Findings
What stands out in the data. Recomputed automatically with every update. Remember: these are FTDNA customers, not whole populations. How it is computed is explained under About the data.
Most distinctive branches #
Branches that occur many times more often in one region than worldwide. ×10 means ten times the world share. Branches of at least 20 kits are included.
- Chile · D1g (mt): 17.7% ×885 · 25 kits
- Chile · B2i (mt): 22.0% ×780 · 31 kits
- Nicaragua · A2w (mt): 41.2% ×495 · 21 kits
- South Africa · L0d (mt): 19.9% ×448 · 52 kits
- Japan · M7a (mt): 8.4% ×379 · 25 kits
- Philippines · E1a (mt): 12.3% ×377 · 23 kits
- Colombia · B2d (mt): 25.8% ×370 · 55 kits
- New Zealand · B4a (mt): 44.2% ×253 · 46 kits
- Japan · D4a (mt): 7.1% ×245 · 21 kits
- Philippines · M7c (mt): 12.8% ×240 · 24 kits
- Japan · D4e (mt): 7.4% ×204 · 22 kits
- Japan · D4b (mt): 8.1% ×195 · 24 kits
- Puerto Rico · A2z (mt): 7.6% ×179 · 47 kits
- Puerto Rico · A2k (mt): 9.8% ×179 · 61 kits
- Canada (First Nations) · C-M217 C2 (Y): 76.0% ×177 · 38 kits
- Colombia · A2w (mt): 14.1% ×169 · 30 kits
- Russia (Republic of Ingushetia) · J-CTS6619 (Y): 61.0% ×152 · 72 kits
- China · M7b (mt): 7.7% ×149 · 24 kits
- Taiwan, Province of China · O-M324 (Y): 57.9% ×138 · 55 kits
- Panama · Q-M3 Q-M3 (Y): 65.1% ×130 · 41 kits
- India · M5a (mt): 5.4% ×127 · 20 kits
- Mongolia · C-M217 C2 (Y): 49.3% ×115 · 224 kits
- Russia (Republic of Dagestan) · J-Z1842 J1-Z1842 (Y): 52.5% ×110 · 509 kits
- Orstkhoy (reported as Italy · Aosta Valley) · L-M22 L-M22 (Y): 58.9% ×104 · 113 kits
- China · O-M324 (Y): 40.5% ×97 · 434 kits
- China · O-M122 O2 (Y): 45.4% ×96 · 487 kits
- Peru · B2 (mt): 23.8% ×96 · 20 kits
- Kazakhstan · C-M217 C2 (Y): 39.7% ×92 · 295 kits
- Mongolia · C-M216 C (Y): 56.8% ×89 · 258 kits
- Taiwan, Province of China · O-M175 O (Y): 87.4% ×88 · 83 kits
Young but widespread branches #
The branch's common ancestor lived less than 2,000 years ago, yet the branch already makes up 1% or more in 5 or more countries (each with 100+ kits). This is what a recent expansion, a diaspora, or mistakes in the reported ancestral country look like.
- J-FGC1: 1,800 years · 1,465 kits · 17 countries · Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Syrian Arab Republic, Iran, Bahrain, Qatar
- J-FGC2: 1,500 years · 1,117 kits · 14 countries · Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Syrian Arab Republic, Iran, Bahrain, Qatar
- R-DF105: 1,800 years · 4,775 kits · 10 countries · United States, Ireland, Scotland, United Kingdom, Canada, Northern Ireland, Australia, Iceland
- J-FGC7: 2,000 years · 1,142 kits · 10 countries · Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Bahrain, Qatar, Morocco
- R-L1065: 1,800 years · 2,505 kits · 9 countries · United States, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Northern Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Jamaica
- R-S744: 1,600 years · 1,849 kits · 8 countries · United States, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Jamaica, New Zealand
- R-ZZ87: 1,800 years · 3,160 kits · 7 countries · United States, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Northern Ireland, Australia, Isle of Man
- R-DF85: 1,700 years · 1,467 kits · 5 countries · United States, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Northern Ireland
Ancient branches that stayed home #
The branch's common ancestor lived more than 4,000 years ago, yet at least 50% of its kits still come from one country (branches with 200+ kits worldwide). These are lineages that never left home in thousands of years.
