title: The relationship between surname frequency and Y chromosome variation in Spain.
abstract: 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 so far, the only detailed studies that have been conducted are on samples from the British Isles. In order to provide additional insights into the correlation between surnames and Y chromosomes, we focused on the Spanish population by analysing Y chromosomes from 2121 male volunteers representing 37 surnames. The results suggest that the degree of coancestry within Spanish surnames is highly dependent on surname frequency, in overall agreement with British but not Irish surname studies. Furthermore, a reanalysis of comparative data for all three populations showed that Irish surnames have much greater and older surname descent clusters than Spanish and British ones, suggesting that Irish surnames may have considerably earlier origins than Spanish or British ones. Overall, despite closer geographical ties between Ireland and Britain, our analysis points to substantial similarities in surname origin and development between Britain and Spain, while possibly hinting at unique demographic or social events shaping Irish surname foundation and development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Jaume I University of Castellon, Castellon, Spain.|Human Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Conrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martinez-Cadenas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela, Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blanco-Verea
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Jaume I University of Castellon, Castellon, Spain.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hernando
authors.affiliation: Human Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.|Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: George B J
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Busby
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela, Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brion
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela, Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.|Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.|Unidade de Xenética, Departamento de Anatomía Patolóxica e Ciencias Forenses, Instituto de Ciencias Forenses, Facultade de Medicina, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carracedo
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Xenética, Departamento de Anatomía Patolóxica e Ciencias Forenses, Instituto de Ciencias Forenses, Facultade de Medicina, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.affiliation: Human Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9348-9084
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Capelli
mesh_terms: D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D005220:Fathers / Q000266:history; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population / Q000266:history*; D006239:Haplotypes; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D009275:Names; D013030:Spain; D006113:United Kingdom; D044465:White People