Have your DNA results suggested a connection to someone famous? We hope this article helps you dig a little deeper into those eye-catching matches—whether it’s a royal ancestor, a legendary musician, or a historical icon—and better understand what the DNA and famous connections might really mean.
You take a genetic genealogy test, and a few weeks later you get your results. Included in those results are ethnicity admixture percentages and estimates, a list of other customers who share DNA with you, and (depending on the company) other tools and reports. But what’s this… are you really a relative of Elvis? Do you really share a common ancestor with Queen Marie Antoinette? Let’s explore those proposed DNA connections to famous relatives a little deeper.
Who Gets Notable Connection Reports?
Recently FamilyTreeDNA introduced Notable Connections as part of their Discover™ Haplogroup Reports for Y-DNA and mtDNA. For now, most customers who have these reports are those who have taken either a Y-DNA or an mtDNA test. However, FamilyTreeDNA is now estimating Y-DNA haplogroups for individuals who have taken their FamilyFinder autosomal DNA test or who have transferred their autosomal DNA test results into FamilyTreeDNA’s database from another testing company and have paid the unlock fee. They have also announced they will soon roll out mtDNA haplogroups for autosomal tests or transfers in the future. These haplogroup assignments connect users with Discover Haplogroup reports and can link customers with Notable Connections as well.
How DNA and Famous Connections Are Determined
FamilyTreeDNA’s Notable Connections reports are based on Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tests. The Y chromosome is the male sex chromosome and is passed from generation to generation in a pattern of direct-line paternal inheritance. Only males inherit a Y chromosome. Therefore, it follows the same inheritance pattern as surnames in many western civilizations. Occasionally new mutations or variants arise over time as Y-DNA is passed on to an ancestor’s direct patriline descendants. These variants help to distinguish related lineages from each other. When two or more individuals are found to share the same variants they inherited from a common ancestor, a new haplogroup can be formed.
Meanwhile, mitochondrial DNA is passed down from a mother to her children. Both males and females inherit mitochondrial DNA, but only females will pass it on to the next generation. Occasional mutations help to distinguish mitochondrial DNA lineages from each other, some of which are ethnically or geographically specific. As with Y-DNA, as mutations are introduced in a descendant lineage, new mitochondrial haplogroups can form.
Haplogroups designate major branches in the paternal (for Y-DNA) or maternal (for mtDNA) lineage of all humans. Y-DNA haplogroups are named with a starting letter (A through T) followed by a designation of a variant which defines the haplogroup. Mitochondrial haplogroups are also named with a letter (A through Z) followed by letters and numbers representing branch points in the descent tree. Haplogroups are nested within each other, eventually tracing back to the common direct patriline ancestor of all human males (for Y-DNA) and the common direct matriline ancestor of all humans (for mitochondrial DNA).
When a tester takes a Y-DNA test or a mitochondrial DNA test at Family Tree DNA, their results will be assigned to a Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA haplogroup. The most refined haplogroup designations for Y-DNA are assigned after a customer takes the Big-Y 700 test and the most refined mitochondrial haplogroup designations are achieved through the full mitochondrial sequence test. Some markers of Y-DNA and mtDNA are also tested as part of the Global Screening Array chip that is used for autosomal DNA testing at FamilyTreeDNA and other testing companies. As such, it is possible to assign higher-level haplogroups for autosomal testers or customers who transfer their test results from other companies (as FamilyTreeDNA is doing).
Since Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA testing at FamilyTreeDNA can help place a tester in the tree of all humankind, it is possible to estimate how closely two individuals may be related to each other along the direct patriline or matriline by comparing a tester’s own haplogroup against those of notable individuals. Sometimes the haplogroups of notable individuals have been determined through testing of their descendants, but more often these haplogroups have been inferred through targeted testing of living collateral relatives.
What Do Notable Connections Reports Tell You?
Notable Connections reports include a list of notable individuals. Clicking on one of these names calls up a small biography, an indication of the distance to a most recent common ancestor along your direct patrilines or matrilines, and a timeline showing the origin points of your respective haplogroups, as well as your common ancestral haplogroup.
