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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)

Hamilton County	389,891	29,270	770	131	3,650	11,857	8,776	2,799	1,481	44,304	12,097	10,980
Tennessee (in 000's)	7,297	783	15	4	68	282	99	35	25	756	199	159
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
Bradley County	114,405	11,746	253	102	1,913	4,923	1,189	418	441	3,257	1,105	784
Whitfield County	106,011	7,589	151	19	2,015	29,882	4,909	717	1,203	1,860	1,152	575
Catoosa County	69,054	11,174	159	73	421	1,374	570	166	44	1,176	329	221
Walker County	69,162	10,815	123	22	606	951	120	27	51	1,764	723	428
Rhea County	35,127	4,284	95	6	64	1,433	592	16	30	401	100	99
Marion County	30,059	4,939	90	3	23	596	4	0	42	569	221	180
Dade County	16,306	2,792	55	4	76	107	0	159	20	155	35	15
Sequatchie County	17,781	3,131	54	3	80	235	320	0	96	76	5	3
Bledsoe County	15,977	2,801	62	0	122	332	11	24	8	611	197	132
Meigs County	14,112	1,732	73	1	16	124	44	0	6	145	54	52

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Hamilton County	10.65	7.51	0.20	0.03	0.94	3.04	2.25	0.72	0.38	11.36	3.10	2.82
Tennessee	11.46	10.74	0.21	0.05	0.94	3.86	1.35	0.48	0.34	10.36	2.72	2.18
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
Bradley County	14.96	10.27	0.22	0.09	1.67	4.30	1.04	0.37	0.39	2.85	0.97	0.69
Whitfield County	15.17	7.16	0.14	0.02	1.90	28.19	4.63	0.68	1.13	1.75	1.09	0.54
Catoosa County	14.84	16.18	0.23	0.11	0.61	1.99	0.83	0.24	0.06	1.70	0.48	0.32
Walker County	15.59	15.64	0.18	0.03	0.88	1.38	0.17	0.04	0.07	2.55	1.05	0.62
Rhea County	17.79	12.20	0.27	0.02	0.18	4.08	1.69	0.05	0.09	1.14	0.28	0.28
Marion County	20.42	16.43	0.30	0.01	0.08	1.98	0.01	0.00	0.14	1.89	0.74	0.60
Dade County	15.22	17.12	0.34	0.02	0.47	0.66	0.00	0.98	0.12	0.95	0.21	0.09
Sequatchie County	19.88	17.61	0.30	0.02	0.45	1.32	1.80	0.00	0.54	0.43	0.03	0.02
Bledsoe County	21.09	17.53	0.39	0.00	0.76	2.08	0.07	0.15	0.05	3.82	1.23	0.83
Meigs County	19.69	12.27	0.52	0.01	0.11	0.88	0.31	0.00	0.04	1.03	0.38	0.37

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

Hamilton County		69.92	94.52	66.16	100.05	78.78	166.35	150.23	110.77	109.72	113.99	129.21
Tennessee		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		37.69	308.58	359.30	352.66	293.42	133.09	283.13	313.21	72.84	84.04	95.89
Bradley County		95.63	105.84	175.55	178.70	111.48	76.81	76.46	112.41	27.49	35.49	31.44
Whitfield County		66.68	68.17	35.29	203.13	730.22	342.23	141.54	330.91	16.94	39.92	24.89
Catoosa County		150.72	110.20	208.15	65.15	51.55	61.00	50.31	18.58	16.44	17.50	14.68
Walker County		145.65	85.11	62.63	93.64	35.62	12.82	8.17	21.50	24.63	38.41	28.39
Rhea County		113.59	129.43	33.63	19.47	105.68	124.55	9.53	24.90	11.02	10.46	12.93
Marion County		153.04	143.29	19.65	8.18	51.36	0.98	0.00	40.75	18.28	27.01	27.47
Dade County		159.48	161.43	48.30	49.81	17.00	0.00	204.06	35.77	9.18	7.89	4.22
Sequatchie County		164.01	145.34	33.22	48.08	34.24	133.00	0.00	157.44	4.13	1.03	0.77
Bledsoe County		163.29	185.72	0.00	81.61	53.83	5.09	31.44	14.60	36.93	45.30	37.91
Meigs County		114.31	247.57	13.95	12.12	22.76	23.04	0.00	12.40	9.92	14.06	16.91

