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Y-DNA Haplogroup Atlas

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Haplogroup I1e

I1-Z131

Macro-haplogroup
I
Parent clade
I1
Formed (estimate)
c. 3,000–4,000 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 2,800 years ago

Overview

I1e (Z131) is one of the most recognizable downstream branches of haplogroup I1 with a strong Central European signature. It is frequently associated with Iron Age and early medieval populations spanning the Rhine corridor, the Elbe region, and areas influenced by Germanic-speaking groups. Genetic analyses show that I1e diverged shortly after the major I1 expansions during the Nordic Bronze Age, forming part of a second wave of continental diversification that shaped the paternal landscape of early Germanic and proto-Germanic populations.

Geographic distribution

Today, I1e occurs at modest but consistent frequencies in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and parts of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its presence across Central Europe aligns with documented early Germanic tribal distributions and later medieval population movements. Minor frequencies also appear in Scandinavia, the British Isles and North America through migrations from the Germanic world.

Ancient DNA

  • Ancient DNA studies from Iron Age and early medieval Central Europe have recovered individuals assignable to the broader Z131 lineage.
  • Several Merovingian, Alemannic and Lombard-era individuals show affinity to Z131-associated clades, reflecting its integration into expanding Germanic populations.
  • Bronze Age northern Germany and Denmark also contain early basal I1 lineages ancestral to Z131, matching the proposed timing of divergence.

Phylogeny & subclades

I1e forms a major daughter clade of I1, branching alongside I1a, I1b and I1c. Z131 and its derivatives represent a distinctly continental expansion separate from the heavily Scandinavian-dominant I1a (L22) cluster. Within I1e, downstream branches such as Z183, Z17954 and CTS8691 trace structured expansions across Central Europe.

  • I1-Z183
  • I1-Z17954
  • I1-CTS8691

Notes & context

I1e is frequently highlighted in genealogical and population-genomic contexts due to its association with recognizable continental Germanic lineages. Its distribution correlates strongly with regions historically linked to Suebi, Alemanni and other early Germanic-speaking groups.