Surnames S - 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
Ancestor; DNA Matches; Comments
Project Home Page
SLATER          13  22 14 10 13 14 11 14 13 13 11 29 15 08 09 08 11 23 16 20 29 12 14 15 15
(14497)
I1a;  Scottish Orkney - Norse: European; A name that is considered occupational, and means "lays
slates".  A Henry SCLATUR residing in Aberdeen in 1399.  "In 1560 Edward SLETTA witnessed a
document at Ireland in Dunrossness", Shetland.  The name was in Orkney before this - as early as
1492.  "Slater is the usual spelling in Shetland and SCLATER in Orkney; None yet recorded;
William SLATTER, born 1779, Sandsting, son of Christopher SCLATER; YSTR Database: 40 / 20,000
- matches primarily North - eastern Europe and Scandanavia; FTDNA: exact 12/12 matches with
individuals from Russia, Finland, and Sweden in haplogroup database of FTDNA.  At the one step
mutation level (11/12) there are 7 matches from Sweden and nothing above 2 from any other
country. A 35 / 37 match with GEORGESON (#16830), and 34/37 with FRASER (59032) in the FTDNA
databases.  See these entries for the details of the possible connection between the three families;
This is another very rare I haplogroup signature, and almost all the matches or close matches are
from Sweden - a clear signal.  It is also likely that since this participant and the GEORGESON, and
FRASER are closely related, that prior to Sweden, the family may have resided in the Faroe Islands
as per the tradition in the GEORGESON family.
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SINCLAIR           13 23 14 11 11 15 12 12 12 13 13 29 17 09 10 11 11 25 15 20 33 15 15 17 17
(16862)
R1b1c9;  Scottish Orkney - Germanic / Scandanavian; The name is from Caithness, Mainland
Scotland.  The surname was originally St. Clair, from the vicinity of Pont d'Eveque of Normandy - St.
Clair sur L'Elle.  The Sinclairs became Earls of Caithness, Orkney and Shetland, and claimed descent
from Rognvald, Earl of Orkney 871, and the latter's son Rollo, 1st Duke of Normandy.  However, it
appears that many of their tenants adopted the surname - which would play havoc in trying to find the
Y-DNA signature of the St. Clairs of Normandy.  According to Lamb, Alexander St. Clair and Thomas
St. Clair were in Kirkwall, Orkney in 1364, the latter the Governor of Orkney "representing the
King of Norway".  By the 1500s the name had become common in Shetland; None yet recorded;
John SINCLAIR, born 1815 at Houss, Burra Isle to Charles SINCLAIR (born about 1766) and
Barbara GOUDIE;  Rare R1b signature.  No matches in FTDNA customer database of about 30,000.  
In Haplogroup Database one exact match from Poland.  11 / 12 match with 6 Native Siberians (largest
number of one step mutation matches).  The Recent Ethnic Origins Database indicates that there are
also those with this haplotype from various parts of Britain.  An inspection of an Orkney database
showed a 6/6 match with a Sinclair there;  It is possible that we are seeing the original Norman St.
Clair Y-DNA signature here.  There are prominent Sincliars from Houss, Burra as early as 1515,
however it is not known if the participant is a descendant of this branch.  Support for this
interpretation comes from an individual from France who has a 44 generation genealogy leading back
to one Eystein who died circa 890 AD.  He matches this participant 19/25 which, considering the time
factor and some rare marker values may be worth noting.  On paper the MRCA with the Sinclairs of
Normandy would be this man via two sons.  This participant found further reasonably close matches a
Feagan, who claims descent from William the Conqueror; and also a St. Clair whose ancestor
Alexander Sinkler arrived in virginia 1698 from Mainland Scotland.  He matches the Shetland
participant on 20/25 markers.  More definitive statements will have to await the testing of other
Sinclairs.  Here the S21+ finding points to a Germanic / Scandinavian origin
SINCLAIR           13 26 15 11 12 14 12 12 14 13 13 30 17 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 31 15 15 16 16
(16941)
R1b;  Scottish Orkney - Celtic / Pictish; See above 16862; None yet recorded; George SINCLAIR,
born 1804, Skelbery, Dunrossness, son of Thomas SINCLAIR (born 1770, Dunrossness); This is the
rarest signature yet seen to date.  There are absolutely no matches at any level (even 4 step
mutations) in the 12 marker FTDNA Recent Ethnic Origins Database nor in the Haplogroup
Database. The President of FTDNA reported that he believes that the haplogroup is R1b, but that
"when I search the entire database for the 26 at 390 and the 14 at 439 only 4 men of 20250 have
those two values at those two markers in common".  In the YSTR worldwide database of
approximately 20,000 there are no matches using 9 markers.  In terms "Haplotype Neighbours (+ / -
one allele per locus)" there are two that fit this category.  One individual is from Antiochia,
Columbia (likely Spanish), and the other from Dusseldorf, Gemany.  Matches from locations as
diverse as this suggest an R1b haplogroup.  Clearly this participant does not at all resemble 16862
above, nor does he resemble the haplotypes of four Sinclairs in an Orkney database, or any in the
extensive Sinclair DNA Study.  It will be important here to do SNP testing in order to determine the
haplogroup, although R1b is by far most likely; This signature may be that of an original Pictish
occupant of Shetland.  It is known that many tenants took the name Sinclair but were not related by
blood.  This may be such a case.
