haplogroups.info
Y-DNA Haplogroup Atlas

A · BT · CT · CF · F · I · I1 · I1-Z1409

Haplogroup I1-Z1409

I1-Z1409 Lower Saxon branch

Macro-haplogroup
I
Parent clade
I1
Formed (estimate)
c. 3,500–4,000 years before present (estimate)
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 2,300–2,700 years ago (estimate)

Overview

Haplogroup I1-Z1409 is a continental European branch of I1 associated with populations of the Elbe, Weser and lower Rhine basins. It likely developed during the late Nordic Bronze Age or early Iron Age in communities occupying the North German lowlands. Archaeological and linguistic models place this region at the heart of several early West Germanic cultural formations, and Z1409 fits well with a scenario in which I1-bearing populations participated in the emergence of Saxon and related tribal groups. The lineage shows a moderately expanded demographic profile that contrasts with the very large radiations of some Scandinavian centered I1 clades, which is consistent with a more regionally focused growth.

Geographic distribution

Today, I1-Z1409 occurs primarily in northern Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, with noteworthy frequencies in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and the Frisian regions. It is also found in Belgium, northern France and coastal England, where its presence is linked to Anglo-Saxon, Frisian and later medieval migrations. Smaller clusters in Poland and the Czech Republic likely reflect eastward diffusion of West Germanic affiliated populations during the early medieval period.

Ancient DNA

  • Iron Age burials from the North German plain and Elbe region carry I1 lineages that cluster phylogenetically near the Z1409 branch.
  • Early medieval Saxon and Frisian associated cemeteries in northern Germany and the Netherlands contain individuals with Z58 derived haplotypes that are closely related to I1-Z1409.
  • Anglo-Saxon era genomes from eastern England show paternal lines consistent with the spread of continental Z1409 bearing Germanic settlers.

Phylogeny & subclades

Within I1, Z1409 sits under the large Z58 radiation and forms part of a continental branch distinct from major Scandinavian clusters such as L22 and from other Z58 derivatives like Z63. The defining SNP Z1409 and associated markers such as Z1412 and Y6234 separate this clade from neighboring continental I1 groups. Internal structure includes several microclades that show geographic ties to the North German plain and coastal North Sea areas.

  • I1-Z1412
  • I1-Y6234
  • Basal I1-Z1409* lineages in northern Germany and the Netherlands

Notes & context

I1-Z1409 is often highlighted in surname and regional projects focused on Saxon and Frisian origins. Its distribution closely matches the core area of early West Germanic ethnogenesis and helps illuminate the paternal genetic background of these groups.