Ancestry for Greenwood County, SC - ERSys®
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Greenwood County – Ancestry

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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:

13.98

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

African American

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

Greenwood County70,5283,99598379352,80734731927714,2433,6863,382
South Carolina (in 000's)5,56537017381189564520930220208
National (in 000's)343,25113,8902,21362611,32738,8796,1814,6443,68725,8937,8527,174
Laurens County71,7966,273152297812,10779031729110,6972,9582,942
Newberry County39,4612,4078925502,23755372577,1942,0181,905
Edgefield County30,1482,892767208953401782825,4942,0631,741
Abbeville County24,8522,0035110138230136974,0121,2631,181
Saluda County19,6881,4795001981,849990381302,608850817
McCormick County10,33539434371240452,509872781
 
Per Cent to Total PopulationDiversity
Index
 

Greenwood County13.985.660.140.051.333.980.490.450.3920.195.234.80
South Carolina10.856.660.310.061.453.391.010.800.3616.713.953.74
National7.834.050.640.183.3011.331.801.351.077.542.292.09
Laurens County13.188.740.210.041.092.931.100.440.4114.904.124.10
Newberry County12.186.100.230.011.395.671.400.180.1418.235.114.83
Edgefield County12.429.590.250.020.693.160.130.590.9418.226.845.77
Abbeville County17.368.060.210.040.560.930.050.280.0316.145.084.75
Saluda County11.787.510.250.001.019.395.030.190.6613.254.324.15
McCormick County14.633.810.330.030.690.230.000.040.0524.288.447.56
 
Comparisons to State Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Greenwood County 85.1045.1791.1791.52117.2648.6556.33108.29120.86132.28128.29
South Carolina 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
National 60.80209.59317.13227.82333.71178.07168.51296.1645.1557.9055.92
Laurens County 131.2768.8270.1975.1086.46108.8154.99111.7689.17104.28109.63
Newberry County 91.6473.318.8196.22167.02138.5722.7339.83109.11129.43129.16
Edgefield County 144.1281.9440.3547.6393.1313.1273.54257.91109.06173.20154.50
Abbeville County 121.0966.7069.9338.3427.275.1734.587.7796.62128.63127.14
Saluda County 112.8682.550.0069.43276.69497.2324.04182.0679.28109.27111.02
McCormick County 57.28106.9350.4447.436.840.004.8213.34145.29213.55202.17
 
Comparisons to National Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Greenwood County 139.9821.5528.7540.1735.1427.3233.4336.57267.71228.47229.43
South Carolina 164.4847.7131.5343.8929.9756.1659.3433.77221.50172.72178.83
National 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
Laurens County 215.9132.8322.1332.9625.9161.1032.6337.74197.51180.11196.06
Newberry County 150.7334.982.7842.2450.0577.8213.4913.45241.67223.56230.97
Edgefield County 237.0539.1012.7220.9127.917.3743.6487.09241.58299.14276.30
Abbeville County 199.1731.8322.0516.838.172.9020.522.62214.00222.16227.37
Saluda County 185.6439.390.0030.4882.92279.2314.2761.48175.60188.73198.54
McCormick County 94.2151.0215.9120.822.050.002.864.50321.82368.84361.56
 
Ancestry Report Part II
DescriptionTotal Population Canadian British Dutch French German Italian Polish Scandi­navian Scotish/ Irish Spanish Other European

Greenwood County70,528573,4872083812,2845702571654,0534975
South Carolina (in 000's)5,56515364184327093414238111122
National (in 000's)343,2511,35018,0691,8283,64224,7089,0274,6675,96920,6251,1409,563
Laurens County71,7961954,0031694012,6305482733105,17926747
Newberry County39,461861,9231182262,936298711031,51091412
Edgefield County30,148481,476221761,120286783321,13434303
Abbeville County24,852231,02262153801116721001,62849328
Saluda County19,688541,085675977915042826273109
McCormick County10,335364623199414793911750421166
 
Per Cent to Total PopulationDiversity
Index
 

Greenwood County13.980.084.940.290.543.240.810.360.235.750.011.38
South Carolina10.850.276.550.320.774.851.670.730.766.840.202.19
National7.830.395.260.531.067.202.631.361.746.010.332.79
Laurens County13.180.275.580.240.563.660.760.380.437.210.041.04
Newberry County12.180.224.870.300.577.440.760.180.263.830.231.04
Edgefield County12.420.164.900.070.583.720.950.261.103.760.111.01
Abbeville County17.360.094.110.250.623.220.470.290.406.550.201.32
Saluda County11.780.275.510.340.303.960.760.210.423.180.020.55
McCormick County14.630.354.470.300.964.010.760.381.134.880.201.61
 
Comparisons to State Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Greenwood County 29.7175.4891.8870.1066.7348.3249.9130.9284.022.8563.24
South Carolina 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
National 144.6180.36165.91137.68148.31157.24186.22229.8187.85167.12127.46
Laurens County 99.8585.1273.3372.4875.4845.6352.0857.06105.4718.2247.60
Newberry County 80.1274.3993.1674.32153.3045.1524.6434.5055.95116.0147.76
Edgefield County 58.5374.7422.7375.7676.5456.7235.44145.5455.0056.7445.98
Abbeville County 34.0262.7877.7279.8966.4127.9139.6853.1895.7899.1960.38
Saluda County 100.8384.13106.0238.8981.5345.5529.2255.0446.567.6725.33
McCormick County 128.0668.2493.45124.3182.5445.7051.69149.6271.30102.2273.48
 
Comparisons to National Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Greenwood County 20.5593.9255.3850.9244.9930.7326.8013.4595.641.7149.62
South Carolina 69.15124.4460.2772.6367.4263.6053.7043.51113.8359.8478.46
National 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
Laurens County 69.05105.9244.2052.6450.8929.0227.9724.83120.0510.9037.34
Newberry County 55.4192.5756.1553.98103.3628.7113.2315.0163.6869.4237.47
Edgefield County 40.4893.0113.7055.0251.6136.0719.0363.3362.6033.9536.07
Abbeville County 23.5378.1246.8558.0344.7817.7521.3123.14109.0259.3547.37
Saluda County 69.73104.6963.9028.2554.9728.9715.6923.9553.004.5919.87
McCormick County 88.5684.9256.3290.2955.6529.0627.7665.1081.1661.1757.65
 
Ancestry Report Part III
DescriptionTotal Population Chinese Filipino Japanese Korean Vietnamese South Central Asian South East Asian Other Asian Middle Eastern Other Ancestry Unknown

Greenwood County70,5282212510390191088463339,33517,880
South Carolina (in 000's)5,56515153610329714946970
National (in 000's)343,2514,4613,0107931,5411,9135,4521,6431,2291,93147,32251,000
Laurens County71,7962955223226261941612,29017,324
Newberry County39,461434810030451556,7757,614
Edgefield County30,148120102301658515,4705,565
Abbeville County24,8520000029122183,0818,370
Saluda County19,688133610029153,6173,938
McCormick County10,335016000100411,3292,310
 
Per Cent to Total PopulationDiversity
Index
 

Greenwood County13.980.310.040.150.130.030.150.120.090.0513.2425.35
South Carolina10.850.260.270.050.110.170.570.170.130.2517.0017.42
National7.831.300.880.230.450.561.590.480.360.5613.7914.86
Laurens County13.180.040.080.000.030.030.090.080.130.0217.1224.13
Newberry County12.180.110.120.030.000.010.000.010.130.1417.1719.30
Edgefield County12.420.040.000.030.010.100.000.020.190.1718.1418.46
Abbeville County17.360.000.000.000.000.000.120.050.080.0312.4033.68
Saluda County11.780.010.170.030.010.000.000.010.050.0818.3720.00
McCormick County14.630.000.150.000.000.000.100.000.040.0112.8622.35
 
Comparisons to State Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Greenwood County 120.1013.01274.91112.5115.7426.9771.5567.6918.7677.86145.50
South Carolina 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
National 498.13321.83434.82395.93325.67279.79287.55271.42225.5681.1085.27
Laurens County 15.4828.115.2428.2517.9115.2151.0499.228.94100.69138.48
Newberry County 41.7744.6447.700.004.440.006.0997.9455.89100.99110.74
Edgefield County 15.260.0062.445.8558.150.5811.96145.7967.84106.73105.94
Abbeville County 0.000.000.000.000.0020.5629.0164.0312.9172.93193.29
Saluda County 1.9561.5157.374.480.000.006.1034.6430.55108.07114.80
McCormick County 0.0056.810.000.000.0017.040.0029.333.8875.64128.28
 
Comparisons to National Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Greenwood County 24.114.0463.2328.424.839.6424.8824.948.3296.01170.63
South Carolina 20.0831.0723.0025.2630.7135.7434.7836.8444.33123.31117.27
National 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
Laurens County 3.118.731.217.135.505.4417.7536.553.96124.17162.40
Newberry County 8.3813.8710.970.001.360.002.1236.0824.78124.53129.86
Edgefield County 3.060.0014.361.4817.860.214.1653.7130.08131.61124.24
Abbeville County 0.000.000.000.000.007.3510.0923.595.7289.92226.68
Saluda County 0.3919.1113.191.130.000.002.1212.7613.55133.26134.62
McCormick County 0.0017.650.000.000.006.090.0010.811.7293.27150.43


Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025