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27 Aug 2026 AI response to a question; What Y-DNA haplogroup is associated with the Menteith Grahams? "Based on both my prior research with you and current sources, the Menteith Grahams (Earls of Menteith, a noble branch of Clan Graham) belong to Y-DNA haplogroup I1, specifically the subclade I-M253 > DF29 > A5616 > A5721 > A5723 > Y48464 > FT233821.
Key details
- This I1 lineage is the same haplogroup carried by the broader Graham of Montrose noble line (Dukes/Marquises/Earls of Montrose), since the Grahams of Menteith share common noble Graham ancestry with Montrose.
- Within that group, I-Y48464 is thought to specifically represent the Graham Earls of Menteith line — an FTDNA project update from February 2021 noted a tester's I-Y48464 result as "interesting as... it could represent that of the Graham Earls of Menteith," whose seat was Inchmahome Castle on the Lake of Menteith.
- A March 2023 [FTDNA] project update dated the most recent common ancestor of I-FT233821 to roughly 901–1499 CE, consistent with a medieval noble founder.
- This is distinct from the much larger J1-L1253 cluster, which represents the separate Border Reiver Grahams (e.g., Grahams of Netherby) — your own paternal line's cluster, as we established previously.
So in short: Menteith Grahams → I1 (I-M253 subclade FT233821, likely narrowing to Y48464), while Border Grahams (your line) → J1-L1253. Since only a handful of confirmed Menteith-descended testers exist in [an FT project, this I1 assignment could still be refined as more BigY results come in, but it's the current best-supported answer.