- N-CTS3103: 4,700 years · 8,858 kits · Finland 68%
- R-FGC12055: 4,200 years · 2,329 kits · Ireland 57%
- J-FGC7638: 4,700 years · 9,118 kits · Saudi Arabia 52%
- R-Z2961: 4,100 years · 7,659 kits · Ireland 52%
Countries whose male and female lines point different ways #
Countries whose five most similar neighbours by the paternal line and by the maternal line barely coincide. The male and female lines have different histories here.
- India · shared 0 · Y: Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan · mt: United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
- Jamaica · shared 0 · Y: United States, Ghana, South Africa · mt: Dominican Republic, Israel, Brazil
- Israel · shared 0 · Y: Romania, Iran, Lebanon · mt: Egypt, Portugal, United States
- Russia (Republic of Chechnya) · shared 1 · Y: Russia (Republic of Ingushetia), Orstkhoy (reported as Italy · Aosta Valley), Russia (Republic of Dagestan) · mt: Turkey, Greece, Italy
- Bulgaria · shared 1 · Y: Greece, Ukraine, Hungary · mt: Italy, Greece, Czech Republic
- Croatia · shared 1 · Y: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia · mt: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary
- Morocco · shared 1 · Y: Algeria, Tunisia, Libya · mt: Algeria, Portugal, Spain
- Egypt · shared 1 · Y: Palestinian Territory, Syrian Arab Republic, Iraq · mt: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Algeria
- Algeria · shared 1 · Y: Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia · mt: Morocco, Portugal, Italy
- Serbia · shared 1 · Y: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria · mt: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany
- South Africa · shared 1 · Y: United States, Belgium, Canada · mt: United States, United States (Native American), Dominican Republic
Who tests the father and who tests the mother #
Maternal-line tests per one paternal-line test. 1 means equal numbers, 0.1 means almost only the male line is tested. Countries with 150+ kits in each tree.
- United States (Native American) 1.29 2,353 / 1,831
- Canada 1.28 2,113 / 1,647
- South Africa 1.13 261 / 230
- Puerto Rico 1.05 621 / 591
- Australia 1.03 378 / 366
- Cuba 1.00 216 / 216
- Norway 0.85 3,850 / 4,540
- Estonia 0.83 244 / 293
- Austria 0.79 857 / 1,078
- Mexico 0.79 1,793 / 2,281
- Saudi Arabia 0.07 807 / 11,913
- Kuwait 0.07 157 / 2,248
- United Arab Emirates 0.12 166 / 1,354
- Armenia 0.19 223 / 1,174
- Northern Ireland 0.21 614 / 2,970
- Lebanon 0.23 155 / 671
- Iran 0.23 177 / 756
- India 0.25 372 / 1,477
- Russia (Republic of Chechnya) 0.27 457 / 1,681
- China 0.29 310 / 1,072
Largest pile-ups on a single branch #
Cases where a single finest branch gathers a large share of a region's kits. Usually one surname or clan project.
- Colombia · B2d (mt): 25.8% · 55 kits
- Puerto Rico · C1b2 (mt): 17.2% · 107 kits
- Belarus · K1a1b1a (mt): 11.2% · 83 kits
Branch ages: YFull against FTDNA Discover #
Branches with the same name in both trees: 19,277. For each, the age of the common ancestor (TMRCA) estimated by YFull is compared with FTDNA's estimate. On average YFull's estimate is 7% younger; YFull gives a younger age for 67% of branches. For 98% of branches the two estimates stay within each other's margin of error. The date a branch split from its parent (YFull's formed) is not compared here.
