Y chromosome haplotypes and Spanish surnames

In most societies, surnames are passed down from fathers to sons, just like the Y chromosome. It follows that, theoretically, men sharing the same surnames would also be expected to share related Y chromosomes. Previous investigations have explored such relationships but most data has been collected so far only from the British Isles. In order to provide additional in sights into the con-elation between surnames and Y chromosomes, this study focuses on the Spanish population and investigates Y chromosome SNP/STR variation by analysing a total of 1,766 DNA samples from unrelated Spanish male volunteers belonging to 37 surnames and 355 controls. The results suggest that the degree of coancestry within surnames is highly dependent on surname frequency. Within-surname genetic variation, as measured by different statistics, con-elates well with surname frequency, though a few exceptions are found. In addition, geographic distance between the individuals' place of origin influences Significantly the con-elation between Y chromosome and surnames: men with the same surname tend to have more similar Y chromosomes if their paternal grandfathers were born geographically close to each other. Therefore, it seems that Y chromosome coancestry within surnames is as much about surname frequency as it is about geographical proximity.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo