Which DNA Test Shows Haplogroup?

Share the knowledge!

Do you want to know which popular DNA test shows your haplogroup? Here, learn the answer, who should take the test, and what to expect from your haplogroup results.

Haplogroup tests are among the oldest and most reliable types of DNA testing, and there is a lot that the results can reveal. You might be able to determine where your direct-line paternal or maternal ancestors lived thousands of years ago, or find out that you share a haplogroup with a historical figure.

My favorite part about haplogroup results is that they come automatically included with one of the most popular DNA tests on the market today. This means that along with all of the “regular” DNA results (like DNA matches and the ethnicity estimate), you can also discover your haplogroups with this test.

Which DNA test can tell you your haplogroup?

The DNA test that can tell your haplogroup is the 23andMe Ancestry + Traits Service, which is usually available directly on the 23andMe website for about $99. 23andMe test results include your mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-DNA haplogroups, along with many other features.

It is important to note that only males have Y-DNA, so females will not receive Y-DNA haplogroups unless their father or brother also take the 23andMe test. Both males and females have mtDNA.

Males inherit their Y-DNA from their father, who inherited it from his father, who inherited it from his father. Males and females inherit their mtDNA from their mother, who inherited it from her mother, who inherited it from her mother.

In other words, females will receive one haplogroup in their 23andMe results, and males will receive two. This is in addition to all of the other features that come along with 23andMe results.

Who should take DNA test for paternal haplogroup (Y-DNA)?

If you are a male, then you will receive a Y-DNA haplogroup on your 23andMe results. Your haplogroup should be identical to your father’s haplogroup, as well as any brothers that you may have that share the same father.

Even though females do not have Y-DNA, they can still learn from a close male relative’s Y-DNA results. For example, if a female’s father or brother can take the test, then the female can learn from those results.

In fact, 23andMe has a feature that allows users to share their DNA results with each other. Females can use this feature to connect their profiles to a father or brother in order to populate the Y-DNA results.

If no father or brother is available to take the DNA test, a paternal cousin who is descended from an uncle can also help female relatives learn about their father’s Y-DNA haplogroup.

Who should take DNA test for maternal haplogroup (mtDNA)?

Since everyone, both male and female, has mtDNA that they inherited from their mother, everyone will recieve a mtDNA haplogroup on their 23andMe results. We can use our mtDNA haplogroup to learn about our direct-line maternal ancestors going back thousands of years.

If you are interested in comparing your mtDNA haplogroup to other people who share your direct-line maternal ancestors, then you could the following close relatives to see if they would be willing to do a 23andMe test, too:

• Male and female siblings
• Male and female first cousins who are the children of your mother’s sisters
• Your mother’s brothers and sisters, as long as they share the same mother

Example of Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroup results

When you first log in to your 23andMe results, you should visit the Ancestry and Traits Overview page. Below the Neandarthal Ancestry report, which is also very interesting, you will find the overview related to your Maternal and Paternal haplogroups.

Below is an example of this overview from my husband’s 23andMe results. He has Native American mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups, and this is indicated right here on the overview:

If you click on the “View your report” button under the Maternal or Paternal section, you will be taken to a brand-new page with more in-depth details about the science behind your results, as well as migration patterns that led to the development of your haplogroup.

On my husband’s Paternal Haplogroup results, we can see that the name of his Y-DNA (paternal) haplogroup is Q-M3:

Amazingly, there have been genetic studies of ancient human remains that have been discovered around the world. This is how 23andMe can tell my husband that he and The Ancient One, who is also sometimes referred to as the Kennewick Man, share a direct-line paternal ancestor.

This means that if my husband could trace his father’s father’s father’s (etc…) line directly back for thousands of years, he would eventually connect with The Ancient One’s direct paternal line. Fascinating!

My father, who has primarily European ancestry, also had some pretty neat paternal haplogroup results. We discovered that he has the paternal haplogroup R-L2, which he shares with Niall of the Nine Hostages, an ancient Irish king.

I wonder what yours will reveal?

There is plenty more to see on the results page, such as maps explaining how your haplogroup was formed from its parent group, and the migration routes that your direct maternal and paternal ancestors took after their migration out of Africa many tens of thousands of years ago.

Conclusion

I hope that this post has helped you understand which DNA test (23andMe for the win!) can give you your haplogroups, and what you can expect to learn.

If you have a question about haplogroups, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Thanks for reading this post today.

Share the knowledge!