World Families Network
Starting a Surname DNA Project

Often, a researcher starts a Surname DNA Project after exhausting the leads offered by traditional genealogy research. While a Surname DNA Project can be an exciting experience, it can also be intimidating. WorldFamilies.net was created to make it easier to start, manage and especially to report a Surname DNA Project.

What is a Surname DNA Project? The test uses DNA from a man’s y-chromosome to identify genetic markers, which have been passed from Father to Son. Most of the time, a nearly exact copy of the father’s DNA used for Surname testing is passed to the son. Scientific testing has identified a number of markers, which change randomly and infrequently. Based on the matches and differences in these markers that occur between individuals, probabilities of relationship to a common male ancestor can be made. Since the focus of Surname DNA testing is on the common early ancestors, most Surname Projects identify test participants by their earliest known ancestor of that surname.

Why do a Surname Project? The reasons vary by project, but most projects intend to:

	confirm relationships identified by traditional genealogy
	locate related families lost through the passage of time
	identify the origin of the family’s early ancestors.

Large surname projects may work to catalog all known Families carrying the surname. As many surnames have evolved over time, a common approach is to open a surname project to all known spellings.

What are the Basic Steps in setting up Surname Project?

1. Establish a Project Coordinator and initial Project Objective

2. Establish a Surname Project with a DNA testing company

3. Recruit Participants

4. Arrange Testing

5. Receive and analyze results

6. Report and update results and conclusions

Confidentiality: Potential participants may have concerns about confidentiality.

	One concern may be a desire to not be identified by name or linked to the test. Our preferred approach is to identify participants by name to facilitate information sharing. However, participants may choose to “opt out” and to be identified only by an identification number. Often, participants will choose to “opt out” until they see the results of their test and then they will “opt in”.
	Another concern relates to the fear that medical information will be learned about the test participant. The y-chromosome test is conducted on portions of the chromosome which have no medical significance.

For Hints on Running a Surname Project, Click Here

If you need a free web site to help you address Recruiting,  Reporting Results, and Understanding How the Results relate to traditional genealogy, Click Here. 

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"This information is for the private use of any genealogical researcher to further their own knowledge.  It is not to be reprinted in any form without the written permission of the World Families Network."