The Fentress Surname appears in America during the 1600s and almost certainly originated in England and/or Scotland. Early identified families include those of Michael ffentris of Lower Norfolk Co., VA and the families of Albemarle Co., VA. The Virginia families are known to have spread into North Carolina during the 1700s and from there, for many, westward. The Fentress Surname Project is formed to investigate, using Y-chromosome testing, the relationships among various Fentress surname families that originated or remain in England or Scotland. Its results are to be used as an aid to family historians and genealogists in understanding the origins and histories of these Fentress families in America and elsewhere. The spelling variations anticipated by this project include those of the earliest records including Fentris and Ventris as well as those known to have been adopted such as Ventress, Fenters, and Venters. Because of the potential surname overlap with surnames of German origin prospective participants such as Fenters and Venters should also consider the German origin surname projects of Venter and Fender.