Why do the English pass better in the Isles than anywhere else?

[~Elizabeth~]

You don't have one known ancestor from the Republic of Ireland? I have links to all five countries on all four sides, so my gene pool is like a map of most of the British Isles (not much eastern English or western Irish).

Nope.

[Anglo-Celtic]

Nope.

You moved from NYC to Florida. Is that right, or did I imagine that?

[Watersater79]

I don't know the difference in appearance between English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish. I've never been to the British Isles. Maybe it would help me understand the differences if you posted photos. I have some ancestry from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland (Ulster Scot).

At face value, the Welsh/Scottish tend to have much more 'robust' faces than the English (although there are plenty of Brunn/Borreby types in England). The Irish are closer to the Welsh/Scottish in this regard, but seem slightly longer-faced by comparison. Beyond that, I can't quite go into detail other than to highlight how well I know England (although i am in Canada I did grow up there) and that there is a rather distinctive 'English' look (although the English are pretty diverse in this regard; the actor Phil Daniels, of a noticeable Germanic phenotype, looks very English, but the heavily Keltic-influenced Leighton Baines, also looks very English).
It's more that there are just a lot of Welsh and Scottish who do not, IMHO, pass as English. If I think of a Welsh person who looks distinctly Welsh this guy, the Rugby player, Shane Williams, comes to mind

If I think of a distinctly Scottish-looking face, Jim Kerr, lead singer of the 80s band Simple Minds, is what comes to the forefront of my consciousness (once again, its more that he wouldn't pass as English).

Although residing on the same island, at this point, it really shouldn't be a surprise that phenotypical distinctions can be made between the English and their more 'native' brethren.

[~Elizabeth~]

You moved from NYC to Florida. Is that right, or did I imagine that?

Yes. I was born and raised in NYC but my parents were not originally from NYC.

My Mom and I moved out of NYC and lived in North Carolina before moving to Florida. Her mother's side was from North Carolina.

[~Elizabeth~]

At face value, the Welsh/Scottish tend to have much more 'robust' faces than the English (although there are plenty of Brunn/Borreby types in England). The Irish are closer to the Welsh/Scottish in this regard, but seem slightly longer-faced by comparison. Beyond that, I can't quite go into detail other than to highlight how well I know England (although i am in Canada I did grow up there) and that there is a rather distinctive 'English' look (although the English are pretty diverse in this regard; the actor Phil Daniels, of a noticeable Germanic phenotype, looks very English, but the heavily Keltic-influenced Leighton Baines, also looks very English).
It's more that there are just a lot of Welsh and Scottish who do not, IMHO, pass as English. If I think of a Welsh person who looks distinctly Welsh this guy, the Rugby player, Shane Williams, comes to mind

If I think of a distinctly Scottish-looking face, Jim Kerr, lead singer of the 80s band Simple Minds, is what comes to the forefront of my consciousness (once again, its more that he wouldn't pass as English).

Although residing on the same island, at this point, it really shouldn't be a surprise that phenotypical distinctions can be made between the English and their more 'native' brethren.

Thank you for the photos and for trying to explain it to me.

[Avicenna]

At face value, the Welsh/Scottish tend to have much more 'robust' faces than the English (although there are plenty of Brunn/Borreby types in England). The Irish are closer to the Welsh/Scottish in this regard, but seem slightly longer-faced by comparison. Beyond that, I can't quite go into detail other than to highlight how well I know England (although i am in Canada I did grow up there) and that there is a rather distinctive 'English' look (although the English are pretty diverse in this regard; the actor Phil Daniels, of a noticeable Germanic phenotype, looks very English, but the heavily Keltic-influenced Leighton Baines, also looks very English).
It's more that there are just a lot of Welsh and Scottish who do not, IMHO, pass as English. If I think of a Welsh person who looks distinctly Welsh this guy, the Rugby player, Shane Williams, comes to mind

If I think of a distinctly Scottish-looking face, Jim Kerr, lead singer of the 80s band Simple Minds, is what comes to the forefront of my consciousness (once again, its more that he wouldn't pass as English).

Although residing on the same island, at this point, it really shouldn't be a surprise that phenotypical distinctions can be made between the English and their more 'native' brethren.

From a football perspective, Aaron Ramsay( former arsenal player) looks distinctively welsh . He doesn't look English. Not even a little . Someone like Aaron Ramsdale or Jordan Pickford are uniquely English. Cannot be anything else but English. Someone like Kieran Tierney or Andrew Robertson look uniquely Scottish. Cannot be anything other than Scottish imo. What do you think?







Just to make it clear when I say uniquely, I mean within the spectrum of the British isles. For instance Im well aware that Ramsdale can pass in Finland or Norway, however he doesn't pass as anything but English within the isles.

[Oliver109]

From a football perspective, Aaron Ramsay( former arsenal player) looks distinctively welsh . He doesn't look English. Not even a little . Someone like Aaron Ramsdale or Jordan Pickford are uniquely English. Cannot be anything else but English. Someone like Kieran Tierney or Andrew Robertson look uniquely Scottish. Cannot be anything other than Scottish imo. What do you think?

Aaron Ramsay looks generic west Euro, if you saw him eating in a cafe in Cardiff or Ipswich or in Paris or Brussels you wouldn't think he was not from there. Ramsdale can pass as Welsh, plenty of blondes in Wales, Pickford looks more English, has a really long head and looks typical of NE england especially.

[Septentrion]

From a football perspective, Aaron Ramsay( former arsenal player) looks distinctively welsh . He doesn't look English. Not even a little . Someone like Aaron Ramsdale or Jordan Pickford are uniquely English. Cannot be anything else but English. Someone like Kieran Tierney or Andrew Robertson look uniquely Scottish. Cannot be anything other than Scottish imo. What do you think?







Just to make it clear when I say uniquely, I mean within the spectrum of the British isles. For instance Im well aware that Ramsdale can pass in Finland or Norway, however he doesn't pass as anything but English within the isles.

Correct! Right on.

[Septentrion]

Exactly. Half the time people post 'classify English actor' etc on this forum it's someone with an Irish, Scottish, or Welsh surname. Celebrities and sportspeople who are most visible are even more mixed than the average.

Alan Shearer looks to me, more English than Irish.

[Avicenna]

Aaron Ramsay looks generic west Euro, if you saw him eating in a cafe in Cardiff or Ipswich or in Paris or Brussels you wouldn't think he was not from there. Ramsdale can pass as Welsh, plenty of blondes in Wales, Pickford looks more English, has a really long head and looks typical of NE england especially.

I had a Albanian friend who looked like a splitting image of Ramsey. My point was, he specifically looks Welsh within the isles. I can't see him as a irishman or a Englishman. I would assume he would be mixed( that doesn't mean he looks mixed, I'm just saying I'm not used to his type in England)