For cultural and historical reasons pinpointing a paternal ancestral genetic homeland for people with English roots can be far more challenging compare to those with Irish and Scottish ancestry. For example, unlike in Scotland and Ireland, English surnames tend not to reflect the genealogy of a person but rather their occupation, trade, physical feature, or where they lived. Although surnames arose approximately 1000 years ago in an agricultural based society the link with the land for most English surnames has faded over time, particularly due to the early industrial revolution. In addition many of the placenames that reflect the surnames that arose there have disappeared as much of the English countryside has been consumed by urbanization.  The success rate for people coming to me with an English ancestry is 40% compared to a success rate of pinpointing an origin of 75% and 80% for those with paternal Scottish and Irish ancestry respectively.

The Bennett Case Study is the latest successful English Y-DNA Case Study to be added to the English Origenes website and it can be downloaded and studied here. Mr Bennett who commissioned the study runs the Ipswich Bennett DNA Study group (click here) and he can be contacted via this email lee.bennett@ipswichbennett.com. If you would like a free consultation on your Y-DNA results you can contact me here.