20 Unbelievable Family Secrets Revealed by DNA Testing

Ancestry tests can be an exciting way to uncover more about your family history. They can confirm what you already know or reveal surprising truths that change everything.

Recently, Reddit user Kobk22 invited people to anonymously share the shocking discoveries they made after taking an online DNA test. From finding long-lost siblings to uncovering life-altering secrets, users shared stories of unexpected twists they never saw coming.

#1

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My Paternal Grandmother’s Mystery

My dad grew up believing that his parents divorced when he was young and that his father took custody of him and his brother before family courts were really involved in such matters. He knew he had a half-sister who would call the house occasionally, but he always refused to speak with her.

The truth, however, is far more complicated. It turns out my grandmother was likely placed in Witness Protection, and no one has heard from her since 1970. Through Ancestry, I’ve connected with several of my second cousins, but I have yet to find my dad’s half-sister.

Aunt Diane, if you’re out there, I’m ready to talk.

#2

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On my mother’s Scottish side, the family legend was that we had Spanish ancestry from survivors of the Armada.

Well, I took a DNA test—and it turns out it’s actually North African. Now we have no idea how someone from North Africa ended up in Scotland. Given how strong the features still are in our family, it must have been as recent as my great-great-grandparents. We don’t look like what you’d typically expect from a Scottish lineage.

We’ll probably never know the real story.

#3

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Not as scandalous as some of the stories here, but it was a huge shock for us.

Three years ago, my brother took a 23andMe test and unexpectedly matched with an aunt we never knew existed. When he asked about her parents, she explained that she was adopted in a very closed adoption. 23andMe determined that she was a paternal aunt.

Our grandfather—my dad’s dad—was a terrible person, an abusive husband who abandoned the family when my dad was young. My grandma has since passed away. This newfound aunt was born the same year as my uncle, so it was clear an affair had happened. To confirm, my dad took a 23andMe test, which verified that she was his half-sister.

Through this, my dad also reconnected with a cousin on his father’s side. When my dad mentioned his secret half-sister, the cousin insisted that their uncle would never cheat on his wife and that he was a wonderful man. Yeah, right—he brutalized my grandma.

My new aunt eventually got access to her adoption records. While her birth mother remained anonymous, the paperwork stated she was very young and that the child’s father was a married man with a pregnant wife, an alcoholic, and violent. She was terrified of him and chose to give my aunt up for adoption, never informing the father for her own safety.

My aunt is still searching for her birth mother.

#4

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My grandfather recently matched on a DNA test with his first grandson—the child my aunt placed for adoption when she was 15.

He was born in Nevada, adopted in Arizona, and raised in Utah—where, incredibly, my aunt has lived in the same zip code for the past 25 years.

Since reconnecting, he’s met his 32 cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, and extended family. Turns out, he lives within a 20-minute drive of 90% of us.

I just went to his baby shower, and it’s been amazing to witness how, sometimes, an entire family of loving, well-adjusted people is out there, just waiting to welcome you home.

I know many people whose reunions with their birth families didn’t go so well, but this one has been nothing short of incredible.

#5

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Then there’s the shocking case of the hundreds of people who discovered they all had the same biological father—many conceived through IVF. The doctor had been secretly using his own sperm instead of the intended fathers’, completely violating their trust. I might have some details wrong, but…

EDIT: I looked it up, and as of May 11, 2022, Dr. Donald Cline has been confirmed as the biological father of 94 children conceived this way.

It all unraveled when one woman submitted her DNA, hoping to find a lost sister—only to discover numerous half-siblings. That led to deeper investigation, and the horrifying truth came to light.

At least he’s in prison… I think. But 94 kids?! Yikes.

#6

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My mom’s family tree includes a bootlegger, a horse thief, and—perhaps most impressively—someone named Dorkus.

#7

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My great-grandparent was adopted and mixed race. We always thought we were just a bunch of white people—turns out, we’re a little Asian too!

#8

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My grandfather isn’t actually my grandfather—his neighbor is.

Oh, and my mom’s childhood best friend? Turns out, she’s her half-sister. They were born just a month apart and even have the same first name. The family pretty much agrees that Grandma was feeling extra salty about something when she decided to name her daughter after the neighbor’s kid.

#9

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Somewhere between New York and Phoenix, my mom’s grandfather (or great-grandfather) decided to hit the reset button on his identity.

