The objective of this project is to capture the Y-DNA of the “Don Carlos” variant surname lineages and build aY-DNA database that will help us find answers to four key questions:

• How are the different Don Carlos/Carlos lines related?

• Is Spain the ancestral country for the Don Carlos lines?

• Is there any Y-DNAevidence for the legend of a royal link? The rapidly growing word-wide DNA database now includes DNA profiles of many royal families, making it feasible to explore this basic question about an old family tale.

• Can a connection be established with the Careless/Carlos from England, Ireland and Spain?

There are quite a few different Don Carlos/Carloss lines throughout the country.  By combining traditional and genetic genealogy our aim is to discover whether there was a common ancestor at some point; shed light on whether there is a familiar link between any of the different family branches; establish how many generations ago male ancestors shared a common ancestor; and investigate if there is any genetic basis for the tradition of noble Spanish origins.   

One of the benefits of this project is the opportunity to link with living relatives and share information. To participate meaningfully, participants will be asked to share their direct male line ancestry back to the earliest known “Don Carlos.” This is not, however, a condition for participation.

 To contact the project, please email doncarlosfamilydna@gmail.com.