A few things can cause this:
Neighboring regions here are often genetically similar. A strong "Northern Greek" signal instead of "North Macedonian," or "Serbian" instead of "Bulgarian," usually just reflects where your DNA fits best on the grid — not a conflict with your family history. The central Balkans in particular form a gradient rather than a set of sharply separate populations.
Genetic clustering doesn't follow modern borders. The lines between ancient regional patterns are gradients, not sharp edges. People from border zones — the Bulgaria/North Macedonia/Greek Macedonia triangle, the Albania/North Macedonia/Greece region, the Croatia/Bosnia/Serbia interior — often show mixed signals.
Recent family history can be more tangled than the records suggest. Migration and population movement over the last few centuries — the 1923 Greco-Turkish population exchange, Yugoslav-era migrations, 19th- and 20th-century labour migration across the Mediterranean — mean genetic ancestry and documented genealogy don't always line up exactly.
This model captures broad patterns over deep time, not a certificate for or against a specific recent family story. Read the ancient matches alongside records-based genealogy to build the fullest picture.
Still stuck? If you have a Genomelink account, head to genomelink.io/profile/contact and message us from the form — we can help faster when we can see your account. New and don't have an account yet? Email us at info@genomelink.io and we'll sort it out.