Thanks to DNA testing, we’ve connected with relatives on the East Coast who share the same male lineage—but they have one last name, while our family in the West has a completely different one.

Guess he wanted a fresh start!

#10

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I grew up believing I was Japanese—until a DNA test revealed that my mom is actually Korean.

She was born in Japan, and I’ve met aunts, uncles, and cousins there. They all have Japanese names, yet 0% Japanese DNA. My grandmother was born in 1935, but I have no idea where.

She and I were very close, and she never mentioned whether she knew she was Korean. But looking back… we did always have kimchi in the house.

#11

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A (now ex, so there’s that) friend took a DNA test and found out she had zero Māori ancestry.

Being in New Zealand, this was a huge deal—she had always identified as Māori, so the revelation devastated her. To make things worse, the test was a birthday gift from her now ex-girlfriend.

On the bright side, at least she picked up some te reo (Māori language skills) along the way.

#12

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A family member committed a murder in the ’70s and left behind DNA at the scene.

For decades, nothing came of it—until a few years ago, when someone in our extended family took a DNA test. That was enough to link him to the crime.

He pled guilty and died in prison.

#13

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I was the family secret—my dad isn’t my biological father.

The man who raised me, who I consider my dad, gave me an Ancestry DNA test for my birthday last year. He had taken one himself since his own father had walked out, and he thought it would be interesting to learn more about my mom’s side, which has always been a bit of a mystery.

When my results came in, a completely random man showed up as a 50% paternal match—and my dad wasn’t a match at all. Turns out, my mother had an affair 30 years ago with a pilot while she was a flight attendant.

As cliché as it gets.

#14

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Mine wasn’t exactly a family secret—just the result of a youthful one-night stand that had bigger consequences than my dad ever realized.

My half-brother’s mom miscalculated the timeline, so no one ever suspected a thing.

But now that we’ve found each other? He’s cool as hell. Would’ve been awesome to have him as my big brother growing up, but hey—better late than never.

#15

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Back in the late 1950s or early 1960s, my great-aunt moved to another state with her husband and had a few kids. While living there, she wrote home saying that her 2-year-old son had passed away from meningitis—or something along those lines.

Eventually, she moved back with her surviving children and carried on with her life. No one questioned it.

Decades later, long after she had passed, I was contacted by CeCe Moore, an investigative genealogist working on a cold case. She was trying to identify a toddler whose body had been pulled from a reservoir by a fisherman back in the ’60s.

Turns out, it was my great-aunt’s child. His body had been wrapped in a quilt and weighted down so it wouldn’t surface.

#16

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My deadbeat uncle had a secret child—so secret that not even his ex-wife knew.

We only found out last year when my younger cousin took a DNA test, and she reached out. She had been adopted as a baby and had always dreamed of having a big family.

Well, wish granted—because our family is huge, and she’s now invited to all the holidays!

#17

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Found out my mom had a twin she never knew about.

During the Depression, my grandparents couldn’t afford two babies, so they secretly gave one up for adoption. My mom grew up never knowing she had a sister out there.

Last year, we finally connected with my aunt—and she’s literally my mom’s mirror image.

#18

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My uncle (by marriage) is 70 years old, and thanks to 23andMe, he just found out he has three brothers and two sisters—all living just 10 miles down the road.

Oh, and he also learned that the man he grew up thinking was his dad wasn’t his biological father.

Quite the gut punch to get at his age.

#19

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Turns out my great-grandparents on my dad’s side were straight-up kidnapped from a reservation in North Dakota when they were little kids.

And if that wasn’t wild enough, my great-grandparents on my mom’s side were also taken from their families—this time by the church. We never figured out exactly who stole them, but through DNA testing, we finally found our extended family.

Apparently, I’m Sioux. Never knew until 2018—just thought I was a really tan white dude. Lmao.

#20

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About ten years ago, I took an Ancestry DNA test and discovered a “1st cousin” I didn’t recognize.

Curious, I asked my mom about it. A few hours later, she called me back and dropped a bombshell—I was donor-conceived. The dad who raised me isn’t my biological father.

Surprisingly, it didn’t change how I felt about my parents at all. If anything, it made me feel a little extra special.

I reached out to the half-sibling who had shown up (they appeared as a 1st cousin since the shared DNA percentage is similar), but they never responded. I’m sure I have more half-siblings out there, so I guess I’ll just wait and see who else pops up on Ancestry!