Y DNA testing is a great way to explore your paternal family line. Here’s a quick get-started video tutorial and two essential tips for taking a YDNA test for family history.
Y DNA testing is a specific type of genetic genealogy test that can help answer questions about your direct paternal line. Follow these 3 steps to start your Y DNA journey!
1. Watch this quick tutorial video on Y DNA.
2. Have the right person take a YDNA test.
Because of the way Y DNA is inherited,only genetic males can take a Y DNA test. If you are not a genetic male, or if you’re looking at someone else’s paternal line, you’ll have to look for a willing tester who IS a genetic male descendant of that male line. For example, if you’re a woman exploring your dad’s line, you can have a brother test (if you share the same biological dad) or your dad’s brother (by the same father), or a son of a brother of your dad, etc.
The genetic genealogy testing company that does Y DNA testing is FamilyTreeDNA.* Testing 37 markers can produce meaningful results, but if you can afford to test 111 markers, that’s even better. (You can always upgrade your test later to include more markers.) Purchase a Y DNA test now.
3. Join a Y-DNA family project.
After you have your test results, join a Y DNA family project to compare your Y DNA to that of other men who share the same male lineage. You can often learn more about the surname(s) most commonly associated with that Y DNA signature. You may see others who match your Y DNA and may share an ancestor with you.
Anoften overlookedbenefit of the family project is your ability to see all of the people who are sharing your surname, but doNOTshare a direct paternal line with you.This list can be a gold mine, as it can save you hours ofwasted research barking up the wrong tree.Any ancestor representedin the surname projectwho does not share Y DNA with you is not your ancestor! It doesn’t matter if their name is spelled just like yours, or that they named all of theireldestsons Solomon, or that they lived in the same county as your family. THEY ARE NOT YOUR FAMILY.Soyou can move on and find other, more valuable, leads.
Learn how to join a YDNA family project
Learn to Do the DNA—and Let Us Help!
Wherever you are in your YDNA testing journey, we can help you. That’s what we do. Learn more about YDNA in our YDNA FREE Get Started Course. Learn the many ways YDNA might help you answer your questions about your family history. The Get Started Course is an excerpt from our YDNA for Genealogy Course, which takes you deeper into understanding Y-haplogroups and using them in genealogy research (as well as other topics such as YDNA matching, surname project participation, and when to use Big Y).
Tell me more about the YDNA FREE Get Started Course
Diahan Southard
As founder and CEO of Your DNA Guide, Diahan Southard has been teaching people how to find family history answers in their DNA for several years, and she's been in the genetic genealogy field since its infancy. Diahan teaches internationally, writes for popular magazines, consults with leading testing companies, is author of Your DNA Guide–The Book, and producer of Your DNA Guide–the Academy, an online learning experience.
See AlsoWie verwenden Sie einen Y-DNA-Test, um Ihre väterliche Abstammung zu verfolgen?Big Y DNA Test: When To Use It - Your DNA Guide - Diahan SouthardY-DNA Test: What is a Y Chromosome Test and Which is BestWhat Can a Y-DNA Test Tell You About Your Ancestors?Hope Shipley Welch on February 21, 2022 at 11:32 am
Only sibling, a brother, tested Big Y last summer; passed away a month ago
3rd Cousin – related to same 2nd great gf – BIG Y – information just receivedMy brother had tested with Ancestry – YDNA – and was able to save raw data when they closed and used at ftDNA to add to their results.
Have joined a Surname project and have been in contact with the manager.
I did mtDNA both Ancestry and ftDNA – to use if need. Was told my brother did not need to have his mtDNA done because of that.
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Diahan Southard on February 21, 2022 at 8:22 pm
Excellent work getting all of this documentation complete!
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Theodore Cheek on February 21, 2022 at 7:22 pm
I have taken the Y111 test and found 3 matches 1, 3 and 5 steps. The first match suggests a high probability we share the same gg grandfather (Richmond Sparks) but no stories of him having a second family or out of wedlock affair.
Have joined the Sparks group project but not much helpReply
Diahan Southard on February 21, 2022 at 8:23 pm
If you do share a 2X great grandfather, you would likely also share Autosomal DNA. Have you looked at that?
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Jane Bonny on May 22, 2023 at 11:11 am
My husband has taken the Y-111 test and matches another man with the same surname, a known descendant of the same great-grandfather. The problem is that male descendants of the siblings of that great-grandfather are an entirely different haplogroup. This was not a complete surprise.
There are two 7-step matches at the 67-marker level but none at the 111-marker level. I have been waiting patiently for someone from R-M269 to pop up (siblings are Haplogroup I-M233 & they came from Denmark) but can’t think of anyone to check
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Diahan Southard on May 24, 2023 at 10:45 am
Usually when haplogroups are different between YDNA matches, it’s just because in the generations following the shared ancestors there was a mutation on the YDNA for one (or both) individuals. These mutations may be “branch points” on the haplo group, so even though the haplogroups have different names, they are two branches of the same major branch. I hope you get some more matches pop up soon! Sometimes the best next step is just to wait for that key match to pop up!
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Shanna Scott-Salmon on November 17, 2023 at 8:13 am
On what site are you a member? My dad is R-M269 and he was adopted. I know it’s a long shot just read your question. He passed away several years ago but I administer his account on Ancestry etc. His name is Danny Scott. We’ve been trying for years to find his biological father. Just recently figured out his maternal side. My name is Shanna Scott-Salmon.
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