I qualify to join this thread by being a Worcestershire man and the coordinator of the Surname NEW Y-DNA Testing Project. A William NEW was recorded in the 1327 Glos. Subsidy Roll in Northway, between Ashchurch and Tewkesbury, just 10 miles away from Evesham where I was born over 600 years later. The NEW family of Evesham are well documented from c.1600 and three of us, distant cousins, have been Y-DNA tested, and match. In total, 27 generations separate the three of us. Our most recent common ancestor, James NEW, was born c.1655 and died in 1725. We don't know for certain who his father was. It was soon after the English Civil War(s) and may be obscured by an association with the Quakers. One of James's properties exists today as one of those in the frontage of the Quaker Meeting House on Cowl Street, Evesham. However, a representative of a NEW family that came from Defford, just 8 miles from Evesham, and moved to Eldersfield 12 miles further away about 1749 has been Y-DNA tested and doesn't match us from Evesham. This is unexpected because of the geographical proximity and also because the I.G.I. (on www.familysearch.com) claims that the Richard NEW of Defford is the same as a Richard NEW who was the grandson of the James NEW, c.1655-1725, mentioned above. The IGI records were however "submitted by members of the LDS church". The mismatch remains to be explained, and we need another contributor from that family. I have genealogies for a NEW family of Ripple and a NEW family of Worcester, but need DNA contributors from both. A map of the distribution of the NEW name in England from the 1881 Census clearly indicates (but doesn't prove) that the name originated perhaps once only in the southern counties, Hampshire or Wiltshire, and spread from there. It was/is commonest in Portsmouth. Of the 17 contributors to the Surname NEW Y-DNA Testing Project the nearest to the three of us from Evesham is a 10/12 marker 'match' with a NEW who originates from the Isle of Wight. This 10/12 score is not good enough to claim a real match; 12 markers isn't enough, but it does raise hopes. Most of the other NEWs tested are from North American. Five of them match, and one of them has a good paper trail to (another) Richard NEW c.1620-c1681 a pioneer in Virginia. For none of these North American NEWs can we yet establish an English origin (or even continental if the name was originally NEU). Incidentally, one 'British' NEW who claimed a Huguenot origin 'matched' 10/12 a NEU in America who also had a family tradition of a Huguenot origin. As I said before 12 markers isn't enough to be certain. Another aspect of the Y-DNA testing is our "haplogroups". Most of the NEWs are R1b, as indeed are, say, 70% of the 'English' population. The Welsh are about 90% and the Irish more than 95%, with similar figures for the Iberian peninsula, with the Basques at nominally 100%. In direct male line we are descendants of the original Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers who repopulated these Isles after the end of the Ice Age 12,500 years ago. The reason I don't look Basque is because of all the women partners of my male-line ancestors. That's where the differences come from. My ancestors have also changed their language. >From something originally shared with the Basques, and perhaps last spoken in this country by the Atecotti (in 'Scotland'), to Celtic and then to English. One of the NEWs and a NEU were E3b indicating an origin with the agriculturists from the Middle East, and another NEW was I1b1 from the Balkans, perhaps via a Roman mercenary. We can only speculate! DNA contributors of any and all surnames are needed. There may well be a Surname group who will snap up a result. Try http://www.dnalist.net/ for your surname. Population and Migration route studies depend on a mass of results. Your DNA result will still be useful in 100 years or for much longer into the future. What else can you leave that will be so useful (besides descendants!)? The costs of tests has already appeared in this thread and I don't dare to repeat them (too commercial) but there are FREE tests offered by the Sorenson Foundation http://www.smgf.org/ . Select Y-database or mtDatabase at the bottom LHS of the page. Results take up to 2 years or more to appear in their databases; your identity (except surname) is concealed but you can recognise your result from the pedigree that you supply. The test involves a mouthwash or scrapping the inside of your cheek with a cotton bud. Bob New coordinator of the Surname NEW Y-DNA Testing Project coordinator of the SAYCE Y-DNA Testing Project admin. of the [email protected] list