SANDISON         13 23 14 11 11 14 12 12 12 13 13 29 20 09 09 11 11 25 15 19 30 15 15 16 16
(21942)
R1b;  Aboriginal Shetland - (Germanic / Scandanavian); Patronymic; None recorded; Alexander
SANDISON, born 1821, Lunnasting, son of Robert SANDISON and Janet MURRAY; 265 matches in
the YHRD, the same ones for NICHOLSON (21693) for these 9 markers.  In the FTDNA customer
database there are 126, 12/12 matches, an extremely large number - but no 25 marker matches.  The
exact match profile in the Haplogroup Database only shows matches to counties in and immediately
around Scandanavia, without any from Spain or Portugal; The match profile is consistent with an R1b
signture whose origin is in Norway but needs testing with markers S21 and S28 for verification.
SANDISON        13 25 16 11 11 14 12 12 10 13 11 29
(40457)
R1a;  Aboriginal Orkney - Norse: European;  Patronymic;  None recorded;  Gilbert SANDISON
born 1796 Northmavine who married Catherine MOUAT, and son Peter CHRISTIE, born about 1750,
of Northmavine, married to Margaret DONALDSDAUGHTER, in turn the son of Christopher
SANDISON born about 1710, in turn son of another Christopher SANDISON born about 1688;  Exact
matches to 7 in the FTDNA Database.  None of the surnames seem particularly informative.  In the
REO and Haplogroup Databases the matches are scattered around Scandinavia and the areas known
to have been settled by the Norse, plus Uzbekistan.  At the one step mutation level there are
matches scattered literally all across the regions of Europe and Asia where R1a is known to occur;  
The naming patterns in this family seem rather unsual, particularly using a fixed surname in the
17th Century which was not characteristic of native Shetlanders at the time.  There is a family of
SANDISONS from Orkney, and it is probable that this family came from here at some date during of
before the 1600s.  This family includes the well known Shetland diarist, christopher SANDISON.  The
family is detailed in, "Christopher Sandison, A Diarist in an Age of Social Change", by Ronald
Sandison (1997).
SINCLAIR      13 23 14 11 11 14 12 12 11 13 13 28 16 09 09 11 11 24 15 19 29 15 16 17 18
(69689)
R1b;  Scottish Orkney - (German / Scandinavian); See above; James SINCLAIR of Collister, Unst,
married to Sarah Brown, and the son of Edward SINCLAIR; Most of the matches at the 23/25 level
are to other SINCLAIRS but others include a variety of surnames such as GIBBS (who appear to be
the closest matches);  It should be noted that the SINCLAIR matches here are not to those from
Shetland but to Orkney (he being among the "Lineage 4" group with the Sinclair DNA Study).  This
group claims descent from Alexander SINCLAIR, the 9th Earl.  Testing is ongoing for the Germanic
marker S21.  Results should be available soon.  The biggest challenge is attempting to determine
the lineage(s) that are connected to the St. Claire who came to Caithness from Normandy and thus
ultimately Eystein of Norway as the early ancestor.  Considering the time frame here, and the
mutation rate seen on some markers in some families, it is not unreasonable to assmume two or
more of the lineages in the Sinclair Study fit the bill - but which ones?  Considering that about 3/4
of Norwegian R1b are 21+, a reasonable assumption is that members of the lineage from Eystein
would be R1b1c9.  While there can be considerable mutation in the haplotype of Y-STRs, S21 has
existed for thousands of years and remains stable in all descendants.
SCOTT                 13 24 14 11 11 14 12 12 11 13 13 29 17 09 10 11 11 24 15 18 29 15 15 15 17
(128611)
R1b1b2; Scottish Orkney - Celtic / Pictish; A man from Scotland.  Some evidence that the name was
used as a patronymic in Shetland with use of Scott as a forename in the 18th Century. A Anders Skot
mentioned at a confirmation in 1485.  In Orkney, an Olaf Skutt, 1369, a native of Scotland.  At the
time surnames were forming this surname was often given to landless crofters, and has become
common in Orkney; N/A; George SCOTT, born Schoolhouse, Bressay, 1812, son of George Scott
born 1772 (a teacher); The haplotype is very common (Western Atlantic Modal Haplotype) at 12
markers and so there are many convergent matches.  At the 25 marker level most of the matches
are to individuals from Ireland and Scotland (more so the latter).  At 37 markers there is only one
match in the FTDNA database, 33/37 to a RITCHIE, of Scottish descent; It appears that this
participant is a descendant of the early Gaelic Scots - Irish people.