Mennonite DNA: yDNA Studies

What can be learned from studying the yDNA of Low German Mennonites?

yDNA is genetic material that is passed on exclusively from father to son. Therefore, it is preserved generation after generation, and all progeny of a male share the same yDNA, except for any mutations that might have occurred in the descendents. If men with the same surname share the same yDNA, there must be a common ancestor somewhere. It might not be documented in GRanDMA (yet), but he has to be there if data go back far enough.

The Mennonite DNA yDNA study requires a collection of yDNA analyses from men with Low German ancestry to answer questions of common ancestors. Tim Janzen's "Mennonite DNA Project Y Chromosome Data Discussion" describes some of the results as of February, 2025.

The Search for More Data

More yDNA data are needed. In particular, there is a need for data from males with less-common Low German surnames.

Where can we learn more detail?

Glenn Penner has written A simple explanation of genealogical DNA Results: Y-DNA in Mennonite Historian.

Find more about the genetics applied here at mennoniteDNA.com. Tim Janzen has written and amassed a lot of information. You will learn more about the project and get lots of details about the use of yDNA data.

A report on Mennonite DNA's yDNA results describes Mennonite DNA's collection of data.