| Y-DNA / SURNAME INTERPRETATION KEY |
Haplogroup
Based on previous published work, it is expected that all Shetland surname signatures /
haplotypes (string of 25 marker numbers) will fall into one of four Haplogroups, R1b, I, Q, K
or R1a. The Administrator has created a separate Haplogroup page (highlighted in green on
the previous page) to further elabourate on these four Y-DNA types. As a rule of thumb, I, Q,
K and R1a means Scandanavian (probably well over 90% being Norse - from Norway
originally). R1b is straightforward in Scottish surnames, but posed challenges in interpreting
its meaning with "son" names until the discovery of two important markers, S21 and S28.
More details will be found on the haplogroup page. The only reason that haplogroup assignments
can be made is that the DNA testing firm chosen for this Project, Family Tree DNA,
compares each "signature" to their large worldwide databases created by the University of
Arizona where each person in the database had SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) testing
so have verified the defining marker of haplogroups in each person sampled. With the "big
five" that are found in Shetland, there is a vitual certainty that if a participant's haplotype
(string of the first 12 numbers) matches 12 / 12 or 11 / 12 with an entire series of people whose
haplogroup is known, we can infer that our participant belongs to that haplogroup. If the
Administrator sees any "red flags" he will request special testing to verify the assignment.
Based on previous published work, it is expected that all Shetland surname signatures /
haplotypes (string of 25 marker numbers) will fall into one of four Haplogroups, R1b, I, Q, K
or R1a. The Administrator has created a separate Haplogroup page (highlighted in green on
the previous page) to further elabourate on these four Y-DNA types. As a rule of thumb, I, Q,
K and R1a means Scandanavian (probably well over 90% being Norse - from Norway
originally). R1b is straightforward in Scottish surnames, but posed challenges in interpreting
its meaning with "son" names until the discovery of two important markers, S21 and S28.
More details will be found on the haplogroup page. The only reason that haplogroup assignments
can be made is that the DNA testing firm chosen for this Project, Family Tree DNA,
compares each "signature" to their large worldwide databases created by the University of
Arizona where each person in the database had SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) testing
so have verified the defining marker of haplogroups in each person sampled. With the "big
five" that are found in Shetland, there is a vitual certainty that if a participant's haplotype
(string of the first 12 numbers) matches 12 / 12 or 11 / 12 with an entire series of people whose
haplogroup is known, we can infer that our participant belongs to that haplogroup. If the
Administrator sees any "red flags" he will request special testing to verify the assignment.
Origin of Surname
Shetland surnames can be divided into 5 categories - hinted at in the work of Dr. Jim Wilson.
One type of surname found in Shetland in the 1700s is "Aboriginal Shetland" meaning that the
surname originated in Shetland, and for the majority this will mean a name that ends in
"son". There is a high probability that the male line ancestors of those with these surname
have been in Shetland since the time of the Norse arrival. While it is expected that most will
have Norse signatures, a significant number will have less clearly defined signatures (R1b)
which could mean Norse, but there is a possibility that the ancestor was a Celt who
accompanied the Norse, a native Pict whose ancestry may extend back 4000 or more years in
Shetland, or that there was a break in the lineage through a non - paternity event. Some
names are "Aboriginal Orkney" meaning that at some point this surname, which is most
typically a place name, has roots that go back to Norse times in Orkney, but at some point
the ancestor emigrated to Shetland. They are likely to have the same ancient origin as the
above Aboriginal Shetland names. It is interesting that Williamson is the second most
common name found in Shetland, but is very rare in Orkney (as are most "son" names), but a
name like Hourston (a common (place) name in Orkney) is unknown in Shetland. It appears
that most of the emigrants to Shetland came directly from Scotland or via Orkney. The third
category is "Scottish Orkney" meaning that the ancestal surname originated in Scotland, but
arrived early in Orkney, and some of the descendants of these emigrants came to Shetland.
The fouth grouping is "Scottish Mainland" where either there is no evidence that the name was
ever found in Orkney, or that there is evidence showing a direct emigration to Shetland from
the Mainland. The majority in the latter two categories will be R1b. Some surnames will
occur in the category of "Other of Unclear" since there are historical reasons to expect some
names from locations such as the Faroe Islands, the Hanseatic League counties (e.g.,
Germany), and elsewhere; and at times the origin of the surname cannot be determined with
any degree of clarity.
