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Y-DNA Haplogroup Atlas

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Haplogroup N-BY10160

N-BY10160 (Z1939 Finnic downstream)

Macro-haplogroup
K
Parent clade
N-Z1939
Formed (estimate)
c. 1,300–1,500 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 1,000–1,200 years ago

Overview

N-BY10160 is a downstream branch of the N-Z1939 lineage, one of the strongest Finnic paternal founder clusters from the late Iron Age to early medieval Finland. BY10160 corresponds to a well-defined SNP event that marks a localized paternal expansion within the VL62/Z1939 complex. Historical and phylogenetic evidence suggests that this branch rose in prominence as regional clan structures formed across eastern and central Finland. Its age range places its diversification during a period when population growth accelerated in inland Finland due to agricultural transitions, fortified settlement development and increased mobility along lake–river networks.

Geographic distribution

Modern carriers of N-BY10160 are concentrated in Finland, particularly in eastern regions (Savo, Kainuu, North Karelia) and extending toward central Finland. Smaller clusters appear in Karelia and among Finnish diaspora in Sweden and North America. Project data from FTDNA indicates that BY10160 is one of the recurring subclades among families with deep eastern Finnish genealogies, especially those tracing paternal lines to medieval settlement expansions.

Ancient DNA

  • Although not yet directly detected in ancient DNA, upstream branches (Z1939, VL62, Z1933) appear in Iron Age and medieval Finnish contexts, confirming the ancestral population base of BY10160.
  • High-coverage modern comparisons show that BY10160 falls within a demographic layer aligned with early medieval Finnish internal colonization.
  • Coalescent ages match archaeological periods of regional diversification of Finnish-speaking populations.

Phylogeny & subclades

Placed under N-Z1939, BY10160 forms an identifiable microclade containing several terminal SNP branches in FTDNA BigY datasets. It represents one of the key late-medieval expansions of Z1939 and is thus a valuable marker distinguishing different internal Finnish paternal lines.

  • N-BY10160* (basal)
  • Several private downstream Finnish clusters

Notes & context

This clade is important for genealogical resolution among Finnish families whose BigY results fall inside Z1939 but require more specific substructural placement.