Where the estimates disagree
Branches with 100+ YFull samples where the two estimates differ by more than their margins of error allow (the 95% ranges do not overlap).
- T-Y7381: YFull 1,300 years 1,650–950 · FTDNA 4,500 years 5,254–3,826 −72.1% · n=148
- I-L233: YFull 2,100 years 2,600–1,650 · FTDNA 6,600 years 7,583–5,700 −68.1% · n=171
- I-L621 I2a-L621: YFull 6,400 years 7,600–5,300 · FTDNA 12k years 13,513–10,309 −45.8% · n=1,027
- I-L161: YFull 7,200 years 8,200–6,200 · FTDNA 11k years 12,517–9,481 −33.9% · n=179
- Q-M378: YFull 9,300 years 10,800–7,900 · FTDNA 6,300 years 7,213–5,416 +48.8% · n=168
- I-M284 I2b-M284: YFull 7,100 years 8,200–6,000 · FTDNA 9,800 years 11,221–8,529 −27.4% · n=317
Paternal and maternal lines: are they linked, and how much of it is just geography #
Both lines are known for one person, and they are not independent: knowing the paternal line lets you guess something about the maternal one. The link was measured over 10,473 YFull pairs with a known country (40 countries with 80+ pairs). Knowing only a person's country explains 27% of the whole link between their lines. The region explains even more, 51% (2,259 pairs in 24 regions with 50+ pairs). The finer the geography, the more of the link turns out to be simply “people from the same place”. What remains is structure inside regions, not kinship of the pairs themselves.
How the link vanishes inside a country
- J1-L858 × R0a: worldwide ×6.1 (194), inside the country (Saudi Arabia) ×1.1
- J1-L858 × J1d: worldwide ×5.2 (44), inside the country (Saudi Arabia) ×1.1
- N-Z1936 × U5b: worldwide ×4.2 (42)
Fathers tell the people apart, mothers do not #
Do paternal and maternal lines paint the same picture of a people? For each people 40 members were drawn at random and the number of distinct major branches among them counted, for Y and for mt separately. Percentages are how much that is of the whole world's diversity in FTDNA data. Of 14 peoples the most uniform by mothers keeps 92% of the world's diversity, the most uniform by fathers only 35%: by mothers, peoples can hardly be told apart.
Most homogeneous by fathers
- Chechens: by fathers 35% (4.8 branches) · by mothers 95% (26.7) n=818 / 278
- Adyghe: by fathers 39% (8.1 branches) · by mothers 98% (28.5) n=145 / 133
- Serbs: by fathers 46% (10.5 branches) · by mothers 97% (28.1) n=252 / 138
- Arabs: by fathers 53% (10.9 branches) · by mothers 97% (27.9) n=936 / 149
- Swedes: by fathers 55% (11.1 branches) · by mothers 93% (24.4) n=135 / 55
- Finns: by fathers 60% (11.0 branches) · by mothers 93% (24.3) n=100 / 80
- Russians: by fathers 65% (13.5 branches) · by mothers 96% (27.4) n=514 / 359
- Poles: by fathers 69% (13.7 branches) · by mothers 96% (27.6) n=226 / 130
Most diverse by fathers
- English: by fathers 97% (28.2 branches) · by mothers 99% (29.6) n=476 / 484
- French: by fathers 88% (21.6 branches) · by mothers 92% (24.8) n=42 / 75
- Germans: by fathers 86% (21.1 branches) · by mothers 97% (27.9) n=118 / 117
- Hungarians: by fathers 78% (17.2 branches) · by mothers 102% (31.4) n=51 / 48
- Spaniards: by fathers 77% (17.5 branches) · by mothers 93% (25.5) n=64 / 99
Countries: how far paternal and maternal lines stray from the world mix #
How far a country's mix of major branches is from the world mix, separately for the paternal and the maternal line. The number is the difference in percent: 0% is the world mix, 100% is nothing in common. FTDNA kits, 49 countries with 150+ kits on each line. In 44 of 49 countries the paternal line is the more distinctive one.
