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Y-DNA Haplogroup Atlas

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Haplogroup N1a1a1

N1a1a1-Z1925

Macro-haplogroup
K
Parent clade
N1a1a
Formed (estimate)
c. 9,000–11,000 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 4,500–6,000 years ago

Overview

N1a1a1 (Z1925) is the principal downstream branch of N1a1a and one of the key paternal lineages of northeastern Europe. It crystallized during the middle Holocene within forest and forest steppe populations of the Volga and Baltic regions. As Uralic speaking groups expanded west and north, N1a1a1 became a dominant lineage among proto Finnic and related communities. Its internal diversity today reflects several waves of migration and population contact between northeastern Europe, the Volga Ural zone and western Siberia.

Geographic distribution

N1a1a1 reaches its highest frequencies in Finland and Estonia, where it accounts for a large share of the male lineages. It is also common among Karelians and northern Russians, and present at notable levels among Komi, Mari and Udmurts. Lower but still important frequencies occur among Saami and some Baltic populations, especially in northern Latvia and parts of coastal Sweden linked historically to Finnic and Karelian movements.

Ancient DNA

  • Mesolithic and Neolithic individuals from the eastern Baltic and Karelia show N1a1a1 related lineages, consistent with early local formation of this branch among forest hunter gatherers.
  • Bronze Age and Early Iron Age burials associated with textile ceramic and later Uralic linked cultures in the Volga and Kama regions contain early N1a1a1 subclades, indicating that this lineage was already established during the formative phases of Uralic ethnogenesis.
  • Early medieval cemeteries from Finland, Karelia and northwest Russia show dense clusters of N1a1a1, mirroring the consolidation of Finnic and related groups around the Baltic Sea.

Phylogeny & subclades

N1a1a1 is defined by Z1925 and related markers such as CTS2929 and L550. Within the broader N1a1a block it forms a core European branch that has undergone further splitting into regionally structured subclades. Some microbranches are largely restricted to specific Finnic groups, while others span across northern Russia and into the Volga basin.

  • N1a1a1a (Baltic Finnic oriented branch)
  • N1a1a1b (Volga Ural related branch)
  • Basal N1a1a1* lineages in northeastern Europe

Notes & context

N1a1a1 is one of the best studied N lineages, due to its high frequency in public datasets from Finland and Estonia. Its fine structure is widely used in genealogical projects to distinguish regional clusters within Finnic and northern Russian populations.