Resources for making this assessment include: "Surnames of Scotland" by George F. Black;
"Orkney Family Names" by Gregor Lamb; and most importantly, "Shetland Surnames" by
Alan Beattie.
Shetland surnames can be divided into 5 categories - hinted at in the work of Dr. Jim Wilson.
One type of surname found in Shetland in the 1700s is "Aboriginal Shetland" meaning that the
surname originated in Shetland, and for the majority this will mean a name that ends in
"son". There is a high probability that the male line ancestors of those with these surname
have been in Shetland since the time of the Norse arrival. While it is expected that most will
have Norse signatures, a significant number will have less clearly defined signatures (R1b)
which could mean Norse, but there is a possibility that the ancestor was a Celt who
accompanied the Norse, a native Pict whose ancestry may extend back 4000 or more years in
Shetland, or that there was a break in the lineage through a non - paternity event. Some
names are "Aboriginal Orkney" meaning that at some point this surname, which is most
typically a place name, has roots that go back to Norse times in Orkney, but at some point
the ancestor emigrated to Shetland. They are likely to have the same ancient origin as the
above Aboriginal Shetland names. It is interesting that Williamson is the second most
common name found in Shetland, but is very rare in Orkney (as are most "son" names), but a
name like Hourston (a common (place) name in Orkney) is unknown in Shetland. It appears
that most of the emigrants to Shetland came directly from Scotland or via Orkney. The third
category is "Scottish Orkney" meaning that the ancestal surname originated in Scotland, but
arrived early in Orkney, and some of the descendants of these emigrants came to Shetland.
The fouth grouping is "Scottish Mainland" where either there is no evidence that the name was
ever found in Orkney, or that there is evidence showing a direct emigration to Shetland from
the Mainland. The majority in the latter two categories will be R1b. Some surnames will
occur in the category of "Other of Unclear" since there are historical reasons to expect some
names from locations such as the Faroe Islands, the Hanseatic League counties (e.g.,
Germany), and elsewhere; and at times the origin of the surname cannot be determined with
any degree of clarity.
Resources for making this assessment include: "Surnames of Scotland" by George F. Black;
"Orkney Family Names" by Gregor Lamb; and most importantly, "Shetland Surnames" by
Alan Beattie.
Family Traditions
The Administrator records the family traditions provided by each participant, and from others
of the same surname. Some will have backing in oral tradition recorded in the 19th Century,
but some oral history cannot be supported by documentary sources, but none the less, is still
an important data source.
The Administrator records the family traditions provided by each participant, and from others
of the same surname. Some will have backing in oral tradition recorded in the 19th Century,
but some oral history cannot be supported by documentary sources, but none the less, is still
an important data source.
Earliest Known Ancestor in the Paternal Line
Again this information was given to the Administrator by each participant. Often their work
has been compiled thanks to the unique genealogical database provided by Tony Gott. The
Administrator requests the name of the earliest known ancestor in the male line, as well as
that persons' birthplace and birthdate then verifies this with the Gott database, and resolves
discrepancies if any. No participants are accepted into the study unless they have
documentary evidence to show that they have Shetland roots in the direct male line.
Again this information was given to the Administrator by each participant. Often their work
has been compiled thanks to the unique genealogical database provided by Tony Gott. The
Administrator requests the name of the earliest known ancestor in the male line, as well as
that persons' birthplace and birthdate then verifies this with the Gott database, and resolves
discrepancies if any. No participants are accepted into the study unless they have
documentary evidence to show that they have Shetland roots in the direct male line.
Matches
For each surname, the Adminsitrator searches for high resolution matches in the FTDNA
customer databases (about 22,000 individuals and growing rapidly). High resolution means
that at least 23 / 25 or 33 / 37 markers match - and the Administrator decides whether it is
worthwhile to pursue this potentially random match. In addition, the world - wide Haplogroup
Database are searched for each participant to see how many in each country were 12/ 12 or
11 / 12 matches, since this might offer clues pointing to a particular geographic location for
the early origin of the DNA signature (e.g., Denmark and Sweden). In addition, other
databases such as the YSTR Forensic Database are used to provide further hints as to a
participant's probable "deep ancestry" - where the ancestor in the male line was residing in
Viking times. In cases of odd mismatches, the Administrator does an analysis of each
marker since it is known that some markers are highly stable and are unlikely to have
mutated over 1000 years; whereas others may differ in second cousins. FTDNA has a
FTDNATiP calculator which allows the Administrator to calculate the probability of two
individuals having an ancestor in common within a span of 100 to 200 year intervals. This tool
is used sparingly because a mutation can happen at any time, and it is the overall data that is
important.
