I have a genetic distance of 0 with people who don't have my surname?

[Robob123]

I got my results back and on 12 markers I match with 11 people who match my surname with a genetic distance of 1. I have a genetic distance with 4 other people who don't match my surname but have a genetic distance of 0. On 25 markers I have 2 matches one person with my surname and another not with a genetic distance of 2. On 37 marker I have 1 match with my surname with a genetic distance of 2.My predicted haplogroup is R-M198 and most of my matches are R-M512 and a few being R-M198.


What are the conclusions I can draw from this? Why do some people who don't have my surname have a closer genetic distance to me than those that do?

[Jim Barrett]

What are the conclusions I can draw from this? Why do some people who don't have my surname have a closer genetic distance to me than those that do?

You need to upgrade to 67 markers! I have project members having over 1,000 matches at 12 markers and only a handful at 67 markers.

[travers]

I got my results back and on 12 markers I match with 11 people who match my surname with a genetic distance of 1. I have a genetic distance with 4 other people who don't match my surname but have a genetic distance of 0. On 25 markers I have 2 matches one person with my surname and another not with a genetic distance of 2. On 37 marker I have 1 match with my surname with a genetic distance of 2.My predicted haplogroup is R-M198 and most of my matches are R-M512 and a few being R-M198.


What are the conclusions I can draw from this? Why do some people who don't have my surname have a closer genetic distance to me than those that do?

Disregard 12 and 25 marker matches as those aren't enough data to be of any value. So you are saying you have only one match at 37 markers and they share your surname? If so that match is significant.

[John McCoy]

Best to avoid jumping to conclusions! With more STR's, the Y DNA evidence becomes stronger, but you have to keep in mind that some surnames are so extremely common that a match at the Y-37 level could still conceivably be a coincidence. For example, Smith or Johnson!

For me, the point of finding a strong Y DNA match is to point my paper trail research in a new, and hopefully more fruitful direction. I'm still waiting! Y-67 and beyond made me suspect that my McCoy family was different from any of the other McCoy families that had been sampled. Big Y test, followed by analysis by YFull, proved that much conclusively: I turned out to be at the end of a little twig on the haplotree, far removed from any other known McCoy, and without any obvious connection to the stray surnames near that twig, apart from generic Scottish ancestry. That was actually helpful, because now I know I can safely ignore the other McCoy families that have been sampled so far.

There are many possible outcomes for Y DNA research. Some people happen to land in the middle of a well-sampled family, such that almost everybody with that configuration of STR's has the same surname and can be hooked up with a well-documented family history -- for example, the descendants of Deacon Edmund Rice. In other cases, the matches are not particularly close and there is no clear pattern to the surnames. There is also a sort of intermediate result, where it looks like the Y-67 results point to a small number of surnames, suggesting that, at some time in the past, patrilineal relatives ended up adopting different family names -- in other words, the Y DNA pattern for those families predates the adoption of permanent surnames. Regardless of the result, you will know a little more than you knew before, and there is always the possibility of some unsuspected relative testing in the future and contacting you.

[Armando]

I got my results back and on 12 markers I match with 11 people who match my surname with a genetic distance of 1.

How many of them have tested out to 37 or more STRs. You'll see Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, or Y-DNA11 near the TiP icon in the match list.

I have a genetic distance with 4 other people who don't match my surname but have a genetic distance of 0.

If they have Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, or Y-DNA11 near the TiP icon in the match list but still don't match at Y-37 then those matches aren't from a common ancestor in the past 2,000 years. Many times the common ancestor is from 4,000 years or more ago.

On 25 markers I have 2 matches one person with my surname and another not with a genetic distance of 2.

Does the person that doesn't have your surname have Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, or Y-DNA11 near the TiP icon in the match list? If so, then he doesn't share a common ancestor in the past 2,000 years in the direct paternal line.

On 37 marker I have 1 match with my surname with a genetic distance of 2.

Does he have Y-DNA67 or Y-DNA11 near the TiP icon in the match list? If he has Y-111 then you should upgrade to Y-111.

If he has Y-DNA67 then you should ask him if he is willing to upgrade to Y-111 and if so then you should also. If he is not willing to upgrade then just upgrade to Y-67.

My predicted haplogroup is R-M198 and most of my matches are R-M512 and a few being R-M198.

R-M198 and R-M512 are phylogenetic equivalents. They are at least 8,500 years old so they have no true meaning in a genealogical timeframe. If you and all of your matches were to get SNP packs or BigY testing then the subclades can be used to filter out people who are on a different branch than you. Without that additional SNP testing your matches and yourself then the reported haplogroups aren't helpful to you in a genealogical sense.

What are the conclusions I can draw from this? Why do some people who don't have my surname have a closer genetic distance to me than those that do?

There are multiple reasons. One is that 12 and 25 markers are too few markers to be very helpful in most cases. That is why it is important to look for Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, or Y-DNA11 near the TiP icon in the match list.

[Robob123]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for your responses. My surname is Hudson and my known paternal lineage is from Yorkshire to about 1700. The aim is to try and go as far back as possible as I can with the new information this test creates. It seems that the match on the Y-37 with a genetic distance of 2 is the one which might be a good lead to somewhere. I'm awaiting results of the Y-111 so hopefully this might help further.

As for specific questions;

1. Yes most of them have tested y-37 or above.

2. As for the ones who donT have my surname they also have tested at Y-37 or above.

3. The person who does match me on Y-37 has Y-67. I'm awaiting results for Y-111 so hopefuly that will match on the 67.

4. What SNP pack should I buy if I wanted to look into my haplogroups? Also do you know anything about this Haplogroup?

Thanks for informative responses

[jova99]

R1a-Backbone SNP Pack

if you join the R1a Project, its administrators may be able to recommend a more specific SNP pack.

If any of your 67 marker matches have done SNP testing it will help you decide which SNP pack to get. So far , all my 67 marker matches out to a Genetic Distance of 7 , who have done SNP testing , share the same haplogroup. Although looking at the designated haplogroup is confusing because FTDNA will use the terminal SNP instead of a more general haplogroup. Thus of the 5 matches, it appears we all have different haplogroups but we are actually all part of the same basic Haplogroup...but because some have done deeper SNP testing it may lead some to assume we have different haplogroups when in reality some have tested further down thus it will display the terminal SNP instead of the haplogroup.

[Jim Barrett]

Although looking at the designated haplogroup is confusing because FTDNA will use the terminal SNP instead of a more general haplogroup. Thus of the 5 matches, it appears we all have different haplogroups but we are actually all part of the same basic Haplogroup...but because some have done deeper SNP testing it may lead some to assume we have different haplogroups when in reality some have tested further down thus it will display the terminal SNP instead of the haplogroup.

All you have to do is to look at their Haplotree to tell if you are along the same major branch. As I stated in another topic where you mentioned this they already give you the major branch.