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

Hamilton County		185.52	30.63	18.41	28.37	26.85	124.99	53.06	35.37	150.63	135.63	134.74
Tennessee		265.32	32.41	27.83	28.36	34.08	75.14	35.32	31.93	137.29	118.99	104.28
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Bradley County		253.72	34.30	48.86	50.67	37.99	57.71	27.01	35.89	37.74	42.22	32.79
Whitfield County		176.90	22.09	9.82	57.60	248.86	257.14	49.99	105.65	23.26	47.50	25.95
Catoosa County		399.87	35.71	57.93	18.48	17.57	45.84	17.77	5.93	22.58	20.83	15.31
Walker County		386.42	27.58	17.43	26.55	12.14	9.63	2.89	6.87	33.81	45.70	29.61
Rhea County		301.38	41.94	9.36	5.52	36.02	93.59	3.37	7.95	15.13	12.44	13.48
Marion County		406.04	46.44	5.47	2.32	17.51	0.74	0.00	13.01	25.09	32.14	28.65
Dade County		423.13	52.31	13.44	14.12	5.79	0.00	72.07	11.42	12.60	9.38	4.40
Sequatchie County		435.14	47.10	9.25	13.63	11.67	99.94	0.00	50.27	5.67	1.23	0.81
Bledsoe County		433.23	60.18	0.00	23.14	18.35	3.82	11.10	4.66	50.70	53.90	39.53
Meigs County		303.29	80.23	3.88	3.44	7.76	17.31	0.00	3.96	13.62	16.73	17.63

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

Hamilton County	389,891	812	33,209	2,095	3,334	22,092	4,686	2,412	3,540	32,954	750	8,940
Tennessee (in 000's)	7,297	15	599	34	56	379	90	41	56	573	12	148
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
Bradley County	114,405	385	10,115	498	1,075	5,860	1,679	444	1,072	11,081	112	2,936
Whitfield County	106,011	53	11,809	229	562	1,929	564	122	370	4,481	90	839
Catoosa County	69,054	92	8,486	615	361	4,547	936	315	694	7,107	11	1,608
Walker County	69,162	265	8,997	494	628	2,941	829	306	575	7,563	82	1,117
Rhea County	35,127	44	3,343	248	301	2,172	568	124	304	3,361	158	315
Marion County	30,059	36	3,244	110	114	1,218	158	67	209	2,980	8	392
Dade County	16,306	40	2,210	129	112	1,014	213	145	173	2,010	0	275
Sequatchie County	17,781	110	1,744	58	132	1,092	215	104	49	1,326	17	178
Bledsoe County	15,977	0	1,198	52	99	656	178	59	126	978	0	248
Meigs County	14,112	44	1,060	144	175	950	483	54	140	1,531	28	254

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Hamilton County	10.65	0.21	8.52	0.54	0.86	5.67	1.20	0.62	0.91	8.45	0.19	2.29
Tennessee	11.46	0.21	8.21	0.47	0.77	5.19	1.23	0.56	0.77	7.85	0.17	2.03
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
Bradley County	14.96	0.34	8.84	0.44	0.94	5.12	1.47	0.39	0.94	9.69	0.10	2.57
Whitfield County	15.17	0.05	11.14	0.22	0.53	1.82	0.53	0.12	0.35	4.23	0.08	0.79
Catoosa County	14.84	0.13	12.29	0.89	0.52	6.58	1.36	0.46	1.01	10.29	0.02	2.33
Walker County	15.59	0.38	13.01	0.71	0.91	4.25	1.20	0.44	0.83	10.94	0.12	1.62
Rhea County	17.79	0.13	9.52	0.71	0.86	6.18	1.62	0.35	0.87	9.57	0.45	0.90
Marion County	20.42	0.12	10.79	0.37	0.38	4.05	0.53	0.22	0.70	9.91	0.03	1.30
Dade County	15.22	0.25	13.55	0.79	0.69	6.22	1.31	0.89	1.06	12.33	0.00	1.69
Sequatchie County	19.88	0.62	9.81	0.33	0.74	6.14	1.21	0.58	0.28	7.46	0.10	1.00
Bledsoe County	21.09	0.00	7.50	0.33	0.62	4.11	1.11	0.37	0.79	6.12	0.00	1.55
Meigs County	19.69	0.31	7.51	1.02	1.24	6.73	3.42	0.38	0.99	10.85	0.20	1.80

