Y-DNA testing offers researchers a tantalising window into the past without the transitory limitations of autosomal testing. Y-DNA opens up the possibility of tracing your direct male lineal descent as far back as chromosomal Adam. (1) Y-DNA also has decided advantages over the mitochondrial testing (MT-DNA), the female equivalent: unlike MT-DNA, Y-DNA material provides regular mutation rates allowing more accurate dating estimates. (2) Combined with forensic archaeology it is possible to trace your direct male lines migratory history helping to fill out the ancient narrative. (3) Again, in this article I'm going to be using my own results to illustrate my points for reasons of both convenience and familiarity.
World migration path of Y-DNA haplogroup R-BY109442 prepared by Colin Mallett
Map: Aristocat123, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Data: Big Y Testing at FTDNA (i)
A haplogroup is a genetic population that share a common ancestor with a specific Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism mutation (SNP). The most common sub-set lineage among Europeans is the haplogroup R1b1a2 or R-M269. (4) My own terminal (most recent) haplogroup is R1b-BY109442 and its trail of polymorphisms descending from R-M269 is comprised of: R-L23, R-L51, R-P310, R-P312, R-Z290, R-L21, R-S552, R-DF13, R-ZZ10_1, R-CTS3386, R-S19268, R-FGC13300, R-S9793, R-S9797, R-FT1617, R-BY42759, R-BY43560, R-BY72189, BY109442. (5) The technology has a second trick up its sleeve: Short Tandem Repeat (STR) marker testing is used to fill in the gaps between SNPs and is more suited to interpreting more ‘recent’ ancestry within the last several hundred years. The more remote the Most Recent Common Ancestor between two kits, the more markers in common are dropped. (6)
Using my SNP results we can extrapolate that direct male ancestor, a ‘proto-Celt’ from the Atlantic coast of the continent, belonging to either the haplogroup R-DF13 or its immediate downstream successor R-ZZ10_1, arrived in what would later be known as England around 2500 BCE (Before Common Era). Over the next thousand years his direct descendants moved steadily Northwards before a male - likely of the haplogroup R-CTS3386 - migrated to what we know now as Ireland around 1400 BCE. Four bodies interred in the burial ground at The Bishop’s Seat, Kilteasheen, County Roscommon, Connacht Province, which was in use between 600 to 1300 CE (Common Era), descend from the R-ZZ10_1 line; this indicates a shared ancestor born around 2500 BCE. However, another body, ‘Kilteasheen34’ belongs to haplogroup BY42759 and therefore shares a much more recent common ancestor born around 200 CE. Additionally drawing on STR matching, (out of a total database of approximately 600, 000) I matched only one kit at the 111 marker level and he also shares the surname MALLETT. It seems our lines diverged around 1450 CE when my own terminal haplogroup branched off from R-BY42759. (7) Merging this genetic evidence with the archival therefore may allow a more complete, however speculative, historical narrative to be constructed.
In a sense, a haplogroup is a 'genetic surname' for men, one that evades the vagaries of fate. I would argue that we can fill out more of the wider 'family' story through analysis of the etymology and geographical association of the surnames held by those tested. Although extant surnames are only the endpoint of any specific line of descent, it could be argued that they do represent a kind of cultural barometer. Two celtic surnames ednemic to descendants downstream of the Irish founder haplogroup R-CTS3386, are CARROLL and FERGUSON. These two surnames are also still evident among the descendants of R-BY42759. (8)
Family plot of the CARROLL family, Knockbridge, County Louth, Leinster Province, Ireland.
The Carroll Family Plot at the old Catholic burial ground at Knockbride by Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (iii)
The surname CARROLL was first associated with the Kingdom of Oriel (situated within the modern counties of Louth and Monaghan) and later became common in County Offaly. In fact CARROLL is one of the twenty five most common surname in Ireland (9)
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'Ferguson' by R. R. McIan from James Logan's The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, 1845.
