Discoveries and Surprises from My iGENEA DNA Test: A Pickard's Tale
Family name Pickard
Never did I anticipate embarking on such a riveting journey of tracing my lineage, much less learning the incredibly diverse origins of my seemingly simple surname, Pickard, through a simple iGENEA DNA test.
At first glance, even on the IGENEA DNA test, the Pickard lineage seemed to be just another ages-old British name. However, as the results unfolded, a striking truth surfaced. My DNA carried markers linking me to the ancient fishing nation of the Phoenicians. Evidently, the history of the Pickards didn't just live on the rainy shores of England, but travelled back through time and across seas to the Mediterranean coastlines.
The markers delineated an unexpected migration pattern, showing significant settlement in ancient Rome before a jump to Northern Europe around the 5th Century AD. Apparently, the Pickards were not just British; they were once Romans and even farther back, Phoenicians.
Furthermore, the name 'Pickard' wasn't as common as I'd grown up believing. Initially, the name was 'Picard,' a derivative of the Old French 'Pèlerin,' meaning a pilgrim or traveller. Somewhere down the line, as my ancestors moved from France to Britain, the 'Picard' underwent an anglicization to 'Pickard', its present form.
More fascinating still was the discovery that the Pickard lineage wasn't solely tethered to the Phoenicians, Romans, or French. The iGENEA DNA test results pointed out the presence of a rare genetic marker that was a testament to intercontinental links, showing links to Central Asian nomadic tribes.
In conclusion, the seemingly straightforward name of Pickard hides an ancient and intercontinental past filled with migration, culture, and adventure. It's time to embrace that the simple English surname 'Pickard' is far from ordinary, with roots stretching across time and space, from the warm Mediterranean to the cool British Isles, even making a stopover in Central Asia. I am a testament to centuries of travel and adaptation, a living tribute to my adventurous ancestors. The iGENEA DNA test lifted the veil from the surface of my ordinary last name, revealing a past rich in adventure and variation.
C. Pickard