- Croatia: by fathers 61% · by mothers 13% Δ +48 · n=215 / 278
- Russia (Republic of Chechnya): by fathers 81% · by mothers 37% Δ +44 · n=1,146 / 423
- Finland: by fathers 57% · by mothers 16% Δ +41 · n=5,955 / 7,368
- Norway: by fathers 44% · by mothers 5% Δ +39 · n=2,036 / 3,693
- Slovenia: by fathers 55% · by mothers 16% Δ +39 · n=179 / 240
- Estonia: by fathers 53% · by mothers 15% Δ +38 · n=164 / 240
- Slovakia: by fathers 43% · by mothers 6% Δ +37 · n=372 / 579
- Czech Republic: by fathers 38% · by mothers 3% Δ +34 · n=1,040 / 1,148
The rare exceptions: the maternal line is the more distinctive one
- Puerto Rico: by fathers 55% · by mothers 66% Δ −11 · n=163 / 591
- Brazil: by fathers 35% · by mothers 43% Δ −8 · n=246 / 444
- Iran: by fathers 58% · by mothers 62% Δ −4 · n=162 / 168
- Kuwait: by fathers 64% · by mothers 66% Δ −2 · n=738 / 153
- Mexico: by fathers 55% · by mothers 57% Δ −2 · n=1,037 / 1,777
How detailed the tests are: how deep into the tree the samples reach #
YFull samples are placed on the FTDNA tree, so depth can be compared directly. In the typical one of 66 countries a YFull sample sits 37.1 branchings from the root, an FTDNA kit 31.5. 35% of YFull samples reached the finest branch, against 23% of FTDNA kits. That is why the same country looks different at the two companies: YFull's whole-genome tests go deeper. On the maternal line there is no gap: in the typical one of 27 countries the depth differs by only −0.1 branchings, against +4.6 for Y-DNA. Both companies read the whole mitochondrial DNA.
Largest gap
- India: 33.8 / 22.4 (+11.4) on leaves 33% / 9% · n=210 / 1,477
- Russian Federation: 39.1 / 29.8 (+9.3) on leaves 43% / 18% · n=1,478 / 7,155
- Jordan: 40.3 / 31.8 (+8.5) on leaves 48% / 29% · n=188 / 358
- Sudan: 38.2 / 29.7 (+8.4) on leaves 47% / 27% · n=146 / 406
- Belarus: 39.0 / 30.8 (+8.2) on leaves 40% / 20% · n=328 / 1,709
- Lithuania: 39.1 / 31.0 (+8.1) on leaves 32% / 19% · n=225 / 1,857
- Syrian Arab Republic: 37.8 / 29.8 (+8) on leaves 36% / 30% · n=488 / 908
- China: 28.2 / 20.5 (+7.7) on leaves 30% / 7% · n=1,396 / 1,072
Nearly equal
- Northern Ireland: 42.4 / 41.9 (+0.4) on leaves 30% / 36% · n=240 / 2,970
- Canada: 37.4 / 36.4 (+1) on leaves 26% / 20% · n=147 / 1,647
- United States: 38.7 / 37.4 (+1.3) on leaves 26% / 31% · n=2,582 / 30,662
- United Arab Emirates: 38.9 / 36.7 (+2.2) on leaves 42% / 44% · n=661 / 1,354
- Libya: 34.1 / 31.6 (+2.5) on leaves 31% / 26% · n=164 / 493
Where the two companies show a different picture of a country #
For each country the major-branch shares at FTDNA and YFull were compared (starred branches left out). Part of the difference is just the chance of small samples: it was estimated by comparing two random samples of the same size 120 times, then subtracted. The number in a row is the difference beyond chance, in percent; hover to see the total difference and the chance level. Then the branch that contributes most (FTDNA share → YFull share). 29 countries with 150+ samples at both companies, typical difference beyond chance 2.4%.
