SEARCH FAQs
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303 FAQs found. Showing page: 6 of 13
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Where did my ancestors come from?
There are two places to look for the answer to this question. The first is your haplogroup, which is identified and described for you in your Y-DNA Haplogroup section. The second place to look is in our Ancestral Origins database. In this section we list the countries of origin reported to us by others who have the same or similar results as you. T ...
faq id: 412 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: ancestry, ancestral, origins
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Why do I have matches with different surnames?
There are two reasons you may have a match with someone with a different surname. It may be that you are distantly connected, from a time before surnames were in common use. You may see a large quantity of different surname is the 12-marker matches section. Or, it may be that there was a surname change on one of the lines. This can happen for many ...
faq id: 413 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, surnames, different, matching
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What does it mean if I match someone with the same surname as me?
This means you might have a relevant match. Because the Y-chromosome is passed down from father to son just like last names, the Y-DNA test often follows a surname. If you share a common last name with your match you might share a common ancestor as well. The best way to find out is to contact your match.
faq id: 414 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: surnames, same, matching, matches
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What should I do with my matches?
Your matches - especially the matches at 25, 37 or 67 markers - are important links to possible clues about your own family tree, so it is a good idea to contact them and respond to their inquiries. You can view the names and email addresses of your matches on the Y-DNA Matches section. You will receive an email notification from Family Tree DNA ev ...
faq id: 415 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, matching
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What is a one-step mutation, two-step mutation, etc?
Each step is one mutation, or difference, and is one step further from an exact match. For example, if someone matches you on 11 of 12 markers tested, this person is a one-step mutation from you and probably still shared a common ancestor with you, but in a more distant time-frame than an exact 12 of 12 marker match. A two-step mutation would be a ...
faq id: 417 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: steps, mutations, differences
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What is genetic distance?
Genetic distance is the number of differences, or mutations, between two sets of results. For example, if two men test DYS # 393 and one of them scores a 12 and the other is a 13, but their results are otherwise identical, there is a genetic distance of one and they are a one-step mutation match. However, if the first man scores an 11 and the secon ...
faq id: 418 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: genetics, differences, mutations, steps
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What do my matches mean?
A match or near-match with another person in our database, especially in the 25, 37 and 67 markers level, means that you and that person most likely shared a common ancestor within a genealogical time-frame. You can use the FTDNATiP report to learn how you might be connected or check here for more information: http://www.familytreedna.com/reading-a ...
faq id: 419 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, matching
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Why do I have so many matches?
If you have a large number of matches you may have a more common Y-DNA signature in our database. This can mean that your lineage has survived and reproduced well, and as a result, many people share the same signature. As our database continues to grow you may continue to receive additional matches.
You might choose to test additional markers to r ...
faq id: 420 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, matching
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Why don’t I have any matches?
If you do not have any matches, you may be the first person with your particular Y-DNA sequence in our database. This can mean that your result is relatively rare and that, as a result, few people have it. It can also mean that no one else from your particular lineage has happened to test yet. In both cases, the good news is that our database is co ...
faq id: 421 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, matching
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How do I tell how closely I am related to a match?
You can use FTDNATiP, Family Tree DNA’s Time Predictor, to help you determine how closely you are related to a match. Look to the right of your match’s email address on the Y-DNA Matches section and you will see a dark blue button with an orange pedigree line running through it. Click on this to determine how likely you and a match are to share a c ...
faq id: 422 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, matching, related
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Should I email my match?
Especially in the case of high resolution matches (Y-DNA25, 37 or 37, and mtDNAPlus) if you think that there is a possibility that you can pinpoint your common ancestor between you and one of your matches, or even if you just want to try to find a common ancestor, by all means, contact them. Don’t be shy about emailing your matches. They provide th ...
faq id: 423 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, matching, emailing, contacting
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What do I do if one of my matches emails me?
