15	18.25	18.93
Iberia Parish	13.48	0.11	0.19	0.01	0.02	0.25	0.23	1.83	0.13	0.13	23.09	14.06
St. Martin Parish	13.99	0.19	0.05	0.02	0.00	0.30	0.02	0.21	0.07	0.04	24.58	13.90
Assumption Parish	13.37	0.00	0.04	0.00	0.03	0.26	0.05	0.04	0.03	0.37	22.41	16.70

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

St. Mary Parish		8.35	34.62	11.11	0.00	167.60	2.98	85.99	69.27	12.04	139.89	73.14
Louisiana		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		511.58	511.08	604.77	671.78	104.81	445.72	210.84	278.41	199.47	78.16	100.50
Terrebonne Parish		72.90	77.16	190.93	12.92	49.81	61.12	81.15	79.81	53.42	103.49	128.03
Iberia Parish		44.39	111.54	34.96	28.86	47.44	63.29	806.57	101.50	46.30	130.91	95.08
St. Martin Parish		74.79	28.25	60.91	2.90	56.88	5.44	91.38	54.25	15.13	139.35	94.05
Assumption Parish		0.00	22.85	0.00	51.32	49.78	13.75	19.43	26.67	132.09	127.04	112.94

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

St. Mary Parish		1.63	6.77	1.84	0.00	159.90	0.67	40.78	24.88	6.04	178.98	72.78
Louisiana		19.55	19.57	16.54	14.89	95.41	22.44	47.43	35.92	50.13	127.94	99.51
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Terrebonne Parish		14.25	15.10	31.57	1.92	47.52	13.71	38.49	28.67	26.78	132.40	127.40
Iberia Parish		8.68	21.82	5.78	4.30	45.26	14.20	382.55	36.46	23.21	167.49	94.61
St. Martin Parish		14.62	5.53	10.07	0.43	54.27	1.22	43.34	19.49	7.58	178.29	93.59
Assumption Parish		0.00	4.47	0.00	7.64	47.49	3.09	9.22	9.58	66.22	162.53	112.38

Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025

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