Click here to read how to use Earliest Known Ancestor updates to improve your genealogy research.
Just as there are surnames that are very common (such as Phillips) and surnames that are uncommon, there are Haplotypes (a set of results that characterize you on the Y-chromosome) with a high frequency of occurrence (aka common) and Haplotypes with a low frequency of occurrence (aka uncommon). The 12 Marker result from the Y-chromosome test is called a Haplotype and can help determine if your DNA sample is common or uncommon.
When you compare a 12 Marker result to another 12 marker result of someone with the same surname and the results match 12/12, there is a 99% probability that you two are related within a genealogical timeframe. If the match is 11/12, there's still a high probability that you are related if the 11/12 match is within the same surname.
If you compare the 12 marker result to someone else who does not have the same surname, but the scores match, you are most likely NOT recently related. When we use the term recently related, we are talking about a time frame within the last 1000 years or 40 generations, a period that includes the earliest known use of surnames.
Family Tree DNA is holding a sale on its DNA tests from now until 11:59 pm PDT on April 30, 2025. The 37 marker Y-DNA test is marked down from $119 to $79 plus shipping and the 111 marker Y-DNA test is marked down from $249 to $199 plus shipping. Please be advised that only these two Y-DNA tests of the male Y chromosome are applicable for the purposes of our Phillips DNA Project. Here is a link to a page where you can order a test kit through our project which will ensure your results will be added our project.