Robert Ronald McIan (1803-1856)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (iv)
Meanwhile, the FERGUSON clan is closely associated with Ayrshire, Scotland. (10) From the Third Century CE, the 'Scoti' migrated from Ireland to 'Caledonia'. By approximately 500 CE, they were well established in Dalriada (comprising of Argyllshire and the islands of Jura, Islay and Iona). Clan FERGUS(S)ON claims descent from King Fergus mor McErc who it is believed established the Scottish monarchy. (11)
Border Rievers at Glinnockie Tower by George Cattermole
G Cattermole, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (v)
Extant surnames among those descending from subclade R-BY43560 may reflect some kind of cultural shift beginning around the middle of the first millenium. While many of those descended upstream of R-BY42759 have retained surnames reflecting their celtic heritage, those descending through R-BY43560, appear to have largely adopted Anglo-Norman surnames, among them ROBBINS, VANCE and MILBURN. This would suggest a downstream exposure, over successive generations, to Norman influences perhaps as a result of their invasion of Ireland from 1169 CE or migration to 'Normanised' England or Scotland. As discussed in a previous article, MALLETT (originally MALET) is either a Norman or Norman inspired surname. (12) ROBBINS is derived from the personal name Robert introduced by the Normans. (13) The surname VANCE is thought to be a modernised version of the Norman de VAUX. (14) MILBURN is in fact a notorious Border Reiver surname. (15) It is known that some members of the haplogroup R-S11304 (sibling to R-BY43560), took the surnames THOMPSON and CLARK, which are also classed as being Norman in origin. (16) All these clues point to several lines from around 700 CE sharing common experiences of either assimilation with and/or migration into the 'Anglosphere'.
In conclusion, Y-DNA is a happy accident of evolution. It's a technology that opens a unique, inadvertent window into the past. Like all DNA technologies, Y-DNA testing requires careful interpretation of results but its generally more revealing than studies of MT-DNA thanks to a faster mutation rate. Attention to endpoint surnames, specifically their etymology and geographical associations I think can be a valuable technique to help develop a richer, more expansive narrative. My own ancestral patrilenial migration story may vary from that suggested in figure ii and perhaps resemble those of my sibling lines, the FERGUS(S)ON clan and the MILBURN family which both had a subsequent association with Ayrshire. I now speculate that the specific journey of my own line, over many generations, may have also involved a geographic reversal of direction from Ireland, back through Scotland, then gradually southwards through the English midlands (wherein one line of the MALLETT family established themselves in Warwickshire) and then westwards to eventually settle in Cornwall.
- Colin Mallett, 14 February 2025 (updated due to my new terminal haplogroup being assigned on 9 October 2025).
Endnotes
(1) Until recently, Chromosonal Adam was considered to be the most recent common male ancestor of all modern humans, Y-DNA in the form of a Y-Chromosome being passed down from fathers to sons, mutating at a fairly constant rate of around every 125 years or perhaps around 3-4 generations. Chromosomal Eve is the female equivalent but her MT-DNA is passed on to both male and female children. Its unlikely they coexisted but were both members of larger populations. See: Ewen Callaway, 'Genetic Adam and Eve did not live too far apart in time', nature website, 6 August 2013, https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2013.13478 , accessed 13 February 2025.
(2) MT-DNA haplogroup mutation rate is thought to be 4.6 times slower than that found in Y-DNA. This can make it difficult to estimate if a MRCA shared by two kits sits within a useful genealogical timeframe. It is useful though in establishing if two people do or do not share a direct maternal line of descent. See: Charles F. Kerchner jnr, 'An Example of How to Use TMRCA Calculators for mtDNA Results', Kerchner's DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy Information and Resources Page, 7 November 2006, http://www.kerchner.com/mtdnatmrcacalculations.htm , accessed 13 February 2025.
(3) Archaeogenetics has allowed ancient human migration to be better understood by combining archaeology and genetics. This can be equally applied to an individual. See: George Bushby, 'Here's how genetics helped crack the history of human migration', the Conversation, 14 January 2016, https://theconversation.com/heres-how-genetics-helped-crack-the-history-of-human-migration-52918 , accessed 13 February 2025.
