New on MyHeritage: Trace Your Paternal Line Back Thousands of Years with Y-DNA
Your father inherited it from his father, who inherited it from his father, stretching back in an unbroken chain all the way back through history. Your Y-DNA carries the story of your direct paternal line — and now, for the first time, you can start perusing that story as part of your MyHeritage DNA results.
We’re excited to announce the launch of Y-DNA analysis on MyHeritage. Y-DNA results are available for male customers only, and reveal your Y haplogroup: your place on the human paternal family tree. They allow you to trace your direct paternal ancestors from ancient Africa to the present day and discover the populations, places, and even the notable individuals who share your lineage.
Y-DNA results are available on the MyHeritage website and require a Complete or Omni plan.
If you have already tested with MyHeritage DNA:
If you haven’t purchased a MyHeritage DNA kit yet, order your kit today:
What is Y-DNA?
Y-DNA is the genetic material found on the Y chromosome, which is passed almost unchanged from father to son, generation after generation. Because it doesn’t mix with the mother’s DNA the way most of our genome does, it acts like a time capsule for the direct paternal line: your father’s father’s father, and so on.
Every male human belongs to a Y haplogroup: a branch on the human paternal family tree that represents a group of people sharing a common male ancestor far back in history, through their paternal line. Your haplogroup reflects which ancient population your paternal line belonged to and how that lineage spread across the world over thousands of years. With more than one hundred thousand haplogroups identified to date, the tree is remarkably detailed.
What’s included in Y-DNA results, and how to upgrade to get a higher-resolution haplogroup
Y-DNA results on MyHeritage provide a broad overview of your direct paternal line: your haplogroup, its ancient migration path, its presence around the world today, and connections to notable and ancient individuals who share your paternal lineage.
These results are presented in collaboration with FamilyTreeDNA, a global leader in Y-DNA and a trusted MyHeritage partner for over a decade. Their expertise in Y-DNA and their database of hundreds of thousands of Y-DNA testers make this the natural partnership to bring Y-DNA results to MyHeritage for the first time.
For those intrigued by their Y-DNA results on MyHeritage who want to explore their paternal lineage in more depth, FamilyTreeDNA’s Big Y-700 test is recommended as an optional upgrade directly from within your Y-DNA results on MyHeritage. More details about this upgrade are presented further below.
Accessing your Y-DNA results
Y-DNA results are available only for DNA kits belonging to biological males, since only males carry a Y chromosome. If you are one of our female customers, you can still explore your paternal line by ordering a MyHeritage DNA test for a close male relative — for example, your brother, father, paternal uncle, or paternal grandfather.
For the majority of male users who have taken a MyHeritage DNA test or uploaded their data in the past, there is no need to take a new test to access your Y-DNA results. Simply log in to your MyHeritage account and click Y-DNA on the DNA menu.
Accessing Y-DNA results from the DNA menu
The first time you visit the Y-DNA page, a special version of this page will be displayed where you will need to click a button to generate your Y-DNA results, as shown below:
Accessing Y-DNA results for the first time
You’ll be asked to give your consent before results are generated. Once you do, your results will be ready within approximately one hour, and you’ll receive an email as soon as they are available. Click the link in the email or visit the Y-DNA page again to access your results.
Note that a small number of old uploaded kits may not be supported, and in these cases, a message will inform you that you need to take a new test.
Reviewing your Y-DNA Results
Once you enter the Y-DNA page, a panel on the left gives you 6 reports to pick from. The first one, described below, is displayed by default.
Haplogroup Story
Your first stop is the Haplogroup Story, which introduces you to your haplogroup and the larger haplogroup family it belongs to. Every haplogroup is part of a wider family group that shares a common heritage.
Y-DNA: Haplogroup Story (click to zoom)
Here you’ll find a description of the origins and spread of your haplogroup, a paternal lineage diagram, a timeline, and Haplogroup Badges that capture the key characteristics of your line at a glance.
