The Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark also report high rates of green eyes. 22. Green and blue eyes are also common in Finland, with 85% of its population having lighter eyes.
The largest concentration of green eyed people is in Ireland, Scotland and Northern Europe. In Ireland and Scotland, 86% of people have either blue or green eyes. There have been 16 genes identified that contribute to eye colour.
In Scandinavia around 90% of the population has light (blue,green and grey) eye.
Posted Sept. 22, 2020, 8:05 a.m. It turns out most Vikings weren't as fair-haired and blue-eyed as legend and pop culture have led people to believe. According to a new study on the DNA of over 400 Viking remains, most Vikings had dark hair and dark eyes.
So we can't blame you if you never noticed they can also have green eyes. Great Danes carry the merle gene, which means they are somewhat predisposed to the trait.
The highest concentration of people with green eyes is found in Ireland, Scotland, and northern Europe. In fact, in Ireland and Scotland, more than three-fourths of the population has blue or green eyes – 86 percent!
Since most Norwegians — 55 percent — have blue eyes, it is possible that the results would differ in other populations, the researchers acknowledged.
Scandinavian eyes are characterized by their deep-set, almond shape and slightly upturned outer corners. This eye shape is thought to have developed as an adaptation to the harsh, cold climate of the Nordic region.
Proving your Scandinavian DNA
If you're an American with an interest in Viking culture and potential Scandinavian heritage, a DNA test might be just the thing to satisfy your curiosity and learn more about your ancestry.
“The Vikings had a lot more genes from southern and eastern Europe than we anticipated,” said Willerslev. “They frequently had children with people from other parts of the world. In fact, they also tended to be dark-haired rather than blond, which is otherwise considered an established Viking trait.”
Around 8–10% of men and 18–21% of women in Iceland and 6% of men and 17% of women in the Netherlands, have green eyes. Among European Americans, green eyes are most common among those of recent Celtic and Germanic ancestry with about 16%.
Who has amber eyes? People with amber-colored eyes often have Asian, Spanish, South American or South African roots, as do people with brown eyes. People with blue, gray, green and hazel eyes are of European ancestry.
An estimated 2% of the world's population have green eyes, making them very rare overall. However, green eyes are very common in some parts of the world, including Ireland and Scotland. In the U.S., where many people descend from ancestors from Ireland and Scotland, about 9% of people have green eyes.
The gey gene has one allele that gives rise to green eyes and one allele that gives rise to blue eyes. The bey2 gene has one allele for brown eyes and one for blue eyes.
If both the parents have brown eyes, there are 75% chances that the baby will have brown eyes. If both the parents have green eyes, there are 99% chances that the baby will also have green eyes. If both the parents have hazel eyes, there are 99% chances that the baby will also have hazel eyes.
He described a "Nordic" or "Baltic" type: "long skulled, very tall, fair skinned, with blond, brown or red hair and light coloured eyes.
If any of your ancestors come from Europe, then there is a fairly good chance that you will have some Scandinavian DNA. In fact, many people who get their ethnicity results from a genealogical DNA test are surprised by just how much Scandinavian ancestry they have.
These individuals usually have very fair skin and light-colored hair, which are traits that can be considered to be advantageous in a temperate environment like Sweden. Considering areas that experience increased amounts of sunlight, however, these populations usually have darker complexions.
The faces of men and women in the Viking Age were more alike than they are today. The women's faces were more masculine than women's today, with prominent brow ridges. On the other hand, the Viking man's appearance was more feminine than that of men today, with a less prominent jaw and brow ridges.
Stereotypical Scandinavian traits and facial features have since the early 20th century included straight, blonde hair; blue eyes; tall figure; a straight nose; thin lips; and non-prominent cheekbones, according to Werner & Björks 2014 book Blond and Blue-eyed.
In Norway, an estimated 75% of the population has blond hair, and between 60% to 80% of the population has blue eyes. Although Norway is predominantly blond today, many native Norwegians, such as the infamous 9th-century figure Halvdan Svarte, who fathered Norway's first king, had dark hair.
Brown hair—the shade known as “sandy” or “rat-coloured”—is the most common hair colour in Scandinavia, although it varies from a very pale yellow known as “strawberry” to a quite dark brown.
As an ethnic or cultural term
In this sense the term refers primarily to native Danes, Norwegians and Swedes as well as descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelanders and the Faroese.