"I'm a distant relative of William The Conqueror"!

[Globalti]

What's your family name? "Public Convenience"? "Church Hall"? "Car Park"? "C of E Primary School"?

In the same vein as the Twyfords Adamant WC photo above, I once knew a bloke who was so thick that he thought there was a town in China called Vitreous....

 

[NorthernDave]

My sisters mate was a cousin of Gary Numan.

Are her friends electric?

 

[ozboz]

Are her friends electric?

I bet they like Cars

 

[Chris S]

No, I'm a descendant of Spartacus.

... and so's my wife!

 

[Chris S]

Are two thirds of all men alive today descended from Genghis khan or something like that? Due to his rampaging ways across half the world.

It's 'only' 8% of men now living in the former Mongol empire.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/mongolia-genghis-khan-dna/

 

[Chris S]

I had relatives called 'Armstrong' who lived in the same small village as Neil Armstrong's great-uncle. There were rumours that we were related to him, though I'm not sure if they started before or after he landed on the moon.

 

[Chris S]

We're all distant relatives of Guillaume the Bastard. That's how it works.

William the Conqueror lived about 40 generations ago. If he had two surviving children and they had two surviving children (and so on) then he would have about a 1000 billion (2^40) direct descendants by now. That aren't even that many people in the world.

 

[winjim]

William the Conqueror lived about 40 generations ago. If he had two surviving children and they had two surviving children (and so on) then he would have about a 1000 billion (2^40) direct descendants by now. That aren't even that many people in the world.

Firstly, there's a big difference between 'related to' and 'descended from'. Secondly, although it's irrelevant to my point, flip that calculation around and apply it to yourself. You have two parents, four grandparents etc etc.

 

[MachersMan]

My sister did one of them gene searches and we're distant cousins of Susan Sarandon.

Also Hughie Green pinched my taxi in London....and that's it I'm afraid.

 

[stalagmike]

It's 'only' 8% of men now living in the former Mongol empire.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/mongolia-genghis-khan-dna/

Wow! I got that spectacularly wrong didn't I? 0.5% is quite a lot less than two thirds. Thanks for the correction.

 

[pawl]

I went to school with John Dalton, I assume a different one.

I went to school with al lad name of Gary Cooper He also was cyclists.Dont think he ever rode a horse.

 

[tyred]

I'm descended from Moses (that was my grandfather's name).

 

[raleighnut]

I'm descended from Moses (that was my grandfather's name).

Was his surname Dingle.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I believe most people in Hastings have Norman ancestry. Their post battle parties were legendary.

Wisdom? Didn't realise...

 

[Chris S]

Firstly, there's a big difference between 'related to' and 'descended from'. Secondly, although it's irrelevant to my point, flip that calculation around and apply it to yourself. You have two parents, four grandparents etc etc.

Yes - but those parents and grandparents would be shared by other people. The total population per generation would decrease until there was just two in the first one.
The point that I was trying to make was that it's highly likely that most indigenous British people are by now descended from William the Conqueror.