The Kestenbaum Project is for all who wish to work together to find their common heritage through DNA testing and sharing of information. All variant spellings are welcome, i.e., Kastenbaum, Kesztenbaum, Kestenboim, Kastenboim, Koestenbaum, as well as shorter forms, such as Kesten. If your surname spelling is not listed, we'll be glad to add it. A Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname and/or individuals known Kestenbaum ancestors.

Since surnames are passed down from father to son like the Y-chromosome, this test is for males taking a Y-DNA test. Females do not carry their father's Y-DNA and acquire a new surname by way of marriage, so the tested individual must be a male who wants to check his direct paternal line (father's father's father's...) with a Y-DNA12, Y-DNA37, or Y-DNA67 marker test. Females who would like to check their direct paternal line can have a male relative with this surname order a Y-DNA test.

If an individual, male or female, has an ancestor with a Kestenbaum surname that is not on a direct male line, the Family Finder test, which is used for comparing people who descend from a common ancestor going back to 4-5 generations, is recommended. Autosomal testing has been already been used in this project to support the results of indirect evidence from archival research, thus confirming a connection between two individuals descended from a common Kestenbaum great-great grandfather.