Generational distances

[Harley Sutherlan]

I have matched another member with all 37 markers with no mutational difference, plus we share the same surname. If FTDNA indicates a common ancestor within say for example 10 generations, does that mean 10 generations father to son from myself ? Please excuse my ignorance in this question as I am new at this. Thank you

[nathanm]

I have matched another member with all 37 markers with no mutational difference, plus we share the same surname. If FTDNA indicates a common ancestor within say for example 10 generations, does that mean 10 generations father to son from myself ? Please excuse my ignorance in this question as I am new at this. Thank you

Short answer: yes. It means there's a high probability you have a common ancestor within several generations. According to the FAQ, a 37/37 match between two men with the same surname generally means there's a 50% chance you share a common ancestor within 5 generations, and 95% within 8 generations.

[Tourist]

I have matched another member with all 37 markers with no mutational difference, plus we share the same surname. If FTDNA indicates a common ancestor within say for example 10 generations, does that mean 10 generations father to son from myself ? Please excuse my ignorance in this question as I am new at this. Thank you

You apparently have a strong match, and congratulations, but it could be worth keeping in mind that mutation can work two ways, that two identical markers could eventually mutate into being non-identical markers, and, that two non-identical markers could eventually mutate into being identical markers. Yes, perhaps it is intuitively natural to first consider divergence, but convergence is possible, too.