In order to maximize the amount of information you can access, it is important to be in touch with the people in your list of matches. If you are contacted by a match, you may want to email them back, try to determine if you can pinpoint a common ancestor, and perhaps share genealogical information with them. Even if to tell that there is no possib ...
faq id: 424 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: matches, matching, emails, emailing, contacts, con
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What is FTDNATiP?
Family Tree DNA’s Time Predictor is a program used to calculate estimates of Time to the Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA). It is the world's first calculator that incorporates mutation rates specific to each marker. This greatly increases the power and precision of estimates. You can learn more about FTDNATiP by clicking on the 'TiP' link from y ...
faq id: 426 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: FTDNATiP, predictor, ancestor, recent, time
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Why do some of my matches show “United States”?
The Recent Ancestral Origins section lists the country of origin reported to us by the people that you match. This country of origin is meant to be the country your paternal ancestors (http://www.familytreedna.com/tc.html) came from before any migrations to the Americas. However, some individuals instead enter the country of birth for themselves or ...
faq id: 428 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: recent, ancestral, origins, united, states, american, countries, native
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Why are so many different countries listed?
Similar DNA results tend to be found in a range of countries in the same geographic area. Some results are common enough that they have spread out throughout a very large region or a continent over the millennia. If, for example, you match people from countries located throughout Europe, you happen to have a DNA result which is found in all of thes ...
faq id: 429 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: recent, ancestral, origins, countries
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Why isn’t my ancestor’s country of origin listed?
The Recent Ancestral Origins section is a comparison of your results against others in the database. It lets you see what others with similar results to you entered for their country of origin. If you entered a country of origin it will be listed on the pages of the individuals with similar results to you.
faq id: 430 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: recent, ancestral, origins, country, countries
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What does the “Count” mean?
The “Count” column represents the number of people of this description in our database whom you match. For example, if under the "Country" column it says England and under the "Count" column says 16, this means that there are 16 people who have tested with us who match your result and have reported England as their paternal country of origin. Highe ...
faq id: 431 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: count, recent, ancestral, origins, country, countr
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What does the number in parentheses mean on my Recent Ancestral Origins Page?
This column represents the total number of people in our database that have entered this country as tier country of origin. For example, if under this column it says (180), it means that there are 180 people in the database who have tested with us and entered this country as their paternal country of origin. You may see that some countries have man ...
faq id: 432 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: number, recent, ancestral, origins
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What does “Comments” mean on my Recent Ancestral Origins page?
The “Comments” column on your Recent Ancestral Origins Page provides a space for additional ancestral information. For example, one may denote tribal origin, region within a country, or Jewish origin in this field. This can help give you additional information about your matches when available. Family Tree DNA does not show you what you are not, ra ...
faq id: 433 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: recent, ancestral, origins, comments
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What is my haplogroup?
You can find your haplogroup assignment in the Haplotree section of your Family Tree DNA personal page. Most of the time we can confidently predict your haplogroup with no need for a haplogroup test. If your haplogroup has not been tested, you will see the words My Predicted Haplogroup: (i.e. R1b1b2) as your prediction and also the scientific 'Shor ...
faq id: 434 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: haplogroups
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Is my haplogroup predicted or confirmed?
To determine whether your haplogroup has been predicted or confirmed with additional testing, check the Haplotree page (from your personal page) and at the top of the chart you will see 'My Predicted Haplogroup' or 'My Confirmed Haplogroup'. If your haplogroup is being tested you will see either a notation of 'Testing in Progress' or an orange bar ...
faq id: 435 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: haplogroups, predicted, confirmed
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Why do I see more than one haplogroup listed on the Haplogroup page?
Information is automatically displayed for your comparison for every haplogroup that is identical or close to your Y DAN profile. Because of evolutionary convergence you have have multiple haplogroups 'near' you, genetically, however you can only be part of one haplogroup. As a result, you will sometimes see multiple haplogroups displayed even tho ...
faq id: 436 in Test Results -- Y-DNA Keywords: haplogroups