Migration Map
Y-DNA: Migration Map (click to zoom)
All human male lineages trace back to a single common ancestor who lived in Africa around 230,000 years ago, nicknamed Y-Adam. The Migration Map traces the estimated path your haplogroup took from Y-Adam through each ancestral branch all the way to your haplogroup today. A timeline below the map shows where each branching point occurred and places your haplogroup in the context of its “parent” and “sibling” branches throughout history.
Notable Connections
Y-DNA: Notable Connections (click to zoom)
Notable Connections reveal famous people who share a common paternal ancestor with you. This connection is more special than just having a common ancestor, because you and these individuals are related to that common ancestor only through your paternal lines (i.e. your father’s father’s father and so on, and theirs). Each notable connection includes a detailed biography of the notable individual, a diagram showing how the two lines are related, and a timeline that places the divergence point in historical context. Your Y-DNA results include two Notable Connections.
Ancient Connections
Y-DNA: Ancient Connections (click to zoom)
Ancient Connections works on the same principle as Notable Connections, but instead of famous people, your connections are to ancient individuals identified from archaeological findings discovered at excavation sites around the world. Each ancient connection shows the discovery location, the date range, the cultural group they belonged to, and a timeline showing the relationship to your haplogroup. Your Y-DNA results include two Ancient Connections.
Country Frequency
Y-DNA: Country Frequency (click to zoom)
Country Frequency shows which countries Y-DNA testers with your haplogroup most commonly reported as their paternal origin, based on self-reported data from hundreds of thousands of testers and participants in academic studies. Results are displayed as a ranked table by country, showing the number of testers with your haplogroup in each country and the haplogroup’s frequency among all testers from that country. It’s a fascinating way to see where your paternal lineage has left its mark on the modern world.
Time Tree
This report is available only through the Big Y-700 upgrade.
Privacy
MyHeritage is committed to protecting your privacy at every step. MyHeritage licensed the know-how to facilitate the Y-DNA results, which are calculated on MyHeritage so that your DNA is not shared with FamilyTreeDNA or any other third party.
Cost
Y-DNA results require a MyHeritage Complete or Omni subscription. Existing subscribers are eligible for Y-DNA results at no additional cost.
FAQ
Why are Y-DNA Results only available for males?
Only males have the Y chromosome, which is passed from fathers to sons. Because of this inheritance pattern, only DNA kits belonging to biological males can be used to generate Y-DNA Results. Females can still explore their paternal line by ordering a MyHeritage DNA test for a close male relative, for example, their brother, father, paternal uncle, or paternal grandfather.
Do I need to take a new test?
In most cases, no. If you have already taken a MyHeritage DNA test or uploaded DNA results to MyHeritage in the past, your Y haplogroup will be calculated automatically from your existing data once you give your consent. In very rare cases, a kit may not include the Y chromosome data needed — for example, if the DNA was uploaded from a provider that didn’t analyze the Y chromosome. In that case, you can order a new MyHeritage DNA kit.
How is my Y haplogroup calculated, and how can I get a higher-resolution one?
Your Y haplogroup is calculated by analyzing the Y chromosome markers from your existing DNA data on MyHeritage. The result is a broad-level haplogroup; it is accurate, but not as detailed as results from the recommended upgrade: FamilyTreeDNA’s Big Y-700 test. It is available as a separate kit purchase, through banners in the Y-DNA results on MyHeritage. Big Y-700 utilizes sequencing to examine a significantly higher number of locations on the Y chromosome (about 12 million base pairs), unlocking more detail: a higher-resolution haplogroup, more Notable Connections and Ancient Connections, a Time Tree, and more granular migration paths. This upgrade can trace your paternal lineage into more recent history, often pinpointing common ancestors within the last few centuries. That’s because the deeper sequencing identifies almost every mutation in the Y chromosome, which allows for fine-tuning the basic haplogroup that MyHeritage returns (that typically maps to the Middle Ages), into a higher-resolution haplogroup that is much more recent.
Summary
Y-DNA results add a powerful new dimension to the MyHeritage DNA experience. From your haplogroup’s ancient origins in Africa to its migration across continents, its connections to historical figures and archaeological discoveries, and its presence in the world today — your direct paternal line has a unique story that spans human history. We invite you to discover your paternal story today.
