Ancestry.com DNA haplogroup designations

Robert, thank you for your interest in Ancestry.com DNA’s haplogroup designations. Our laboratory provides haplogroup predictions using statistical approaches that produce consistent results with SNP-tested samples approximately 99% of the time. This 99% accuracy was the result of a rigorous validation using SNP-tested samples and the corresponding haplotypes. This is not to say it is 100% accurate, it is a statistical calculation and no statistical calculations are guaranteed to hit that level. There are valid reasons why your Good participant’s sample did not predict an L and it has to do with overlap in alleles and their population means for each marker. The predictor has gone through a series of validations and our confidence is justified with empirical data but again, this will happen. The only way to confirm a haplogroup is to become SNP-tested.

In this case there are obviously different haplogroups from different geographic regions. Sometimes the haplotype modals at each tested marker can overlap thus causing prediction limitations. In this case, Haplogroup L is distributed throughout Southeast Asia and seems to have originated from Southwestern Asia whereas O likely originated in Southeastern Asia but expanded into India. Specifically, O2a is very common in southeastern Asia and Indonesia. These two populations are, historically neighbors. This would explain why the modal haplotypes are similar and that predictors have a hard time differentiating between the two.

For specific questions about individual results you refer to in your comment, however, it is best to contact our client services team at info@dna.ancestry.com so we can respond in detail about each participant and can ensure their privacy. Should you have any further comments about the blog postings directly, please feel free to continue commenting.

John, conversion is done upon entry. Matching does not take the lab into consideration. Within our system, there is a difference between 15.3 and 15 and 16.

Carolyn, I just did a compare of your group, Descendants of Hugh Jones, Orange Co, Virginia and it is working correctly. If you have specific questions, please contact dna@ancestry.com for customized assistance.

From our FAQ’s…Will DNA Ancestry’s testing tell me my ethnic tribe or what percentage of Native American ancestry I have?

DNA Ancestry provides a complimentary prediction of one’s haplogroup with your test results. As our ancient ancestors migrated from Africa tens of thousands of years ago, spread through out the world and adapted to new environments, their DNA diversified into distinct groups and subgroups. These ancient ancestral groupings are known as haplogroups. DNA Ancestry predicts which haplogroup your paternal- or maternal-line ancestors belonged to and presents you with a map showing the migration routes these ancestors took out of Africa into other parts of the world.

Neither your haplogroup prediction nor your DNA test result will reveal the percentage of a given ancestral ethnicity nor the precise tribe from which you may descend.

John, a surname trace will follow the passing of the name throughout the generations. DNA testing can reveal instances where there may be a non paternal event, for example an adoption, in which case the specific family line DNA signature would be helpful in identifying appropriate possibilities for biological connections.