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

Hamilton County		99.15	103.80	115.06	111.16	109.23	97.41	110.58	118.13	107.67	114.42	112.79
Tennessee		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		187.26	64.15	114.04	137.92	138.76	213.15	243.02	226.23	76.55	197.58	137.05
Bradley County		160.21	107.75	93.21	122.15	98.74	118.94	69.37	121.91	123.39	58.23	126.24
Whitfield County		23.80	135.75	46.26	68.91	35.08	43.12	20.57	45.41	53.85	50.50	38.93
Catoosa County		63.43	149.76	190.71	67.96	126.93	109.85	81.54	130.76	131.11	9.47	114.54
Walker County		182.42	158.53	152.95	118.03	81.97	97.14	79.08	108.17	139.31	70.52	79.44
Rhea County		59.63	115.98	151.18	111.39	119.19	131.05	63.10	112.60	121.89	267.54	44.11
Marion County		57.02	131.52	78.36	49.30	78.11	42.60	39.84	90.46	126.29	15.83	64.15
Dade County		116.79	165.17	169.40	89.29	119.87	105.87	158.95	138.04	157.03	0.00	82.96
Sequatchie County		294.52	119.53	69.85	96.50	118.39	98.00	104.55	35.85	95.00	56.87	49.24
Bledsoe County		0.00	91.38	69.69	80.55	79.15	90.29	66.01	102.61	77.98	0.00	76.35
Meigs County		148.44	91.54	218.50	161.20	129.77	277.39	68.40	129.07	138.21	118.01	88.54

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

Hamilton County		52.95	161.81	100.90	80.60	78.72	45.70	45.50	52.22	140.67	57.91	82.30
Tennessee		53.40	155.88	87.69	72.51	72.07	46.92	41.15	44.20	130.64	50.61	72.97
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Bradley County		85.55	167.96	81.74	88.56	71.16	55.80	28.54	53.89	161.20	29.47	92.11
Whitfield County		12.71	211.61	40.56	49.97	25.28	20.23	8.46	20.07	70.35	25.56	28.41
Catoosa County		33.87	233.45	167.23	49.27	91.48	51.54	33.55	57.80	171.29	4.80	83.58
Walker County		97.41	247.12	134.12	85.58	59.07	45.58	32.54	47.81	181.99	35.69	57.97
Rhea County		31.84	180.79	132.57	80.76	85.90	61.48	25.96	49.77	159.24	135.40	32.19
Marion County		30.45	205.02	68.72	35.75	56.29	19.99	16.39	39.99	164.99	8.01	46.81
Dade County		62.36	257.47	148.55	64.74	86.39	49.67	65.40	61.02	205.15	0.00	60.53
Sequatchie County		157.28	186.32	61.25	69.97	85.32	45.98	43.02	15.85	124.11	28.78	35.93
Bledsoe County		0.00	142.44	61.11	58.40	57.04	42.36	27.16	45.35	101.87	0.00	55.71
Meigs County		79.27	142.69	191.61	116.88	93.52	130.14	28.14	57.05	180.55	59.73	64.60

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

Hamilton County	389,891	752	1,103	120	1,244	612	3,513	510	476	944	58,136	81,542
Tennessee (in 000's)	7,297	21	16	5	12	12	44	19	10	29	1,010	1,692
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
Bradley County	114,405	104	294	0	76	79	555	36	102	183	16,510	35,078
Whitfield County	106,011	130	78	159	167	241	503	57	201	85	16,492	16,778
Catoosa County	69,054	94	88	14	212	59	320	120	131	26	8,632	18,879
Walker County	69,162	27	29	25	150	0	38	19	62	75	9,966	19,344
Rhea County	35,127	7	21	0	10	6	132	0	37	0	4,648	12,208
Marion County	30,059	2	12	19	32	0	33	6	6	34	3,485	11,227
Dade County	16,306	12	1	0	7	6	55	0	61	15	2,233	4,177
Sequatchie County	17,781	66	15	7	2	0	3	3	6	51	2,091	6,509
Bledsoe County	15,977	10	0	0	1	0	7	0	6	3	1,788	6,268
Meigs County	14,112	3	33	0	0	0	3	6	4	0	1,574	5,379