(4) G.C. Binod, 'Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs): Origin, Significance and Detection strategies', 11 May 2023, https://thesciencenotes.com/single-nucleotide-polymorphisms-snps-origin-significance-detection/ , accessed 13 February 2025.
(5) Colin Mallett, Mallett Research Folder 0, Unpublished Y-DNA research project, F0000 MALLETT Folder (0) , accessed 11 February 2025.
(6) Tushar Chauhan, 'What are Short Tandem Repeats (STRs)? Why do we use it?', Genetic Education, 3 July 2019, https://geneticeducation.co.in/what-are-short-tandem-repeats-strs-why-do-we-use-it/ , accessed 13 February 2025. For an overview of the SNP and STR marker research within the R1b-CTS3386 haplogroup project please see: R1b-CTS3386 and Subclades Project, 'Y-DNA SNP', Family Tree DNA Website, n.d., https://www.familytreedna.com/public/R1b-CTS3386?iframe=yresults, accessed 13 February 2025 & R1b-CTS3386 and Subclades Project, 'Y-DNA Classic Chart', Family Tree DNA Website, n.d., https://www.familytreedna.com/public/R1b-CTS3386/default.aspx?section=ysnp , accessed 13 February 2025.
(7) Colin Mallett, Mallett Research Folder 0.
(8) According to tradition, both of these families were meant to descend from the two sons of King Milesius who landed in Ireland around 1699 BCE: the CARROLLs descending from the eldest son Heber and the FERGUSONs (the Anglicised version of McFERGUS) descending from the younger son Heremon. In the case of the men descending from BY42759 this clearly can't be the case as according to the said chart all these CARROLLs and FERGUSONs share an ancestor who lived as recently as around 1000 CE. See: Author Unknown, 'Ancient Origins of Ireland', House of Names, n.d., https://www.houseofnames.com/blogs/Ancient-Origins-of-Ireland , accessed 13 February 2025; John Rooney, 'The Carroll Family' (from A Genealogical History of Irish Families with their Crests and Armorial Bearings, 1895), Library Ireland, n.d., https://www.libraryireland.com/irish-families/carroll.php , accessed 13 February 2025; John Rooney, 'The McFergus or Ferguson Family' (from A Genealogical History of Irish Families with their Crests and Armorial Bearings, 1895), Library Ireland, n.d., https://www.libraryireland.com/irish-families/mcfergus.php , accessed 13 February 2025.
(9) Author Unknown, 'Carroll: family name history', Irish History, n.d., https://www.irishhistory.com/genealogy/irish-surnames/carroll-family-name-history/ , accessed 13 February 2025; John Grenham, 'Carroll Surname History', johngrenham.com, n.d., https://www.johngrenham.com/surnamescode/surnamehistory.php?surname=Carroll&search_type=full , accessed 13 February 2025.
(10) Author Unknown, 'The Famous Places of Clan Ferguson', Scotland Shop, n.d., https://www.scotlandshop.com/tartanblog/famous-places-clan-ferguson , accessed 13 February 2025.
(11) Author Unknown, 'A Brief History of the Fergussons', Clan Fergusson Society of North America, n.d., https://cfsna.net/about-2/clan-fergusson-society-of-north-america-3/history-of-the-society/fergussons-in-scotland-2 , accessed 13 February 2025.
(12) Colin Mallett, 'From Natives to Normans to Protestants: Irish surnames from the Ninth Century to the present day', The Write Side of History blog, 16 January 2025, https://thewrite5ideofhistory.blogspot.com/2025/01/from-natives-to-normans-to-protestants.html , accessed 13 February 2025. Please note: while the order of descent of haplogroups tends to remain static, the dating of the haplogroup mutations are constantly being refined; as of October 2025, haplogroup R-BY42759 has now been estimated to have emerged around 400 CE, R-BY43560 around 700 CE, R-BY72189 around 1450 CE and R-BY109442 approx. 1500 CE.
(13) ROBBINS is an English name based on the personal name Robert which was introduced by the Normans. See: Author Unknown, 'Robbins', Heraldry's Institute of Rome, n.d., https://www.heraldrysinstitute.com/lang/en/cognomi/Robbins/idc/600565/?srsltid=AfmBOorowR21xBiU5gnflk-aqw_cNejH3i5wVzxaEB_9PiEy1tl9C8_9 , accessed 13 February 2025.
