The MacVicar Y-chromosome DNA Surname Project

FAQs



Is MacVicar the only surname involved in the study or are variations included?

Related surnames and variations are definitely included. As the number of individuals tested increases and distinct lines become evident, it may make sense for this project to be split up, and I will be open to requests to surrender these lines to a new administrator specializing in that line. In the beginning, however, it makes sense to "cast the net widely" including all possibilities in the testing, until lines are defined on a DNA basis.


Does the person being tested have to be a male MacVicar?

Yes. Only males surnamed MacVicar (or some variation), ones who presumably have a direct-line male MacVicar ancestry as shown in the chart below, can meaningfully participate in the MacVicar Y-Chromosome DNA Surname Project.

Male MacVicar Female Male Female Male Female Male Female
Male MacVicar Female Male Female
Male MacVicar Female
Male MacVicar - test individual

If you are a female MacVicar descendant or if you are a male MacVicar descendant who is not surnamed MacVicar, you will need to find a male MacVicar relative who is a direct-line MacVicar descendant to be tested for you.

Not being in a direct-male MacVicar line does not prevent you from being tested, of course. You may want to join a different surname project (to take advantage of the reduced prices for project participants) or, if there is no project for your surname, to simply be the "first on your block" to have your surname tested. You may even wish to start a group for your surname and be the group's administrator, as I am for MacVicar.


Which test would be of most value?

It's prudent, in the short term, to start with the 12-marker test, but in the long run, cheaper to get the full 37-marker test at the outset because, in the end, you will probably need all the markers you can get.


Do I need to send in another sample to have additional tests done?

No. Your sample will be kept in cold storage for a guaranteed 25 years, so it will be available for additional testing. It can be assumed that, over the next few decades, more refined tests will be discovered. Having your sample in storage will make it possible to have these tests done without submitting additional samples.


Should additional family members be tested?

Ideally, yes. About 2-5% of people tested turn out - through hidden adoption or paternity - not to be who they believe themselves to be. By having a related descendant tested (e.g., a cousin or uncle with the same presumed male-line ancestry), such unexpected paternity can be revealed. In which case, several more family members could be tested to resolve who in the family is or is not actually MacVicar/etc. Note that the test would, sooner or later (as more surname projects are undertaken), reveal the individual's true ancestry, so unexpected results should be seen as a breakthrough, not a loss. It also underscores why one would want to get the testing done as soon as possible - before spending years researching the wrong surname!


What about the senior members of my family?

There may be some urgency involved with testing your family's senior members. For example, my Dad is 85 years old, and I paid for his test. He even joked with me, "Oh, you want to get this done before I die." Well, yes, I do. My father had no sons, he was himself an only son, and his father and grandfather were only children. My Dad is it when it comes to y-chromosome testing my own surname!


Can my test results be used with other projects, for example, for my mother's surname?

No. Your Y-chromosome came from your father, and only from your father, so Y-chromosome DNA testing will be of no help in elucidating your mother's ancestry. To research your mother's surname, you will need to get her father or one of her brothers or uncles or nephews of that surname to be tested for you. I know this limitation is frustrating, but it is precisely the narrowness of the Y-chromosome test that makes it so useful.