Many British families have a dark family secret, according to a survey that revealed 5% of Britons have a convicted criminal in their blood-line.
And one in 100, around half a million British people, is related to a pirate.
The typical British family tree contains servants and war heroes, while 3% of the population has links to royalty, said family history website Ancestry.co.uk.
Genealogical research also showed that 2% of people in this country have links to sporting legends.
Ancestry programme 'Who Do You Think You Are?' on the BBC had roused new interest in family trees. Actress Patsy Kensit traced her relations on the programme of her late father Jimmy Kensit. It turned out he was linked to London gangsters including the Krays and the Richardsons.
But Dan Jones, content director at Ancestry told the Daily Mail that 72% of people still have not looked into their heritage, with only a third even knowing their roots back to their great grandparents.