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Origins, age, spread and ethnic association of European haplogroups and subcladesLast update February 2009
Introduction to genetic genealogyDNA studies have permitted to categorise all humans on Earth in genealogical groups sharing one common ancestor at one given point in prehistory. They are called haplogroups. There are two kinds of haplogroups: the paternally inherited Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) haplogroups, and the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups. They respectively indicate the agnatic (or patrilineal) and cognatic (or matrilineal) ancestry.Y-DNA haplogroups are useful to determine whether two apparently unrelated individuals sharing the same surname do indeed descend from a common ancestor in a not too distant past (3 to 20 generations). This is achieved by comparing the haplotypes through the STR markers. Deep SNP testing allows to go back much farther in time, and to identify the ancient ethnic group to which one's ancestors belonged (e.g. Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, Greco-Roman, Basque, Iberian, Phoenician, Jewish, etc.). In Europe, mtDNA haplogroups are quite evenly spread over the continent, and therefore cannot be associated easily with ancient ethnicities. However, they can sometimes reveal some potential medical conditions (see diseases associated with mtDNA mutations). Some mtDNA subclades are associated with Jewish ancestry, notably K1a1b1a, K1a9,d K2a2a and N1b.
Y-DNA HaplogroupsThe dominant European Y-DNA haplogroups are R1b, R1a, I1a, I1b, I1c, J2, and N3. Minor haplogroups include C, E3b, G, J1, K, L, P and Q.Chronological development of Y-DNA haplogroups
Hypothetical map of Y-DNA haplogroup distribution in Europe about 2000 years agoThis map was composed by calculating modern regional densities and withdrawing the supposed influence of migrations that took place in the last 2000 years. Only the main/dominant haplogroups are represented for each region. Haplogroup E and R1b encompass various subclades if the subclade not specified.=> More on the methodology used to create the map Large font = over 25% of the population
 European haplogroupsHaplogroup R1b (Y-DNA)R1b (see map) is thought to be the direct descendant of Cro-Magnon, in other words of the oldest Homo Sapiens settlers in Europe. It is by far the most common in Western Europe, reaching over 90% of the population in some parts of western France, northern Spain or Ireland. It is subdivided in numerous subclades.
Haplogroup R1a (Y-DNA)R1a (see map) is associated with the Aryan-Kurgan culture and the expansion of Indo-European languages. It is the main haplogroup in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic. In Scandinavia, it is one of the most common haplogroups along with I1a and R1b, and is especially common in Norway. R1a is also found at a lower percentage in places settled by the Vikings. This haplogroup is widespread as far as Central Asia and India, where it represents over 20% of the male lineages.Haplogroup I (Y-DNA)I represent 10 to 45% of the population in most of Europe. It is divided in four main subclades.Haplogroup I1 (formerly I1a, see map) is the most common I subclade. It is found mostly in Scandinavia and Northern Germany, where it can represent over 35% of the population. Associated with the Norse ethnicity, it is found in all places invaded by the ancient Germanic tribes and the Vikings. This haplogroup is estimated to be 3,500 years old. The I1b (M227+) subclade is most common in eastern Europe and the Balkans. I2 (formerly I1b, see map) probably originated around the Balkans some 7,500 years ago. I is typical of the Dinaric Slavs (Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks), and is found almost exclusively in the ex-Yugoslavia, and to a lower extent also in Albania, Northern Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. It is also found in small percentages in Armenia, Georgia and Turkey. I2a (formerly I1b2, see map) is the most common I subclade in the Balkans and Sardinia. I2a2 is found chiefly among the Sardinians and the Basques, and is rarely found outside Iberia, Western France, the West coast of Italy and the Mediterranean coast of the Maghreb. I2a2 is estimated to be 3,800 years old. I2b1 (formerly I1c, see map) is