Disagree most
- Scotland: 8.1% observed 11.0% · chance 2.8% · I-L137 5% → 12%
- China: 7.1% observed 8.3% · chance 1.2% · O-M324 82% → 57%
- Ireland: 6.6% observed 9.4% · chance 2.8% · R-A541 13% → 6%
- England: 6.1% observed 7.8% · chance 1.7% · R-Z31644 2% → 7%
- Russian Federation: 5.7% observed 7.5% · chance 1.8% · R-Y2898 13% → 22%
- United Arab Emirates: 4.3% observed 5.7% · chance 1.4% · T-Z709 39% → 19%
- United States: 4.0% observed 5.3% · chance 1.2% · I-CTS595 2% → 5%
- Bahrain: 3.8% observed 7.0% · chance 3.2% · T-Z709 26% → 9%
Agree
- Oman: -0.8% observed 1.8% · chance 2.6% · J-FGC2 44% → 57%
- Armenia: -0.5% observed 2.6% · chance 3.0% · J-CTS6619 8% → 13%
- Yemen: -0.2% observed 1.9% · chance 2.1% · J-YSC0000076 1% → 4%
- Ukraine: 0.1% observed 4.5% · chance 4.4% · R-Z2124 R1a-Z2124 9% → 5%
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: 0.3% observed 4.1% · chance 3.8% · I-Y3548 50% → 56%
- Norway: 0.4% observed 5.2% · chance 4.8% · I-BY266 12% → 17%
The same for mtDNA
The same for the maternal line. Under-typed samples with a bare letter (H, U, J with no digit) are left out; branches under 0.5% at both companies are lumped into “other”. 16 countries.
- Ireland: 14.3% observed 23.0% · chance 8.7% · X2b 1% → 5%
- Italy: 13.6% observed 25.1% · chance 11.5% · K1a 5% → 8%
- Norway: 8.2% observed 17.8% · chance 9.5% · K1c 1% → 4%
- Ukraine: 6.2% observed 12.0% · chance 5.8% · K1a 12% → 4%
- Russian Federation: 6.1% observed 8.1% · chance 2.0% · K1a 8% → 1%
- Turkey: 5.1% observed 13.1% · chance 8.0% · K1a 7% → 9%
- Poland: 4.7% observed 7.5% · chance 2.9% · K1a 8% → 4%
- China: 4.5% observed 13.1% · chance 8.5% · D5a 1% → 5%
Blind spots: a branch prominent at one company and nearly absent at the other #
The branch makes up at least 4% at one company, and the gap between the companies is too large to be chance: at least 4 times the expected random scatter. Usually the mark of one large project or of the different routes by which customers reach each company.
- China · O-M324: 81.9% → 57.2% (−24.7) z=-9.2 n=530 / 694
- United Arab Emirates · T-Z709: 38.9% → 18.9% (−20) z=-6.2 n=550 / 333
- Bahrain · T-Z709: 25.6% → 9.4% (−16.3) z=-4.2 n=281 / 171
- Kuwait · J-FGC2: 20.5% → 34.1% (+13.7) z=5.9 n=738 / 718
- China · C-M217 C2: 17.2% → 29.0% (+11.8) z=4.8 n=530 / 694
- Russia (Republic of Chechnya) · L-M22: 28.3% → 16.6% (−11.7) z=-6.0 n=1,146 / 826
- Sweden · I-BY266: 16.5% → 28.1% (+11.6) z=7.9 n=5,607 / 784
- Russian Federation · R-Y2898: 13.1% → 21.8% (+8.7) z=6.2 n=2,760 / 859
- Ireland · R-A541: 13.4% → 5.9% (−7.5) z=-4.4 n=7,331 / 421
- Scotland · I-L137: 4.6% → 11.8% (+7.2) z=6.6 n=5,156 / 456
- Ireland · I-L137: 4.8% → 11.9% (+7) z=6.3 n=7,331 / 421
- Poland · R-Y2898: 9.4% → 15.5% (+6.2) z=4.8 n=3,036 / 708
The same for mtDNA
- Russian Federation · K1a: 7.6% → 1.2% (−6.3) z=-6.2 n=2,731 / 721
- Ireland · X2b: 0.9% → 5.2% (+4.3) z=5.4 n=9,917 / 153
- Poland · U4a: 2.0% → 5.4% (+3.3) z=4.3 n=4,285 / 410
Branch = people #
Branches of the YFull tree where almost every sample with a reported native language is from one people. Conditions: at least 80% of those who gave a language, with at least 10 such samples, and a language given for at least 25% of the branch's samples. The top-most such branches are shown. Only one customer in four reports a language, so the list reflects project activity as much as genetics.