For each surname, the Adminsitrator searches for high resolution matches in the FTDNA
customer databases (about 22,000 individuals and growing rapidly). High resolution means
that at least 23 / 25 or 33 / 37 markers match - and the Administrator decides whether it is
worthwhile to pursue this potentially random match. In addition, the world - wide Haplogroup
Database are searched for each participant to see how many in each country were 12/ 12 or
11 / 12 matches, since this might offer clues pointing to a particular geographic location for
the early origin of the DNA signature (e.g., Denmark and Sweden). In addition, other
databases such as the YSTR Forensic Database are used to provide further hints as to a
participant's probable "deep ancestry" - where the ancestor in the male line was residing in
Viking times. In cases of odd mismatches, the Administrator does an analysis of each
marker since it is known that some markers are highly stable and are unlikely to have
mutated over 1000 years; whereas others may differ in second cousins. FTDNA has a
FTDNATiP calculator which allows the Administrator to calculate the probability of two
individuals having an ancestor in common within a span of 100 to 200 year intervals. This tool
is used sparingly because a mutation can happen at any time, and it is the overall data that is
important.
Comments
Any other information that seems potentially useful is put in this "catchall" category.
Any other information that seems potentially useful is put in this "catchall" category.
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Origin of DNA Signature
As a general rule, most Scottish surnames will be associated with a haplotype within the broad
R1b haplogroup and they will be categorized as "Celtic / Pictish". There will be exceptions
since some with Scottish names are actually descendants Anglo - Saxons, Norse Vikings, or
others. Also it will be typical to find that Aboriginal Orkney surnames (usually place names),
and Aboriginal Shetland surnames (usually with "son" as a suffix) will have haplotypes that
reflect a Norse ancestry. There will be exceptions due to the fact that there are, for example,
Scottish Andersons as well as local Andersons. Also there will be cases of non - paternity
events (e.g., illegitimacy). In the vast majority of cases R1a, I, K and Q are Norse (perhaps
most a legacy of the Vikings), with lesser numbers being Swedish or Danish. Some of the R1b
will also be Norse. The reality is that until we complete a study over the next two years no
one can be certain what R1b means in someone with an Orkney or Shetland aboriginal name.
Sometimes the evidence is clear and the signature is clearly Scandanavian and will be labelled
thus. If in brackets as (Scandanavian) it means that the Administrator is less clear of the
designation at present. If the DNA sgnature plus the surname suggest an origin different from
those noted above they will be named as "French" or whatever other grouping best fits the
data. It needs to be emphasized that as new information becomes available the Administrator
may alter the category to best reflect the weight of evidence.
As a general rule, most Scottish surnames will be associated with a haplotype within the broad
R1b haplogroup and they will be categorized as "Celtic / Pictish". There will be exceptions
since some with Scottish names are actually descendants Anglo - Saxons, Norse Vikings, or
others. Also it will be typical to find that Aboriginal Orkney surnames (usually place names),
and Aboriginal Shetland surnames (usually with "son" as a suffix) will have haplotypes that
reflect a Norse ancestry. There will be exceptions due to the fact that there are, for example,
Scottish Andersons as well as local Andersons. Also there will be cases of non - paternity
events (e.g., illegitimacy). In the vast majority of cases R1a, I, K and Q are Norse (perhaps
most a legacy of the Vikings), with lesser numbers being Swedish or Danish. Some of the R1b
will also be Norse. The reality is that until we complete a study over the next two years no
one can be certain what R1b means in someone with an Orkney or Shetland aboriginal name.
Sometimes the evidence is clear and the signature is clearly Scandanavian and will be labelled
thus. If in brackets as (Scandanavian) it means that the Administrator is less clear of the
designation at present. If the DNA sgnature plus the surname suggest an origin different from
those noted above they will be named as "French" or whatever other grouping best fits the
data. It needs to be emphasized that as new information becomes available the Administrator
may alter the category to best reflect the weight of evidence.