Germanic, like I1. It peaks in central and northern Germany (10-20%), the Benelux (10-15%) as well as in northern Sweden. It is also found in 3 to 10% of the inhabitants of Denmark, East England, and Northern France. It is rare in Norway. It could be 5,000 years old. The subclade I2b1a (M284+) occurs almost exclusively in Britain, where it probably developed about 3,000 years ago. Near-Eastern haplogroupsHaplogroup J (Y-DNA)J is mostly found in South-East Europe, especially in central and southern Italy, Greece and Romania. It is also common in France, Turkey and in the Middle East. It is related to the Ancient Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians (J2), as well as the Arabs and Jews (J1). Persians and Mesopotamians are divided between J1 and J2.Subclades J2a, J2a1b1 and J2b are found mostly in Greece, Anatolia and southern Italy, and are associated with the Ancient Greeks. Like haplogroups G and E1b1b, J descends from Near Eastern farmers who came to Europe in the Neolithic period. Haplogroup E1b1b (Y-DNA)Haplogroup E1b1b (formerly E3b, see map) represents the last major migration out of Africa into Europe. It is believed to have first appeared in the Horn of Africa or southern Africa approximately 26,000 years ago and dispersed to the Middle East during the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods.On the European continent it has the highest concentration in Albania and Kosovo, then fading around the Balkans, Greece and Western Turkey. Outside Europe, it is also found in most of the Middle East, northern and eastern Africa, especially in Morocco, Lybia, Egypt Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Africa. The vast majority of the European members belong to the E1b1b1a (or E-M78, formerly E3b1a) subclade, for which the highest density is observed in the Peloponese, in Greece. It has 4 main subclades : E1b1b1a1 (E-V12), E1b1b1a2 (E-V13), E1b1b1a3 (E-V22) and E1b1b1a4 (E-V65). Each is further subdivided in "a" and "b" subclades. The the most common in Europe is E-V13. It is thought to have originated in Greece around 6,000 years ago, and is associated with the ancient Greek expansion and colonisation. Outside Greece it is particularly common in Southern Italy, Cyprus and Southern France. E1b1b1b (E-M81, formerly E3b1b) is characteristic of the Berbers of North-West Africa. In some parts of Morocco E1b1b1b can peak at 80% of the population. This sub-hapolgroup is also found in Iberia, Italy and southern France, with the highest concentrations in southern Portugal (12%) and decreasing as we move north. Haplogroup G (Y-DNA)G is Central Asian in origins, and found mostly between the Near East and India. The only ethnic group that has a majority of G Y-DNA are the Ossetians in the Caucasus. G1 is most common in Iran. Most Europeans belong to the G2a subclade. G2c’s are Ashkenazi Jews.G makes up 8 to 10% of the population of Mediterranean Europe, but is fairly rare in Northern Europe. Europeans belonging to this group are thought to be descending of the Neolithic farmers from the Caucasus region. The Romans have probably contributed in spreading this haplogroup northward. Some G members in Germany, Belgium and France might possibly descend from the Alans (themselves descending from the Scythians-Sarmatians), a central Asian tribe that traversed all continental Europe during the barbarian invasions in the 5th century. The Kingdom of Alania was located north of the Caucasus, in present-day Georgia (encroaching a bit on modern Russia). Central and Eastern European members of haplogroup G may very well be descended from the Huns. Indeed, a strong association was found between Hungarian haplogroup G and the Madjar people from Kazakhstan. The Huns and the Alans both invaded Europe at the same period, and both originated in the same region (North Caspian), so it may be difficult to distinguish one from the other. The Armenian diaspora is also responsible for the spread of G across Europe - notably in France, Ukraine and Greece. One of the most famous member of haplogroup G in history was Joseph Stalin, who was of Georgian origin. Haplogroup K (Y-DNA)K is also rare in Europe (less than 1% of the population), and like G is more common in South-East Europe. Being one of the oldest haplogroups in Eurasia, it had time to spread to very remote regions. It