Harden Hardin Harding yDNA Project
WHY the SURNAME is IMPORTANT for a Surname DNA Project
The Surname is a very
important component of a Y-DNA Project, which is one of the reasons that the
Projects are called Surname Projects. The use of the Surname in a Y- DNA
Project is to establish a boundary in time for when the persons are
related. For example, when Surnames match and the 25-Marker or 37-Marker
results match, then the common ancestor occurred since Surnames were
established.
Surnames were established
in different parts of the world at different times. At one point in time,
people used just a one part name, or first name. The use of surnames then
evolved, as well as the hereditary nature of surnames (with some notable
exceptions).
In England, it was not
until the early 12th century that surnames became hereditary among the
nobility. Surnames then spread gradually amongst the ordinary people in
the next century, from the town to the country and from the south of England to
the north. Most people in England did not have anything approaching a
hereditary surname until the end of the 14th century.
The present day form of
many surnames is due to the spelling established in the 16th or 17th century by
the clergy. The present spelling of a surname could even be a result of
the spelling recorded by the registrars of births in the 19th century.
There was no guide to the spellings of names, and those who recorded events,
such as the clergy and registrars, attempted to reproduce phonetically the
sounds they heard. The great majority of the population was illiterate
and had no notion that any one spelling of their name was more 'correct' than
any other. Many surnames have been corrupted to such an extent that their
original forms may only be discovered after considerable research. Discovering
the original form of your surname will involve tracing your family tree
backwards in time, step by step.
NOTE: The "Dictionary
of American Family Names", by Patrick Hanks, Editor, 2003, by Oxford
University Press (ISBN: 0-19-516557-8) is an excellent source to assist you
with surnames currently in use in the U.S. This source lists 72,000
individual surnames and identifies each surname by type (occupational,
habitational, patronymic, nickname, etc.), region of origination, explanation,
etymology, alternate forms and frequency.
Names became hereditary
later in Scotland and Ireland then in England, and in Wales and Shetland a
large proportion of the population did not develop stable hereditary surnames
until the 18th century. Many of the surnames in Wales did not become
stable until the middle of the 19th century.
Throughout time, events
could occur which changed the surname, such as an informal adoption when a
widow remarries. Occasionally there was a voluntary name change, just as
occurs today.
The spelling of a surname
could change when a family migrated, due to the pronunciation being interpreted
as a different spelling in the new local.
When selecting variants
for a Surname Project, the IGI (International Genealogical Index) is a good
guide, since the IGI usually has all variant forms of a surname grouped
together under a standard spelling. Many of these forms of the surname do
not survive to the current day, either because the male line ended, or the
spelling was only recorded for a period of time. To determine which
variant forms survive today, the variants from the IGI can be used to search
various on-line phone books or by using the DAFN.
When the surname matches
and the Y-DNA result matches (even with a 12-marker test), you have established
that the persons are related since the adoption of surnames.
The maximum time frame
for the common ancestor would vary based on when surnames were established in
the local where the ancestors were located.
When the surname doesn't
match, and the Y-DNA result matches, a decision needs to be made as to whether
to pursue the match. The match could be the result of any of the
following:
convergence
adoption
extra marital event
related before the adoption of
surnames
change of name
Most likely, a matching
Y-DNA result with a different surname was caused by either convergence, or
being related before the adoption of surnames.
These two situations
would normally not be pursued. For the other situations, a decision must
be made. The odds are small that an adoption or extra marital event
occurred. Before deciding to pursue a match where the surname differs,
determine if there is any genealogical evidence that an adoption or extra
marital event is a possibility. For example, was a child born within a
few months of a marriage? Did a widow remarry? Did people
with the other surname reside in the same local at any time? Is there any
evidence of a change of name, such as a census entry for the family with a new
name?
Many times, Y-DNA matches
with other surnames are not worth pursuing. If your Haplogroup is R1b,
you will usually get a large number of matches with other surnames.
Are we Related? The role of Surnames and research in
Matching
Just as there are
surnames with a high frequency of occurrence, such as Smith, Johnson and Jones,
and surnames with a low frequency of occurrence, there are both Haplotypes with
a high frequency of occurrence, and Haplotypes with a low frequency of
occurrence. The 12-marker result from the Y-chromosome 12-Marker test is
called a Haplotype.
When you compare a
12-marker result to another 12-marker result of someone with the SAME surname,
and the results match 12/12, there is a 99% probability that you are
related. If you compare a 25-marker result to another 25-marker result
for the SAME surname, and the results match 25/25, then there is 99.9%
confidence that the two individuals are related.
