Y-12 or Y-37 to check same surname

[mihun]

I'd like to order a test for someone whose surname is a spelling variant of mine. If we are related our common ancestor must have lived 250-350 years ago.

I wonder if ordering the Genographic Project's 12 markers test would be enough to find out if we share the same paternal line or not?

[Brunetmj]

I think 37 marker is minimal for this sort of thing with the understanding if it was a match , it would have to be increased to be absolutely sure.

[gtc]

I'd like to order a test for someone whose surname is a spelling variant of mine. If we are related our common ancestor must have lived 250-350 years ago.

I wonder if ordering the Genographic Project's 12 markers test would be enough to find out if we share the same paternal line or not?

Here's what FTDNA says about the results of its 12 marker test:

http://www.familytreedna.com/genetic...px?testtype=12

At 12 markers I was off by 2 for my closest match. At 111 markers we differ by 16, but extensive SNP testing and historical research puts our common ancestor back to the 12th century, at least (i.e. about 30 generations ago).

It was not until we went right out to 111 markers that we discovered that we share a rare value for one of the markers in that set, and another man sharing a slight surname variant of our surname, who matches me exactly at 12, but is off by 15 over 111, has since returned the same result for the rare marker value, so it's shaping up as a distant family cluster value.

[mihun]

Thanks for your advise.

I understand that to confirm our shared ancestry further markers might be needed, but 12 might not be enough to disprove it? If this guy turns out to be of a totally different haplogroup, there is no need for further tests and I can save some money. If at Y-12 level he is in the same haplogroup and within a reasonable genetic distance, I could still upgrade to Y-37.

[Brunetmj]

[QUOTE]If at Y-12 level he is in the same haplogroup and within a reasonable genetic distance, I could still upgrade to Y-37.[QUOTE]

Well your logic is sound - it boils down to your patience level.
A 12 marker test would yield a haplogroup- so that's one strategy - it would not yield a subclade. In the larger groups of R1b1 there are a lot of groups.
But you seem to know what your doing so just go for it.

[gtc]

But you seem to know what your doing so just go for it.

Agree.

[Zaru]

It really depends.

I'd like to order a test for someone whose surname is a spelling variant of mine. If we are related our common ancestor must have lived 250-350 years ago.

I wonder if ordering the Genographic Project's 12 markers test would be enough to find out if we share the same paternal line or not?

Which company did you test with? You each need to test with the same company for seamless results. The Genographic Project might not (although they should) match identically to the same test taken with FTDNA. The methodology must be the same in order to alleviate any possible questions.

How many matches do you have at 12 markers? If your matches are quite substantial then you must test at 37 or higher to have clarity. If you have an irregular haplotype with very few matches (like myself and a few others), then you might be able to get a sense at 12 markers, but minimally you should test at 37. Ideally one should test at 63 but that will soon change as we are testing more markers now.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[nathanm]

Which company did you test with? You each need to test with the same company for seamless results. The Genographic Project might not (although they should) match identically to the same test taken with FTDNA. The methodology must be the same in order to alleviate any possible questions.

The Genographic Project and FTDNA are the exact same test, and used to always be the same lab. Now, some Y-DNA tests are done in FTDNA's own Houston lab, but some FTDNA tests are still done in the University of Arizona lab.