Clan MacKenzie DNA Project Results Report

Y-DNA results (update as of 15 August 2026):

The Mackenzie clan is composed of multiple patriarchs who migrated from different parts of the world to create the clan in Scotland. We have identified several lines that show relationship between two or more testers plus many others who do not yet have a Mackenzie match.

Haplogroups (Hpgs) are large family groups who share a common ancestor on their direct paternal or maternal line.  DNA signatures are used by population geneticists to look at migrations of mankind, and haplogroups are used to describe the results. A resource on this topic is Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestry. The Mackenzie DNA Project uses the Y-DNA (paternal DNA) to trace descent along the direct male line.  To see research and graphics of the Y-DNA tree, go to ISOGG YSNP Tree .

Mutations in the Y-DNA, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are tiny one-letter variations in the Y-DNA code of an individual which are passed down unchanged from father to son, and so on, down the direct paternal line.   By comparing which SNP variations you share with other people, FTDNA can estimate family relationships and trace deep paternal lineages.  Dates for the SNP mutations are calculated (and are periodically updated) by FTDNA based on SNP and STR test results of many present-day testers.  FTDNA also has access to some ancient DNA material, made available by universities. This material has been carbon-dated and FTDNA uses these ancient results to help calibrate their SNP dates.    

Mackenzie Core
The largest group (currently around 90) of related participants in the Mackenzie Project, designated "Mackenzie Core", are within the Hgp R1b>M269>L21>L513>A7>S7834>S7828>Z21262. In other words, they possess the SNP mutation R-Z21262 (hereafter referred to as Z21262).  The first man who was born (c 1310 +/-  25 years) with the SNP Z21262 has many modern descendants, often with the surname Mackenzie.  Based on all available information to date, this individual appears to have been the progenitor of Clan Mackenzie.  To date, there are two named descendant lineages from Z21262, and a few unnamed lineages. The two lineages designated by their SNP names are Z21269 and FT189213.

• SNP Z21269 (born c 1400) - is known to have been present in Alexander “Ionraic” Mackenzie, who is said to have died before 1488. Alexander Ionraic was the first well-documented chief of Clan Mackenzie.  Some of the individuals in this group have documented genealogies going back to Ionraic, including proven descendants of each of three known sons of Ionraic - Kenneth, Duncan and Hector. 

1. Kenneth (SNP BY11178) was the progenitor of the Mackenzies who went under the name Mackenzies of Kintail; with many descendant families of many places mostly within Ross-shire;
2. Duncan was the progenitor of his descendants and their families of Hilton and Loggie (among other places) in Ross-shire, two of whom share an SNP FTG80910, and;
3. Hector (SNP FT346792) was the progenitor of the Gairloch Mackenzies, similarly with many descendant families mainly within Ross-shire. 
4. As yet unnamed lineages – Other than the forgoing three named lineages, there are a few individuals who have taken the Big-Y test and are positive for Z21269, but they do not yet share any downstream SNPs with each other or with any other tester in the Big-Y database. Therefore, these individuals are referred to by their most recent shared SNP, which is Z21269.

• SNP FT189213 - Testers in this lineage descend directly from the apparent progenitor of Clan Mackenzie, Z21262, but do not descend through Alexander Ionraic. The shared SNP for the testers in this group is FT189213, with an estimated date of c 1450.  The identity of this lineage and its many descendants is yet to be determined. The above date reflects the year of birth of the common ancestor of the living testers in the database and does not reflect the date that the branch diverged from the tree.
• As yet unnamed lineages – There are a few individuals who have taken the Big-Y test and are positive for Z21262, but they do not yet share any downstream SNPs with each other or with any other testers in the Big-Y database.  Therefore, these individuals are referred to by their most recent shared SNP, which is Z21262.     

Related to Mackenzie Core through an Upstream Ancestor

As described above, the Mackenzie Core group descends from Z21262 (born c 1310).  The SNP immediately upstream of this SNP on the tree is S7828 (born c 1050).  There is one other lineage which descends from S7828 in addition to Z21262.  This lineage descends along a collateral branch known by its SNP, BY11203 (born c 1200).  This SNP is associated with the McIver/MacIver clan of Ross-shire.  The McIvers of Ross-shire were known sometimes to be allied with the Mackenzies. Note that many of the McIvers of Ross-shire followed the McIvers of Argyll and gradually adopted the surname ‘Campbell’ over the span of the 17th and 18^th centuries for political reasons. Contrary to legends of a common ancestor, no evidence has surfaced to date of a shared paternal ancestry between the McIvers and the Campbells   Furthermore, despite this similar behavior regarding their name, there is no DNA evidence to date connecting the McIvers of Ross-shire with the McIvers of Argyll.

Unrelated to Mackenzie Core

Notably, in contradiction to ancient tradition, there is no DNA evidence to date linking the direct male line of the Mackenzie Core group to that of the Mathesons within the last two millennia.  While one chieftain line of Mathesons (Shiness) appears to share a common ancestor with the Mackenzie ancestral line as far back as about 2600 BC, the main chiefly line of Mathesons (Lochalsh) appears to have no common ancestor with the Mackenzies even as far back as 8,000 years.