is found almost everywhere in between East Africa and the Pacific islands, including in the Middle-East, Caucasus, Iran, India and South-East Asia.K being such an old haplogroup it is extremely diverse. Subclades K2 was recently renamed haplogroup T, and K5 became haplogroup S. It is likely that K will be further subdivided once testing in the Middle East will be more extensive. Ethnically, its presence in Europe has been linked to the ancient Phoenicians and Jews. Some lineages may even be Persian or Egyptian. In any case, it appears to be Middle Easterner. K2 (T) was the haplogroup of Thomas Jefferson. Its highest density is found in Egypt where it makes about one quarter of the population. Other haplogroups found in EuropeHaplogroup N (Y-DNA)N is almost only present in Finland (epicenter within Europe), the Baltic countries, Russia and Siberia, overflowing a bit onto Japan. It is of Uralic-Siberian origin.Haplogroup Q (Y-DNA)Q is thought to be the dominant haplogroup of the Huns, who invaded Europe in the 5th century, and is only found in 3% of the people in Hungary, where the one Hunnic tribe finally settled. Another group of Huns could have settled in Sweden and/or Norway, where Q is also found in among 0.5% of the population. Haplogroup C (Y-DNA)Haplogroup C in Europe is most likely of Mongol origin. It is found everywhere at various concentrations in Genghis Khan's former empire, although only sporadically on the European continent. Haplogroup P (Y-DNA)P is the parent group of Q and R (including R1a and R1b). It has almost disappeared nowadays, except around its place of origins in Central Asia. It is very rarely found in Europe. It may have been brought to Europe by Central Asian invaders, like the Huns or the Mongols. Haplogroup L (Y-DNA)L is found mostly in the Indian subcontinent, but also at lower frequencies in Central Asia, Southwest Asia, and Southern Europe along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (notably in Italy). L1 is typical of the Dravidian people of South India. Various subclades are found in Europe (L1, L2, L3) without any real geographic pattern. Europeans belonging to haplogroup L are likely to be descended from Indian (L1, L3) or Persian (L2, L3) merchants in ancient times, maybe at the time of the Roman Empire. Haplogroup H (Y-DNA)Gypsies belong predominantly (about 50%) to haplogroup H1a. Haplogroup H is not otherwise found in Europe, but on the Indian subcontinent.Haplogroup A (Y-DNA)A is the oldest of all Y-DNA haplogroups. It originated in Africa over 60,000 years ago. Isolated cases of people belonging to hg A have been found in Western Europe (notably Ireland, Britain and Germany). It is believed that these people descend in direct paternal line from Black African slaves, either from Roman times or during the triangular trade with the Americas in the 18th century. MtDNA HaplogroupsAll mtDNA haplogroups found in Europe descend from the N group, which is thought to represent one of the two initial migrations by modern humans out of Africa, some 60,000 to 80,000 years ago. Nowadays haplogroup N is only found at extremely low frequencies in various parts of Eurasia.Chronological development of mtDNA haplogroups
 Haplogroup H is by far the most common all over Europe, amounting to about 40% of the European population. It is also found (though in lower frequencies) in North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Northern Asia, as well as along the East coast of Africa as far as Madagascar. The testing of ancient DNA helped understand how long each haplogroup has been in Europe. Only a few such tests have been successfully conducted so far. Mitochondrial DNA was extracted from the skeleton of a 28,000 year-old Cro-Magnon from southern Italy, and the haplogroup was very close to the Cambridge Reference Sequence (H2b). Still preceding the Neolithic expansion from the Middle East, the 9,000 year-old Cheddar Man was found to belong to haplogroup U5a.
The Gypsies have two mtDNA haplogroups not found in the rest of the European population. About half of them belong to haplogroup M (found throughout East Asia and South Asia, especially in India), and 15% to haplogroup U3 (only found in high frequencies among the Gypsy community). European mtDNA haplogroups and their subclades
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