The Carr Surname Project is open to everyone searching their Carr/Kerr paternal line family history. All phonetic variations of 'Carr' are included in the project. Phonetically equivalent variations include Carr, Carre, Corr, Kerr, Ker, Karr, Kear plus others shown below. Genealogical research has found that spelling of last names based on pronunciation has varied across time within families and branches from the ancestral family. Also, in the past some immigrants from foreign lands were required to designate the foreign origins with letters applied before or after their family surname in official records. Modern Family surnames may continue to include these letters as well. Some 'Carr' lineages have adopted geographic names connected to Kerr as well. Thus connections between all of these family surname spellings are likely. The goal of this project is to identify Carr family genetic lineage links around the world to assist traditional family history research. Primary focus in this project is using YDNA matching among families with a Carr paternal lineage (father to son in each generation) from a phonetically equivalent 'Carr' surnamed ancestor. Studies show us that the geographical origins of people using the 'Carr' surname today include Scotland, Ireland, France, and the northern European Germanic regions as well as other regions around the Earth. While spelling of a family name may change over time, the genetic signature varies very slowly. YDNA can be used to identify potential connections between men who share a genealogically matching recent paternal line ancestor. Using this information and traditional genealogy methods has helped many family historians learn about their family heritage and extend their family history back generations. Identifying close paternal genetic lineage connections Two components of YDNA are used in conjunction to identify potential connections between different paternal lineages, STRs and SNPs. Short tandem repeats (STR) are allele counts at a series of DNA locations at specific locations called markers along the Y-DNA chromosome. These STRs are used to identify a current to recent generation signature for a paternal lineage. A series of short tandem repeats (STR) is called a haplotype. A series of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) steps at the same markers identify the changes in a paternal lineage's ancestral Y-DNA through time, called a Haplogroup. Obtaining the most recent SNP marker mutation, called the terminal Haplogroup SNP, along with a full STR haplotype provides the best genetic information to identify ancestral DNA connections between paternal lineages. The basic Y DNA STR tests at 12, 25, 37, 67 or 111 markers and autosomal DNA tests usually include only an ancient Haplogroup identification, limiting the ability to identify close connections in recent times. Obtaining a current generation most recent SNP mutation, called the Haplogroup’s terminal SNP has been difficult until the invention of the Big Y analysis technique. The Big Y test searches out the Y-DNA SNP mutations from ancient times to the most up to date terminal SNP and provides the testers most complete STR haplotype. Thus the Big Y test is far more advantageous than an STR test alone with an ancient SNP Haplogroup definition and is the preferred DNA test for paternal lineage ancestral genetic identification. Autosomal testing often connects people with cousins and helps identify potential candidates for potential Y DNA connection testing. Many family history researchers have found the combination of Big Y and Family Finder increases their success in finding connections to their paternal lineage.