KROUT, KRAUT, CROUT, and any other reasonable spelling variations are welcome to join the project. The Krout DNA Project is open to all who are interested in working together to find their common heritage through sharing of information and DNA testing. For determining DNA relationships the project uses the Y-Chromosome DNA test which can compare men with the KROUT/etc. surname to see which are related and share a common direct male ancestor in the past. To participate meaningfully project members will need to share their direct male line ancestry back to the earliest known KROUT/etc. as a pedigree (excluding living persons).