Haplogroups and SNPs
All people have a past that traces back to Africa. Over thousands of years, different groups have traveled and settled around the world. Each group has its own path and history recorded in DNA. Part of that record is found on the Y chromosome. Population geneticists study it using changes in the genetic code called Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Once discovered, SNPs are placed on the Y chromosome Consortium’s (YCC) phylogenetic tree. This tree can then be used to explore our own shared past and place our -or a representative relative’s- Y chromosome in the context of historic migrations.
SNPs
The Y chromosome contains two types of ancestral markers. Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) trace recent ancestry. The second type of ancestral marker, SNPs, document ancient ancestry. SNPs are small "mistakes" that occur in DNA and are passed on to future generations. SNP mutations are rare. They happen at a rate of approximately one mutation every few hundred generations.
As groups of scientists discover SNPs, they are named for the research lab and the order in which they are found.
| Designation |
Research Lab |
| IMS-JST |
Institute of Medical Science-Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan |
| L |
The Family Tree DNA Genomic Research Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America |
| M |
Stanford University, California, United States of America |
| P |
University of Arizona, Arizona, United States of America |
| PK |
Biomedical and Genetic Engineering Laboratories, Islamabad, Pakistan |
| U |
University of Central Florida, Florida, United States of America |
| V |
La Sapienza, Rome, Italy |
When a SNP occurs it marks a branch in the y-chromosome phylogenetic tree.
Haplogroups
The branch points in the tree are called haplogroups. The tree has twenty main branches. These branches form the backbone of the tree. They are classified by the letters A through T. Each branch has many further sub-branches called subclades.
In 2002, the YCC, a collaborative group of population geneticists from major academic research labs, was formed. They tested samples for all known SNPs, then published an inclusive tree of the major haplogroups and their subclades. (YCC 2002) In 2008, the tree was updated. (Karafet 2008) The revised tree included newly discovered SNPs and corrected the placement of those already on the tree. Additional revisions take place to the tree several times each year.
Download a detailed copy of the Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree. This may take several minutes to download.
Here is haplogroup S and its subclades.
(+) View Haplogroup S
There are two ways to name the tree’s branches: the long form and the short form. In the long form, haplogroups and subclades are named with alternating numbers and letters: S, S1, S1a, etc. In the short form, the first letter is named, followed by a dash and the name of the final SNP: S-M310, S-M254, S-P57, etc.
| SNPs |
YCC Haplogroup - Long Form |
YCC Haplogroup - Short Form |
| M230, P202, P204 |
S |
S-M230 |
| M254 |
S1 |
S-M254 |
| P57 |
S1a |
S-P57 |
| P61 |
S1b |
S-P61 |
| P83 |
S1c |
S-P83 |
| M226 |
S1d |
S-M226 |
Because the tree is revised by the YCC when new SNPs are discovered, the long form of haplogroup designations may change from time to time. However, the short form designation will remain the same.
Backbone SNP Testing
When you take any of the Y-DNA tests at Family Tree DNA, Y-DNA 12, Y-DNA 25, Y-DNA 37, Y-DNA 67, your results include a free haplogroup determination. This determination is backed by our SNP assurance program. The chart below lists the SNPs that are included and the haplogroups that they define.
The certificates and reports you receive in the mail will include your backbone determination. On your myFTDNA page the Haplotree tool will show how you are placed on the tree.
Deep Clade Testing
Once you know your Y chromosome haplogroup, you may then focus on your branch of the tree through subclade testing. Family Tree DNA currently offers Deep Clade tests for haplogroups E, G, H, I, J, N, O, Q, and R. Testing begins with a predicted subclade. Enough SNPs are tested to identify and confirm your placement in the most current version of the YCC tree. Your results and placement on the tree are shown on the Haplotree page of your myFTDNA account.
Haplogroup E
Haplogroup E is one of the two branches of the mega-haplogroup DE. It originated approximately 50,000 years ago. Scientists believe that it ether arose in Africa or represents a back migration. It has been linked to the Neolithic expansion of peoples into Southern Europe. Over sixty subclades of E have been discovered.
(+) View Haplogroup E
Haplogroup G
Haplogroup G is a branch of the mega-haplogroup F. G originated approximately 25,000 years ago in Eastern Africa. Its branches have spread into Eurasia. Some branches moved across Southern Asia and from there to India. Others moved across the Mediterranean and into Europe.
(+) View Haplogroup G
Haplogroup H
Haplogroup H is a branch of the mega-haplogroup F. H originated approximately 30,000 years ago in Eastern Africa. It spread to the Indian subcontinent and is found at high frequencies in India and Sri Lanka. It is also found in the Roma populations of Europe.
(+) View Haplogroup H
Haplogroup I
Haplogroup I is a branch of the mega-haplogroup F and its subsequent mega-haplogroup IJ. I originated approximately 25,000 years ago among the people of Eastern Africa and Southern Europe. As the ice receded after the last glacial maximum, it spread into Northern Europe.
(+) View Haplogroup I
Haplogroup J
Haplogroup J is a branch of the mega-haplogroup F and its subsequent mega-haplogroup IJ. J originated approximately 25,000 years ago in the Eastern Africa Levant. It has two main branches, J1 and J2. Both are found in Eastern African populations. It has also spread into Europe and the Indian subcontinent during the Bronze Age. J1 is the parent haplogroup of the Cohen Model Haplotype, CMH.
(+) View Haplogroup J
Haplogroup N
Haplogroup N is a branch of the mega-haplogroup K. N originated approximately 10,000 years ago in Asia. Its branches have spread into East Asia and across Northern Europe.
(+) View Haplogroup N
Haplogroup O
Haplogroup O is a branch of the mega-haplogroup K. O originated approximately 35,000 years ago in Asia. Its branches have spread into Central and East Asia. O has about thirty known subclades.
(+) View Haplogroup O
Haplogroup Q
Haplogroup Q is one of two branches of the mega-haplogroup P. Q originated approximately 20,000 years ago in Central Asia. Its branches have migrated into both Europe and East Asia. Some of its branches took part in the settlement of the Americas. These branches make up the majority of pre-Columbian Amerindian populations.
(+) View Haplogroup Q
Haplogroup R
Haplogroup R is one of the two branches of the mega-haplogroup P. R originated approximately 30,000 years ago in Central Asia. It has two main branches, R1 and R2. R1 spread from Central Asia into Europe. Meanwhile, R2 spread east into the Indian subcontinent. Population movements have brought small numbers of both southward into the Eastern African Levant.
(+) View Haplogroup R