A brief summary of progress to date against our goals is given below.

Results so far show that there are multiple origins of the Cannell surname. 

Many Cannells have an ancestral origin from the Isle of Man. Project results suggest that all Manx Cannells are descended on the male line from the same Cannell ancestor, and this ancestor is likely to have lived sometime between 1250 and 1450. Unlike some traditional Manx families (which have Scandanavian patrilineal ancestry), the forebears of the Cannells are likely to have come from Scotland or Ireland. This Cannell family is believed to account for most Cannell men alive today.

The project has also shown that there is a separate and entirely independent origin for the Cannell name in Norfolk, and this ancestry accounts for a significant minority of Cannell men.  

Early indications are that there could be more distinct Cannell families of ancient English ancestry. More test results will be needed to identify and confirm these however.

DNA profiles have been identified for a handful of different Cannell ancestries with no known genealogical relationship between them. Although these profiles are all very similar, they do show enough variation to offer strong hope that specific genetic variations can be linked to early branches of the Cannell famlly tree. The deductions which can be drawn will increase as more testers come forward.