If you compare the
12-marker result to someone else that does not have the same surname, but the
scores match, you are most likely NOT related. When we use the term
related, we are talking about within the last 1,000 years or approximately 40
generations.
According to current
theories, we are all related. The degree of relatedness depends on the
time frame, or generations between the participants and the common ancestor.
If two 12-marker results
match for two participants with the same surname, and the genealogy research
shows a common ancestor in 1835, the DNA test has validated the research and
proven that the two descendents are related. In this example, you have
two items of evidence to support that the individuals tested are related. In
addition, the research provided a precise time frame for the common ancestor.
Without the genealogy
research, and where 2 participants with the same surname match on the 12-marker
test, then the scientific answer to the degree of relatedness is that 50% of
the time the common ancestor would have occurred within 14.5 generations, or
within approximately 360 years.
The range of generations
for the common ancestor extends to 76.9, or almost 2,000 years. These
long time frames exhibit the need to combine testing with genealogical
research.
The 25-marker test will
more accurately determine the time frame of the common ancestor. If 2
participants with the same surname match 25/25, then the most likely time frame
for the common ancestor is reduced to within 7 generations, or most likely
within 175 years. When combining test results with genealogical research,
you can achieve a more precise time frame. If you have a paper trail to a
common ancestor, then the test result of a 25/25 match is confirming your
research. If you have the paper trail, and you get a 15/25 match, you
either have a problem with the research, an extra-marital event, or an adoption
in your family tree.
If you have a rare
Haplotype, and you click the FIND selection to search for your matches, the
results should all have your surname. When you have a rare Haplotype and
you have a match with a different surname, this is most likely the result of an
adoption or extra marital event.
If you do match 12/12
with someone with a different surname, you may want to compare your research to
see if you can place any ancestors in the same location at the same time, to
begin an investigation of adoption or extra marital event. Most likely
you may also want to expand testing to include other direct male descendents in
both your trees for additional evidence to determine when the event
occurred. The preceding advice is only for those with a rare Haplotype.
If you have a high
frequency, or common, Haplotype, the FIND command will provide you with many
matches to many different surnames. Even though you match, you are not
considered related, in the sense that any relatedness was probably too far in
the past to have any genealogical value. Of course, there is the slim
probability that one of the many matches of other surnames is the result of
adoption or extra marital event. The 25-marker results will help identify
this person.
It has not been
scientifically proven why some Haplotypes are common and others are rare.
Many factors are believed to have influenced the situation over time to produce
common and rare Haplotypes. These factors would include male birth rates,
diseases and epidemics focused on localities, migration patterns, mutation
rates, etc. More scientific research is needed to have more specific
answers regarding why some Haplotypes are common and some are rare.
It is important to
consider whether your Haplotype is common or rare, to effectively interpret
results from 12-marker testing. If your Haplotype is rare, and you have a
12/12 match with a different surname, it might be worth your time to pursue
this match, with comparing research and upgrading to the 25-marker test.
If your Haplotype is common, and you match 17 participants with 17 different
surnames, you will probably not want to pursue these matches. How
many matches you get to different surnames indicates whether your Haplotype is
common or rare.
To more precisely define
your degree of relatedness when you have the same surname, and a 12/12 match,
consider upgrading to a 25-marker test. DNA testing is not meant to be a
substitute for genealogical research. DNA testing combined with your research
and your surname is an effective tool to resolve unanswered questions,
determine relatedness, identify research problems, and to prove or disprove
theories or research.
With a 12-marker test,
your degree of relatedness to another which you match 12/12 involves both the
surname and your genealogical research. If you don't have a documented
connection to a common ancestor, and you have a rare surname and a rare
Haplotype, you can assume that you are related with a 12/12 match. This
conclusion is not reasonable for common Haplotypes.
For those with common
Haplotypes, genealogical research and a 25 marker upgrade is recommended.
For those with a common Haplotype, a 10/12 and 11/12 matches can be
deceiving. They may or may not be related. In this case, a 25-marker
upgrade is recommended to determine the degree of relatedness.
In summary, the following
chart applies when combined with genealogical research:
Match Surname Haplotype - Related?
|
12 - Marker Matches |
||
|
MATCH |
SURNAME |
REMARKS |
|
12 for 12 |
SAME RARE |
RELATED (seek higher resolution if you
desire to reduce the number of generations to the common ancestor) |
|
12 for 12 |
DIFFERENT RARE |
POSSIBLY RELATED (go to 25 or 37 markers to
confirm) |
|
12 for 12 |
SAME COMMON |
PROBABLY RELATED (go to 25 or 37 markers to
confirm) |
|
12 for
12 |
DIFFERENT COMMON |
MOST LIKELY NOT RELATED |