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Y-DNA Haplogroup Atlas

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Haplogroup N1a1a1a1a

N1a1a1a1a

Macro-haplogroup
K
Parent clade
N1a1a1a1
Formed (estimate)
c. 5,000–6,000 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 2,000–3,000 years ago

Overview

N1a1a1a1a is a southern Finland oriented branch within the wider N1a1a1a1 Finnish core. It represents a major paternal component of populations around the Gulf of Finland, especially those living in the more densely settled southern and southwestern parts of the country. The time depth of N1a1a1a1a overlaps with the period when regional differentiation inside Finland intensified, with coastal communities and inland lake districts developing partially distinct demographic histories within a broadly Finnic cultural framework.

Geographic distribution

Modern carriers of N1a1a1a1a are concentrated in southern and southwestern Finland, including regions historically associated with early Finnish agriculture, maritime trade and interaction with the eastern Baltic. Genetic projects and population samples show that this branch is frequent in areas such as Uusimaa and Varsinais Suomi, where it coexists with other N1a1a1a1 subbranches and with a smaller proportion of western European lineages. Isolated N1a1a1a1a lineages also appear in Estonia, Sweden and among Finnish diaspora populations, reflecting more recent historic migration rather than deep separate origins.

Ancient DNA

  • Medieval and late Iron Age burials in southern Finland contain N1a1a1a1 related lineages that are positioned phylogenetically near N1a1a1a1a, supporting the interpretation that the branch emerged locally in the southern Finnish core region rather than being imported from elsewhere.
  • Archaeological contexts linked with early agriculture and intensified settlement around the Gulf of Finland coincide in time with estimated tmrca values for N1a1a1a1a, indicating that demographic growth in these communities may have amplified specific paternal lineages such as this one.
  • Comparative studies between northern and southern Finnish genetic structure consistently find stronger differentiation in paternal lineages than in autosomal markers, and N1a1a1a1a is one of several Y chromosome clades that highlight this north south structuring inside Finland.

Phylogeny & subclades

Within N1a1a1a1, the branch defined as N1a1a1a1a sits as one of several regionally skewed derivatives, distinguished by a cluster of SNPs that coalesce in men from southern Finland. High resolution Y phylogenies show additional internal splits corresponding to microregional groups, for example clades that are more frequent in the coastal belt compared to lake district communities. However, sample density is still moderate compared to the size of the population, and further granularity is expected as more men are tested at whole genome level.

  • N1a1a1a1a1 (southwest Finnish coastal branch)
  • N1a1a1a1a2 (southern inland Finland branch)
  • Basal N1a1a1a1a* lineages present across southern Finland and diaspora groups

Notes & context

N1a1a1a1a is particularly informative for fine scale studies of Finnish population structure. While most Finns belong somewhere within the N1a1a1a1 cluster, more detailed subclade resolution, including the identification of N1a1a1a1a and its own internal branches, allows researchers and genealogists to distinguish regional patterns that align with historical provinces and settlement zones. Because it is part of a recent founder expansion, coalescence times are relatively young, so caution is necessary when linking individual subbranches to specific named historical events.