Surnames A to C - Page 1:  Shetland Y-DNA Surname Project
Surname            DYS Markers and Allele Values: For 26 to 37 See Spreadsheet                       
and (Kit#)             3  3  1  3  3  3  4  3  4  3  3  3  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4
                           9  9  9  9  8  8  2  8  3  8  9  8  5  5  5  5  5  4  3  4  4  6  6  6  6
                           3  0      1  5  5  6  8  9  9  2  9  8  9  9  5  4  7  7  8  9  4  4  4  4
                                          a  b             +      +     a  b                         a  b  c  d
                                                             1      2
Haplogroup; Proposed Origin: Surname - Y-DNA Signature; Meaning and Early Occurrences of Name
- Shetland (Beattie), Orkney (Lamb), Scotland (Black)
; Traditions; Earliest Known Paternal
Ancestor
; DNA Matches; Comments
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ANDERSON        13 25 14 10 11 15 12 12 12 13 13 29 17 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 29 15 15 17 17
(17448)
R1b1c;  Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; Patronymic; None reported; Umphray ANDERSON,
born 1820, Whiteness, son of Thomas ANDERSON
; Using the YHRD database of 22,000 samples, this
participant had only 14 matches - spread from Spain to Germany, but none in Scandanavia.  In
FTDNA Customer Database nine 12 / 12 matches with ostensibly British  surnames, however the
majority are with Ireland and Scotland - very few with England.  This is very unusual, and suggests a
strong association with the Celtic north.   There is one 23/25 match with a GIFFORD of unknown
origin.  Considering the prominent role played by those with this surname in Shetland, this high
resolution match may or may not be noteworthy
; One problem here in deciding whether this
participant is of an Aboriginal Shetland or Mainland Scottish is that there are two Anderson groups in
Shetland.  One emerges via the usual patronymic process within Shetland; and the other Anderson
group came directly from the Mainland - according to Alan Beattie in "Shetland Surnames".  The
earliest known ancestor was born in Shetland in 1820 - after patronymics went out of favour.  Since
there are no matches with Scandinavian countries and such a strong association with Mainland
Scotland the evidence from DNA sources, including the lack of Germanic markers S21 or S28, points
to a Celtic / Pictish origin
.
BARCLAY            13 24 14 10 11 14 12 12 12 13 13 30 19 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 15 15 17 18
(19387)
R1b1c;  Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; A place name found as Berkeley in Gloustershire
England, but seen as early as the twelfth century in Lanark, Scotland.  There is circumstantial
evidence that the De Berkley family was among the Normans who arrived in England in 1066.  The
surname was seen in Shetland as early as 1597, and was also used as a patronymic;  Neither of these
two relate to the present family of this name.  John BARCLAY of Newtown of Kinespock, Clatt in
Aberdeenshire registered his son James (born 1745) in school in Aberdeen.  Ultimately in the early
1770s James came to Unst in Shetland to be a tutor to  the Sanderson family, returned to the
Mainland to study for the Ministry, and subsequently, about 1775,  became assistant to Rev. William
Archibald (whose daughter James married in 1775)
;  John BARCLAY, born 1778, Unst, married to
Andrina Charlotte SPENCE, and son of the above Rev. James BARCLAY and Ursula ARCHIBALD
;
The YHRD has 54 matches scattered from Spain to Hungary.  There are 73 matches within the
FTDNA custormer database.  An inspection of the Haplogroup Database again has matches that
extend the length of Western Europe, but customer database 23/25 and 24/25 matches appear to tilt
things toward a likely Celtic origin (e.g., names like Stirling, Campbell, Anderson, MacDonald, and
Forbes;
The match profile, plus being R1b1c, is consistent with others who appear to be of Celtic /
Pictish  ancestry
.
ARCUS               13 24 14 11 11 15 12 12 12 13 13 29 17 09 10 11 11 24 15 19 31 15 16 17 17
(21803)
R1b1c9;  Scottish Mainland - Germanic / Scandinavian; Both Black and Beattie report that Arcus is a
variant of the name Harcarse, a place name in the parish of Fogo, Berwickshire.  According to Lamb,
the name was seen as early as 1449 in Orkney.  Also of interest is that, "William Arcas, baillie of
Sandwick? was a witness to a deed in Kirkwall in 1568; in the same deed his surname is also recorded
as Orcas; a patronymic family name, 'son of Ork'".  According to Beattie the name first appears in
Shetland in 1525 "when John Harcis was witness to a sassine"
; This participant has traced his
family to the Middle Ages and would like to see what the DNA evidence as to say in relation
to the hypotheses he has set forth.  The tradition is that the ARCUS family are descendants of
the first Earls of Dunbar, who, it has been said, are descendants of St. Columba - i.e., of Celtic
origin;
Laurence ARCUS, born 1850, Lerwick, son of James ARCUS and Jean BAILLIE; The YHRD
shows 148 matches from Portugal to Poland, and only two matches in Scandanavia.  There are 75
matches in the FTDNA customer database.  At the high resolution level there is a 23/25 match with a
HICKMAN, but at 37 markers the match "disappears".  Using the Haplogroup Database the same
widespread series of matches is seen, making it impossible to pin down a geographical region of origin
prior to Shetland
; The haplotype would be consistent with an origin in the North of England as is
suggested by the surname; The R1b1c9 would be consistent with an Anglo - Saxon or Viking link
.
BEATTIE             13 25 14 10 11 14 12 12 11 14 13 30 17 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 28 15 15 16 16
(23128)
R1b; Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; This surname is a Border name (Scotland - England), and is
thought to be a diminuitive of Bartholomew. According to family legend the first Beattie to arrive in
Shetland was one Alexander Beattie, who survived a shipwreck and floated in a barrel to the Skerries.
 Beattie records in his book, however, that the first of the family was Robert Beattie who was a
travelling merchant who arrived in Shetland about 1704.  The present participant is not, however, a
BEATTIE in the direct male line
;  See previous; William BEATTIE, born 1893, son of Agnes
BEATTIE, born 1867, Cuppister, South Yell and Andrew COPLAND, born 1856, Collafirth,
Northmavine
; There is only one 12/12 match to this haplotype in the FTDNA customer database,  with
a CARROON (which appears to be a French surname).  In the Haplogroup database the next closest
matches are 10/12,  with a variety of countries being represented, but Italian, Austrian and
particularly French matches point to this region as being the original home of the ancestor of this
participant
;  There is good genealogical evidence that the DNA signature should match the COPLAND
(24473) participant, however the hypothesis was not supported - the haplotypes do not match
.
BAIN                13 24 14 10 11 14 12 12 12 13 13 30 17 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 15 15 16 17
(96793)
R1b;  Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish;  The surname means "fair" in Gaelic.  The name first
appears in Orkney in 1613, with one John BAIN, of Sandwick, South Ronaldsay.  In Shetland one
George BAIN was in Lerwick in 1687.  In Shetland the Fladdabister family has a tradition that the
first of their line, John BAIN married to Margaret (or Janet) SUTHERLAND,  arrived in 1588 from
Caithness or Sutherland (Mainland Scotland), settling in Ocraquoy
; None;  Parents born in Shetland
but lineage not yet provided
;  The matches for 25 markers in the FTDNA database show
overwhelming matches to Scotland and relatively few elsewhere.  As to matches at the high
resolution 37 marker level, the closest at 35/37 are to two ALEXANDERS, a BUCHANAN, and
another BAIN.  At 34/37 the surnames all appear to be Scottish
;  This would seem to be a classic
Scottish, and possibly Pictish signature
.