(14) The surname VANCE is strongly associated with Ireland and Scotland. It is thought to be an Anglicised version of the Norman surname, de VAUX, originally meaning 'of the valleys'. See: Author Unknown, 'A Short History of the Vance Surname', Vance History Online blog, n.d., https://vancehistoryonline.blogspot.com/p/short-history-of-vance-surname.html , accessed on 13 February 2025.
(15) Author Unknown, 'Milburn Surname', England's North East, n.d., https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/guide-to-north-east-surnames-m/ , accessed 13 February 2025.
(16) This is drawn from private Y-DNA group project work through the FTDNA site. Similar to the FERGUS(S)ON lines, there also seems to be a distant association between these MILBURN descendants with Ayrshire, Scotland.
Figures and Illustrations
(i) Colin Mallett, prepared with data from Big Y Testing at FTDNA with map sourced from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_the_World_Without_a_Background.png, accessed 13 February 2025.
(ii) Colin Mallett, prepared with data from Big Y Testing at FTDNA with map sourced from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Location_map_of_British_Isles.png, accessed 13 February 2025.
(iii) Eric Jones, 'The Carroll family plot at the old Catholic burial ground at Knockbride', 2013, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Carroll_Family_Plot_at_the_old_Catholic_burial_ground_at_Knockbride_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3827558.jpg, accessed 13 February 2025.
(iv) R. R. McClan, 'Ferguson', from James Logan's The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, 1845, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferguson_(R._R._McIan).jpg, accessed 13 February 2025.
(v) G. Cattermole, 'Reivers raid on Gilnockie Tower', date unknown, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reivers_raid_on_Gilnockie_Tower.jpg, accessed 13 February 2025.
Bibliography
Author Unknown, 'Ancient Origins of Ireland', House of Names, n.d., https://www.houseofnames.com/blogs/Ancient-Origins-of-Ireland , accessed 13 February 2025.
Author Unknown, 'Carroll: family name history', Irish History, n.d., https://www.irishhistory.com/genealogy/irish-surnames/carroll-family-name-history/ , accessed 13 February 2025.
Author Unknown, 'The Famous Places of Clan Ferguson', Scotland Shop, n.d., https://www.scotlandshop.com/tartanblog/famous-places-clan-ferguson , accessed 13 February 2025.
Author Unknown, 'A Brief History of the Fergussons', Clan Fergusson Society of North America, n.d., https://cfsna.net/about-2/clan-fergusson-society-of-north-america-3/history-of-the-society/fergussons-in-scotland-2 , accessed 13 February 2025.
Author Unknown, 'Robbins', Heraldry's Institute of Rome, n.d., https://www.heraldrysinstitute.com/lang/en/cognomi/Robbins/idc/600565/?srsltid=AfmBOorowR21xBiU5gnflk-aqw_cNejH3i5wVzxaEB_9PiEy1tl9C8_9 , accessed 13 February 2025.
Author Unknown, 'Milburn Surname', England's North East, n.d., https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/guide-to-north-east-surnames-m/ , accessed 13 February 2025.
Author Unknown, 'A Short History of the Vance Surname', Vance History Online blog, n.d., https://vancehistoryonline.blogspot.com/p/short-history-of-vance-surname.html , accessed on 13 February 2025.
Binod, G. C., 'Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs): Origin, Significance and Detection strategies', 11 May 2023, https://thesciencenotes.com/single-nucleotide-polymorphisms-snps-origin-significance-detection/ , accessed 13 February 2025.
Bushby, George. 'Here's how genetics helped crack the history of human migration', the Conversation, 14 January 2016, https://theconversation.com/heres-how-genetics-helped-crack-the-history-of-human-migration-52918 , accessed 13 February 2025.
Callaway, Ewen, 'Genetic Adam and Eve did not live too far apart in time', nature website, https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2013.13478 , accessed 13 February 2025.