- J-FGC4415: Arabs 454 / 481 (94%) samples in branch 1,085 · TMRCA 2,900 years
- J-Y7291 J-BY1147: Chechens 238 / 293 (81%) samples in branch 296 · TMRCA 2,000 years
- E-CTS10880: Arabs 138 / 172 (80%) samples in branch 344 · TMRCA 13k years
- L-Y6288: Chechens 128 / 148 (86%) samples in branch 167 · TMRCA 7,200 years
- J-FGC39213: Arabs 124 / 124 (100%) samples in branch 180 · TMRCA 2,200 years
- J-CTS7188: Chechens 111 / 136 (82%) samples in branch 146 · TMRCA 5,600 years
- J-V2639 J-Y13637: Chechens 96 / 111 (86%) samples in branch 112 · TMRCA 9,900 years
- J-FT6639: Chechens 91 / 94 (97%) samples in branch 94 · TMRCA 1,500 years
- J-FGC4453: Arabs 90 / 104 (87%) samples in branch 251 · TMRCA 1,900 years
- J-CTS1460a: Chechens 87 / 100 (87%) samples in branch 116 · TMRCA 5,900 years
- I-FT14506: Serbs 85 / 106 (80%) samples in branch 152 · TMRCA 1,600 years
- J-Y11149: Ingush 85 / 88 (97%) samples in branch 96 · TMRCA 1,400 years
Diversity of paternal lines by people #
How varied a people's paternal lines are. So that large peoples do not win by size alone, 40 samples were drawn at random from each and the number of distinct major branches among them counted. The number in a row is that count per 40 people: 1 means everyone is in one branch, higher is more varied.
Most uniform
- Ingush: 3.1 branches 0.55 bits · J-CTS6619 90% n=163
- Hijazi Arabs: 6.1 branches 1.55 bits · J-FGC7 66% n=97
- Abkhazians: 6.0 branches 1.58 bits · G-Z6779 68% n=40
- Chechens: 4.8 branches 1.70 bits · J-CTS6619 46% n=818
- Najdi Arabs: 6.1 branches 1.72 bits · J-FGC7 62% n=81
- Karachay-Balkars: 9.2 branches 1.88 bits · R-Z2124 R1a-Z2124 66% n=64
- Adyghe: 8.1 branches 1.90 bits · G-Z6779 57% n=145
- Serbs: 10.5 branches 2.23 bits · I-Y3548 58% n=252
Most diverse
- English: 28.2 branches 4.66 bits · R-Z287 5% n=476
- French: 21.6 branches 4.23 bits · R-Z205 12% n=42
- Germans: 21.1 branches 4.14 bits · R-L1029 12% n=118
- Hungarians: 17.2 branches 3.77 bits · I-Y3548 16% n=51
- Spaniards: 17.5 branches 3.72 bits · E-S2979 22% n=64
- Bulgarians: 17.3 branches 3.69 bits · I-Y3548 24% n=49
- Turks: 16.5 branches 3.68 bits · J-Z1842 J1-Z1842 21% n=43
- Tatars: 14.7 branches 3.51 bits · R-Z2124 R1a-Z2124 18% n=160