More Project Information

The Hickey Project is a study of the Hickey (and other genetically related) surnames (see below) and is based on the Y-Chromosome (Y-DNA). Thus, those who have Hickey surnames or who are Hickey Y-DNA relatives (direct descendants before surnames were adopted and similar YDNA test results) are good candidates for this project. And it is a project as we encourage additional testing to help place members with genetic relatives within the group.

FamilyFinder and AncestryDNA Tests

If you are joining the Hickey project due to your AncestryDNA test or the FamilyFinder test, these are Autosomal DNA tests. We have a sister project the Hickey FamilyFinder Project that we encourage you to join as Autosomal cousins. This not to say you should not remain a member of the Hickey Project. If your surname is not Hickey, being a member still enables you to see certain information that you would otherwise not be able to see including the Y-DNA relationships of any of your male Hickey surname relatives that are part of this project. However, if you are not a male Hickey, the genetic reports may not relate directly to you.

Recommended Testing

We recommend if you would like to further your knowledge of your Hickey surname that you test at the Y-111 level if you or a kit you are handling is a male Hickey. Based on the Y111 result we may be able to better direct you on where you fit (L21 and DF27 for sure) or we can recommend further testing to see where you might fit more specifically in the project and perhaps also in the BigTree - http://www.ytree.net.

What we know.

With just a couple of exceptions, all of the Hickeys (remember Y chromosome, males only) we know belong to two genetic groups, L21 and DF27. In essence Hickeys are in the R1b Haplogroup and are further divided into L21andDF27. This L21 and DF27 split happened maybe 5000 years ago and includes many individuals with many common surnames. The "father" of these two genetic groups was P312. He had these "sons" (L21 and DF27) likely somewhere in modern day France. A "son" (SNP - single nucleotide polymorphism) is born when a mutation occurs in a man at birth. The DF27 Hickeys all belong to the Rox2 genetic group. Mr. Rox2 was likely born about 1250 years ago. Again, this happened before surnames were adopted. The L21 Hickeys, on the other hand, belong to half a dozen different subgroups. L21 certainly arrived in Ireland well before its DF27 brother arrived via Scotland.  In summary and without being to scientific, since L21 and DF27 probably separated about 5000 years ago and Rox2 came a few thousand years after DF27, trying to match members is difficult even when we have the testing but harder without the testing as some of the branching of members goes quite a ways back (1000s of years).

A couple of quick comments

• Similar sounding surnames arose in different areas simultaneously. The Hickey surname is no exception.
• R1b-L21 is the branch of the human family tree marked by the mutation L21+. This includes all R-L21 people. It is the most common Y chromosome subclade of paternal lineages in the British Isles and is also significant in France.
• R1b-DF27 is the branch of the human family tree marked by the mutation DF27+. It is a very common Y chromosome clade of paternal lineages in Western Europe especially modern Spain. There are several large subclades of R1b-DF27.
• The Hickey surname came into use in each of these distinct groups. The DF27 Hickeys most likely adopted it sometime after their arrival in Ireland.
• The DF27 brother who would become a Hickey somehow jumped across the Channel and likely ended up in the Galloway, Scotland area before coming to Ireland drifting south across Ireland towards Cork. He was perhaps a Gallowglass
• The L21 brother took seemingly a more direct (and quicker) route across a more southerly part of the English Channel. This particular branch might have stopped in Wales, but ended up in Munster, likely somewhere around the beginning of the Christian Era.

What Now

Results are always improved with more testing and the results in our project reflect the additional testing contribution of many of the members. At a minimum, if you have not ordered at least the Y111, please consider doing so. Those who test Y111 may need additional testing depending on what shows up in the results– something we do not know till we see them. Lesser tests will tell us something but not as much. If you have the money get the BigY test which acts as like gold when it comes to YDNA study.

Finally, if you know any male Hickeys, please encourage them to join and take a YDNA test.

Disclaimer – none of the administrators of this project have any relationship with FamilyTreeDNA.com and we all serve in volunteer capacity.