Yes, that is one clan where a particular line is dominant, and also apparently the chiefly line. Campbell may be the same? Campbell has one very dominant looking haplotype which is a variant of the Scots type also, and apparently shared with psople who have the surname McCutcheon. I have never heard a good theory about why that should be. The MacDonalds on the other hand have a clear signature for most of the chiefly lines (but not all) and then many other haplotypes, including lots of Scots haplotypes. This makes sense given the historical size and spread of the clan. Over a very long time it would only be natural to occasionally need a son-in-law, for example, to take over a title. It should be pointed out, because I know it leads to many misunderstandings, that there always have been many different very legitimate ways in which a surname can be passed to a person who is not a son or daughter, and this is particularly so in a clan situation. Indeed it is very necessary. Even today, if I understand correctly, the Scottish nobility and clan chiefs do not use surnames quite like the rest of us. I was told of a case of a couple who were both heirs to titles, whose children will have different surnames reflecting the different titles they are intended to take up. And men marrying female heirs are still apparently known to change their surname. Regards Andrew -----Original Message----- From: Patrick Tagert [mailto:macantsagairt@hotmail.com] Sent: Sunday, 3 September 2006 8:41 AM To: SCOT-DNA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [SCOT-DNA] Clan Chiefs Clan Gregor's chief (MacGregor of MacGregor) has tested. His haplotype may be seen on their website. The haplotype is the R1b Scots Modal, with a noteable difference at 385a (MacGregor=10, Scots Modal=11). The haplotype is very common within the clan, & appears commonly among the Stirling surname (sept of Clan Gregor) as well. It is an example of a success story for this approach. It is true that there is great diversity in all the clans, but it is also possible that many of the clans will indeed have a demonstrably visible patriarchal line. Considering Clan Gregor's history, the DNA testing is particularly important for them the results already in have proved the worth of the enterprise. As the databases grow, we *may* see such defintion appearing in many of the clan projects. Pat Tagert