The Albanian DNA Project “Rrënjët” is a platform where Albanians can register their DNA results in order to compare them with the largest Albanian DNA database, as well as with other public results from ancient and modern populations. This is a volunteer-led project and does not offer testing services.
Our Goal
The Albanian DNA Project “Rrënjët” is an effort to provide researchers and the wider society accurate information about the genetic structure of the Albanian population. Our first goal is to build a representative sample of Y-DNA lineages (or paternal lineages), which can offer deeply insightful information on genetic ties between families, brotherhoods or clans/tribes. Subsequently, we also aim to build a similar sample for mtDNA lineages, to have as comprehensive a view on Albanian DNA as possible. Ultimately, a representative sample of Albanian DNA lineages and make-up will serve as an additional source of data for historical research on Albanians, complementing historical, archaeological and linguistic research.
How to join the The Albanian DNA Project “Rrënjët”
Every Albanian family can to take an Y-DNA test from a company of their choice and add the result to our database. Because females do not possess the Y chromosome, only males should take the test. Tests vary according to scope and resolution. Some companies that offer Y-DNA tests of acceptable quality are: YSEQ, FTDNA, Dante Labs, Full Genome Corps, Nebula Genomics, etc. Y-DNA tests that we recommend for Albanians are:
- Highest resolution Y-DNA tests: WGS400 from YSEQ, Big Y-700 from FTDNA. These tests determine your haplogroup and subclade as well as genetic distance from all other persons tested at high resolution, and the result can be added to the global Y-DNA tree at YFull.com. The WGS400 test also provides downloadable mtDNA and autosomal data files.
- Standard resolution tests: YSEQ-Alpha-Beta from YSEQ, Y37 from FTDNA. These tests are sufficient to determine the paternal haplogroup and in most cases the broad subclade position.
We encourage any Albanian interested in testing to contact us with information about family ancestry (such as family name, place of paternal origin, clan/tribe, etc.). If we already have members who could be related to you, we may be able to recommend much cheaper custom testing. The surnames of our members can be found here, and the results by place of origin here.
Once you have an account with one of these testing companies, you can easily join the project: from your YSEQ account by clicking here, from your FTDNA account here, and for Dante Labs or Nebula Genomics you can contact us through the email listed at the bottom of this page. After examining the result and comparing with others in our database as well as with public databases, one of the volunteers will email you detailed information about your haplogroup and likely subclade and the ancient populations your ancestors were most likely part of, as well as a list of modern matches and their geographical distributions.
Donations
If you wish to contribute towards the testing of more Albanians, you can do so here, through the Donate button. These donations do not go to the project, but straight to YSEQ, so they can only be used for DNA testing, just like a gift card. Such donations will cover upgrades of rare results, or new tests for remote and relatively untested groups, which may advance our understanding of Albanian lineages.
Contact us: alb.rrenjet@gmail.com; gjergj.rrenjet@gmail.com