Is 6% German enough to be an average white American?

**~~Sehnsucht~~** · 10-29-2013, 01:18 AM

I have determined that I'm probably around 6% German because my great great grandfather Henry on my mother's side came from Prussia Germany and I determined that he is indeed an authentic 100% German ancestor through paper trail genealogy because his ancestry is deeply rooted in Prussia going back to the 1600's and secondly because I have used 23andme to test another descendent of my great great grandfather's parents (this would be my second cousin twice removed) and this individual was apparently 100% German as per admixture analysis on GEDMATCH.

His wife Gertrude is also 100% authentic German they both raised my great grandfather but I have some reasons to believe that Henry probably slept with another woman to produce the birth of my great grandfather and that Henry is his true father but was born to a different mother. I don't know the ethnicity of this unknown mother, it could be a jew or native american for all I know.

I was told that my great grandfather's wife (my great grandmother) was from Germany but she actually was from Bohemia, not Germany and she and her parents looked non European in my opinion.

In addition, I have two more great great grandparents on my father's side who came from Germany but I think they were jewish just going by my paternal grandfathers behavior and how he acted as well as his appearance (he had a really big nose). So they don't count.

And the rest of my ancestors had no connection to Germany at all, they were either Scandinavian, Irish, French or Belgian.

So that would leave just 6% of my heritage as being authentic German, which seems pretty small. I know it is nothing to brag about. I have been told by a few friends that it is quite uncommon to not have any German heritage and one told me that 80% of white americans have German ancestry. I don't know just how true this is. The question is, is being 6% German German enough to be part of the 80% of white Americans who have German ancestory, or am I in the minority at only 6%? How common is it for white Americans to be 6% German? Is 6% enough to be considered "of German descent" or "German American"?

Jägerstaffel · 10-29-2013, 01:22 AM

What comprises the rest? Why are you fixated on it?

**Also** · 10-29-2013, 01:22 AM

You are only 6% German but you are proudest of the german part?

**Madonna** · 10-29-2013, 07:00 PM

you will be popular here believe me !!

**StonyArabia** · 10-29-2013, 07:01 PM

You are a White American as a long as you are of European descent, and especially NorthWestern European descent which you are.

**~~McCauley~~** · 10-29-2013, 07:05 PM

Nah man, people around here are like 25-50% at least.

**Prisoner Of Ice** · 10-29-2013, 07:14 PM

I have just over 6%. It's basically negligible. Only reason I am remotely proud is that it traces back to old prussian military. In general don't think I would be particularly proud of German ancestry as it's a lot like being of US ancestry, it's pretty mixed up and mostly neolithic.

But it would be ridiculous for either of us to think of ourselves as German. I'm guessing average american is more German than you and me. German and English seem to be fading out of US ancestry, but it's common to have some mix of it.