A note at the top of the report states that “notable haplogroup connections are based on direct DNA testing or deduced from testing of relatives and should be considered as fun facts.” Indeed, unless a tester has a close known relationship to a notable individual, most of a tester’s relationships to notable connections will be through common ancestors who lived thousands of years ago, and well before the timeframe of well-documented and proven genealogies.
Understanding the Limits of DNA and Famous Connections
In the months since FamilyTreeDNA has released their Notable Connections reports, we have received many queries from our clients to see if we can prove their connections to notable relatives through genealogical research. While it may sometimes be possible to document and prove the connections between an individual and their notable relatives, in order to be successful in that effort, a proposed genetic relationship has to be close enough that original documentation of the generational linkages between a tester and their relative is still extant.
Genealogical proof is achieved by pursuing elements of the genealogical proof standard, which includes reasonably exhaustive research, complete and accurate source citations, analysis and correlation of evidence, resolution of conflicting evidence, and soundly reasoned written conclusions. Therefore, in order to prove a tester’s connection to a notable relative according to the genealogical proof standard, genetic evidence is not, in and of itself, enough. There must be historical documentation available to prove each generational link between them.
For that to be feasible, the proposed common ancestor between a tester and their notable relative needs to have lived within a genealogical timeframe (typically within the last 250 to 700 years, though this depends on the geographic area of interest). Even if the proposed connection is within this timeframe, proving the connection by the genealogical proof standard with documentary research will likely require many hours of investigation to evaluate every proposed generational link in the direct matriline or direct patriline. Often, the further back in time a genealogical connection is, the more difficult it is to prove the connection with extant documentary evidence.
In other cases, clients have asked why FamilyTreeDNA did not detect a connection to one of their known prominent relatives. Keep in mind that FamilyTreeDNA’s Notable Connections report only shows information regarding connections along a tester’s direct patriline or matriline. If a tester’s connection to a famous relative is through any of their other ancestral lines, it may not be detectable.
For example, FamilyTreeDNA might detect and report a relationship to a famous relative whose father’s father’s father’s … father was related to your father’s father’s father’s…father, but they will not be able to detect a relationship if your genealogical connection is through any other ancestral line for either you or your famous relative (as through a paternal grandmother, maternal grandfather, or any deviation from the direct patriline for Y-DNA or direct matriline for mitochondrial DNA).
If a tester’s connection to a famous relative is along their respective direct patrilines or matrilines, then it may simply be that FamilyTreeDNA has not yet reported the haplogroup of your famous relative. If that’s the case, consider contacting FamilyTreeDNA about your proposed connection in case they would like to incorporate that information in future updates to the report.
Yet other clients have asked us what purpose the Notable Connections report fulfills if it is so rarely possible to document the connections between a tester and their notable relative. By FamilyTreeDNA’s own admission, these connections should be considered as fun facts.
Each genetic genealogy tester has their own reasons and varied interests for pursuing DNA testing. While some might be looking to understand their connections to famous relatives, others may be more interested in other possibilities, including learning about the ethnic origins of their ancestors, uncovering information regarding their broad family history, connecting with close genetic relatives to collaborate on stubborn research problems, searching for biological parents or other close biological family, detecting the pieces of DNA that they inherited from each of their ancestors in each generation, or even exploring their genetics to learn more about their biological traits or disease predispositions.
Even if the Notable Connections report may not be helpful to you in the context of your own goals, it may be of interest to others who test. In any case, the Notable Connections report does demonstrate that we are all connected to each other, no matter how great our perceived differences may be. We are each an important part of the family tree of all humankind, and our connections to each other are often closer than we might expect.
Conclusion: Understanding the Meaning Behind DNA and Famous Connections
While it’s exciting to see your name linked to a famous figure through a DNA test, these connections are best viewed as intriguing possibilities rather than definitive proof of lineage. DNA and famous connections offer a unique lens through which to explore your deep ancestral roots—but they are just one part of the story. Whether you’re drawn to genetic genealogy for celebrity ties, heritage insights, or building your broader family history, the real value lies in the connections you make and the stories you uncover. Keep asking questions, keep exploring—and enjoy the journey through your shared human history.
Image Source: Purple Pipette
Excellent explanation! 🧬
Thank you, Celia!