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Hamilton County	10.65	0.19	0.28	0.03	0.32	0.16	0.90	0.13	0.12	0.24	14.91	20.91
Tennessee	11.46	0.29	0.21	0.06	0.16	0.17	0.61	0.26	0.14	0.40	13.84	23.19
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
Bradley County	14.96	0.09	0.26	0.00	0.07	0.07	0.49	0.03	0.09	0.16	14.43	30.66
Whitfield County	15.17	0.12	0.07	0.15	0.16	0.23	0.47	0.05	0.19	0.08	15.56	15.83
Catoosa County	14.84	0.14	0.13	0.02	0.31	0.09	0.46	0.17	0.19	0.04	12.50	27.34
Walker County	15.59	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.22	0.00	0.05	0.03	0.09	0.11	14.41	27.97
Rhea County	17.79	0.02	0.06	0.00	0.03	0.02	0.38	0.00	0.11	0.00	13.23	34.75
Marion County	20.42	0.01	0.04	0.06	0.11	0.00	0.11	0.02	0.02	0.11	11.59	37.35
Dade County	15.22	0.07	0.01	0.00	0.04	0.04	0.34	0.00	0.37	0.09	13.69	25.62
Sequatchie County	19.88	0.37	0.08	0.04	0.01	0.00	0.02	0.02	0.03	0.29	11.76	36.61
Bledsoe County	21.09	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.01	0.00	0.04	0.00	0.04	0.02	11.19	39.23
Meigs County	19.69	0.02	0.23	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.02	0.04	0.03	0.00	11.15	38.12

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

Hamilton County		66.44	132.91	47.43	197.35	95.05	148.39	50.16	87.75	60.61	107.77	90.20
Tennessee		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		447.69	412.02	355.96	277.75	337.47	261.57	183.56	257.44	140.81	99.65	64.08
Bradley County		31.31	120.73	0.00	41.09	41.82	79.89	12.07	64.08	40.04	104.31	132.23
Whitfield County		42.24	34.57	231.14	97.44	137.66	78.14	20.62	136.28	20.07	112.44	68.26
Catoosa County		46.89	59.87	31.24	189.90	51.74	76.32	66.64	136.36	9.43	90.35	117.91
Walker County		13.45	19.70	55.70	134.15	0.00	9.05	10.54	64.43	27.15	104.15	120.62
Rhea County		6.86	28.09	0.00	17.61	10.34	61.89	0.00	75.71	0.00	95.64	149.88
Marion County		2.29	18.76	97.41	65.85	0.00	18.08	7.66	14.35	28.32	83.80	161.08
Dade County		25.35	2.88	0.00	26.55	22.28	55.55	0.00	268.89	23.03	98.98	110.48
Sequatchie County		127.86	39.63	60.67	6.96	0.00	2.78	6.47	24.25	71.80	85.00	157.87
Bledsoe County		21.56	0.00	0.00	3.87	0.00	7.22	0.00	26.99	4.70	80.89	169.19
Meigs County		7.32	109.86	0.00	0.00	0.00	3.50	16.31	20.37	0.00	80.62	164.39

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

Hamilton County		14.84	32.26	13.32	71.05	28.17	56.73	27.33	34.09	43.05	108.16	140.76
Tennessee		22.34	24.27	28.09	36.00	29.63	38.23	54.48	38.84	71.02	100.35	156.06
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Bradley County		6.99	29.30	0.00	14.79	12.39	30.54	6.57	24.89	28.44	104.68	206.36
Whitfield County		9.44	8.39	64.93	35.08	40.79	29.87	11.23	52.94	14.26	112.84	106.52
Catoosa County		10.47	14.53	8.78	68.37	15.33	29.18	36.31	52.97	6.69	90.67	184.01
Walker County		3.00	4.78	15.65	48.30	0.00	3.46	5.74	25.03	19.28	104.52	188.24
Rhea County		1.53	6.82	0.00	6.34	3.07	23.66	0.00	29.41	0.00	95.98	233.91
Marion County		0.51	4.55	27.37	23.71	0.00	6.91	4.17	5.57	20.11	84.10	251.38
Dade County		5.66	0.70	0.00	9.56	6.60	21.24	0.00	104.45	16.36	99.33	172.41
Sequatchie County		28.56	9.62	17.04	2.50	0.00	1.06	3.53	9.42	50.99	85.30	246.38
Bledsoe County		4.82	0.00	0.00	1.39	0.00	2.76	0.00	10.49	3.34	81.17	264.04
Meigs County		1.64	26.66	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.34	8.88	7.91	0.00	80.90	256.54

Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025

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