Cultural diversity

Ancestry

About this topic

Ancestry describes a person's cultural association and ethnic background, and Census respondents can report more than one ancestry. It is a broader cultural measure than country of birth because it can reflect family heritage across generations.

This topic helps show the size and diversity of cultural groups in an area, including groups whose members were born in Australia. Because multiple ancestries can be reported, ancestry totals can exceed the total population, so it is best read with birthplace, language used at home, and religion.

Interpretation notes

  • People can report up to two ancestries, so category totals represent responses rather than a single unduplicated person count.
  • ABS advises that ancestry is best used with birthplace and language, because ancestry alone is a broad measure of ethnicity and cultural background.
  • The 2021 form added separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mark boxes, so those categories need caution in over-time comparison.

Key insight

In 2021, the largest ancestry groups among residents in Lynton were English, Australian and Irish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Lynton - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Lynton in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mitcham (C) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Lynton, with comparison markers for Mitcham (C).

Lynton
Mitcham (C)

English

2021 count

109

% of total

49.1%

Change from 2016

+0.5pp

Australian

2021 count

72

% of total

32.4%

Change from 2016

+4.6pp

Irish

2021 count

40

% of total

18.0%

Change from 2016

+6.4pp

Scottish

2021 count

30

% of total

13.5%

Change from 2016

+5.6pp

German

2021 count

18

% of total

8.1%

Change from 2016

+1.6pp

Data table

Ancestry for Lynton. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).

Ancestry for Lynton. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).
Ancestry for Lynton. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mitcham (C)%Count%Mitcham (C)%Countpp
English10949.1%42.1%10548.6%41.5%+4+0.5pp
Australian7232.4%33.7%6027.8%33.3%+12+4.6pp
Irish4018.0%9.5%2511.6%10.0%+15+6.4pp
Scottish3013.5%10.6%177.9%10.2%+13+5.6pp
German188.1%8.3%146.5%8.1%+4+1.6pp

Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).