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 Tamarama were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tamarama - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tamarama in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Waverley (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tamarama, with comparison markers for Waverley (A).
English
2021 count
508
% of total
34.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
508
34.4%
+0.7pp
Australian
2021 count
441
% of total
29.8%
Change from 2016
+7.6pp
441
29.8%
+7.6pp
Irish
2021 count
176
% of total
11.9%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
176
11.9%
-3.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
144
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
144
9.7%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
84
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
84
5.7%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
73
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
73
4.9%
+0.1pp
French
2021 count
47
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
47
3.2%
+0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
47
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
47
3.2%
+0.3pp
Greek
2021 count
41
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
41
2.8%
+0.8pp
New Zealander
2021 count
33
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
33
2.2%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-39
+0.7pp
Australian
+81
+7.6pp
Irish
-71
-3.3pp
Scottish
-11
+0.1pp
Italian
-8
0.0pp
German
-5
+0.1pp
French
+4
+0.5pp
Chinese
0
+0.3pp
Greek
+8
+0.8pp
New Zealander
+7
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tamarama. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Waverley (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Waverley (A)% | Count | % | Waverley (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 508 | 34.4% | 30.8% | 547 | 33.7% | 29.0% | -39 | +0.7pp |
| Australian | 441 | 29.8% | 21.3% | 360 | 22.2% | 20.9% | +81 | +7.6pp |
| Irish | 176 | 11.9% | 12.0% | 247 | 15.2% | 12.2% | -71 | -3.3pp |
| Scottish | 144 | 9.7% | 7.7% | 155 | 9.6% | 7.3% | -11 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 84 | 5.7% | 5.7% | 92 | 5.7% | 5.0% | -8 | 0.0pp |
| German | 73 | 4.9% | 4.2% | 78 | 4.8% | 4.2% | -5 | +0.1pp |
| French | 47 | 3.2% | 2.4% | 43 | 2.7% | 2.0% | +4 | +0.5pp |
| Chinese | 47 | 3.2% | 3.7% | 47 | 2.9% | 3.2% | 0 | +0.3pp |
| Greek | 41 | 2.8% | 2.6% | 33 | 2.0% | 2.3% | +8 | +0.8pp |
| New Zealander | 33 | 2.2% | 1.1% | 26 | 1.6% | 1.4% | +7 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).