Our project's aim is to determine the extent to which individuals with the surname Acree (variously spelled) relate to one another worldwide - genetically and genealogically.

It has found that most Acrees living in the U.S. descend from an early-18th-century immigrant to Virginia with origins in the English-Scottish border area. It has found additionally that a substantial minority of Acrees living in the U.S. descend from an unrelated contemporary British immigrant.

The surnames Acres, Acker(s), Aker(s), Dacre, Daker and Hacker have been historically associated with the Acree surname in the British Isles. The spelling Acree appears to have arisen in the late 18th century, coincidental with the more disciplined spelling of surnames. Other surname variants that exist today include Ackre, Ackrey, Acra, Acre, Acrea, Acord, Acrey, Akre, Akrey, Akridge, and Akrie.

Any male bearer of the surname Acree or its above-mentioned variants is invited to participate. Our project compares the unique Y-Chromosome (Y-STR) segments that fathers pass intact to their sons, which remain stable from generation to generation, with only minor, infrequent mutational changes. Females may participate by convincing an Acree-surnamed male relative (grandfather, father, brother, uncle, cousin or nephew) to provide the requisite DNA as a representative of her line.

Full information is provided on our project’s independent website. See Background.