Other Haplogroups 

Research by population geneticist Jim Wilson reports an influx of Irish into Scotland which shows up in the MacKenzie clan as about 9%.

The Hebridean Isles can expect up to 40% Viking (I1 Norse Viking and R1a Viking), and the NW Scotland mainland MacKenzies show about 7%.

• Y-DNA Haplogroup E would appear to have arisen in Northeast Africa based on the concentration and variety of E subclades in that area today. But the fact that Haplogroup E is closely linked with Haplogroup D, which is not found in Africa, leaves open the possibility that E first arose in the Near or Middle East and was subsequently carried into Africa by a back migration. E1b1b1 probably evolved either in Northeast Africa or the Near East and then expanded to the west--both north and south of the Mediterranean Sea.

• Y-DNA Haplogroup I overwintered in the Balkans during the last Ice Age and some members of this group also overwintered in Iberia. The subgroup I1 today is found mainly in northwestern Europe; some I1’s are Norse Vikings, and others are Anglo-Saxons. The subgroup I1b expanded from the Balkans both northward and eastward.

• Haplogroup J began 15,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, an area that today includes Israel, the West Bank. Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. J1 emerged during the Neolithic Revolution in the Middle East, and some moved northward into western Europe while others moved back into North Africa. J2 came out of the Near East, moved west along the Mediterranean to Italy and southern Spain. No J2’s got to Ireland, but they did get to Wales, England and Scotland in small numbers.

• Y-DNA Haplogroup R1a is believed to have arisen on the Eurasian Steppe, and today is most frequently observed in eastern Europe and in western and central Asia. It is also associated with Vikings, particularly Norwegian Vikings.

• Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b is the most prolific haplogroup in Europe and its frequency changes in a cline from west (where it reaches a saturation point of almost 100% in areas of Western Ireland) to east (where it becomes uncommon in parts of Eastern Europe and virtually disappears beyond the Middle East). The majority of the MacKenzie clan is found in this group.

• Y-DNA Haplogroup T was called K2 prior to May 2008. It is found at low frequencies throughout Europe and in parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and West Africa. A famous person in Haplogroup T was Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809.

mtDNA Results: Thirty-five people with MacKenzie ancestry have tested the female lineage. mtDNA is traced along the straight female line which changes surnames with every generation. It is extremely unusual to find mtDNA matches even if the person has tested both HVR1 and HVR2 since with both tested the match can range back 700 years. All of the mtDNA haplogroups reported in these tests are found in the British Isles and are discussed in Bryan Sykes, The Seven Daughters of Eve. All of these haplogroups are also discussed in Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestry. The mtDNA Haplogroups in Clan MacKenzie are: H = 40.0% I = 2.9% J = 5.7% K = 17.1% L = 2.9% R = 2.9% T = 2.9% U = 14.3% V = 8.6% X = 2.9%

• mtDNA haplogroup H (also known as Helena)comprises 40 to 60 % of the mtDNA gene pool in Western Europe and as such is considered the most successful of the mtDNA haplogroups in reproducing itself. It also comprises about 20 % of southwest Asian lineages, 15 % of central Asian lineages and 5 % of northern Asian lineages.

• mtDNA haplogroup I occurs in high frequencies in northern Europe and northern Eurasia. They are thought to have migrated to these areas from the Middle East and has an association with the the Aurignacian culture which is distinguished by innovations in tools and tool manufacturing.

• mtDNA haplogroup J (also known as Jasmine) has a very wide distribution, being common in eastern and northern Europe, and is present as far east as the Indus Valley bordering Indian and Pakistan and as far south as the Arabian peninsula. mtDNA haplogroup J is largely considered one of the main genetic signatures of the Neolithic expansion and is associated with the spread of agriculture.

• mtDNA Haplogroup K (also known as Katrine) has a wide distribution including areas of Europe, northern Africa, India, Arabia, the northern Caucasus Mountains and throughout the near East.

• mtDNA Haplogroup L includes mitochondrial Eve. L is the root of the mtDNA tree and is prevalent in Africa. The L3 subclade was established about 80,000 years ago and contained the first modern humans to have left Africa through heading north. The major African American subclades are L2a (18.8%), L1c (11%), L1b (9.1%), L3e2 (9.1%), L3b (8.1%), and L3d (6%).

• mtDNA Haplogroup R moved across the Middle East into central Asia and the Indus Valley and some went back into Africa. Their arrival in Europe around 35,000 years ago coincided with the end of the Neandertals.

• mtDNA Haplogroup T (also known as Tara) is common in eastern and northern Europe and found as far east as the Indus Valley and the Arabian Peninsula. It is considered one of the main genetic signatures of the Neolithic expansion.

• mtDNA Haplogroup U (also known as Ursula) has a wide distribution. Most in mtDNA haplogroup U come from a group that moved northwest out of the Near East. Today they are found in Europe and the eastern Mediterranean at frequencies of almost 7% of the population.

• mtDNA Haplogroup V (also known as Velda) tends to be restricted to western, central, and northern Europe. It is found in 12% of Basques and is thought to have been established within the European refuge during the last Ice Age.

• Haplogroup X is spread from North and East Africa, across Europe to Eurasia and also is represented in the Americas, in such tribes as the Ojibwa, Sioux, Nuu-Chah-Nulth, and Navaho.