Overview
Haplogroup R-DF41 is a highly distinctive branch of R-DF13 that is strongly associated with Scottish Highland populations and, to a lesser degree, northern Irish groups. Often referred to by the SNPs L1335 or FGC11134, this lineage likely arose during the Bronze Age and underwent a dramatic expansion in the early medieval period, becoming one of the dominant paternal signatures of Gaelic and Pictish populations in northern Scotland. DF41 is famously linked to several Highland clan lineages and has a well documented internal phylogeny that reflects expansions associated with the rise of clan-based social structures. Its subclades show clear regional clustering in the Highlands, the western coastal areas and parts of northeastern Ireland, areas historically connected through Gaelic migrations. Although DF41 originated during the Bronze Age, its most rapid diversification occurred relatively recently, during the Iron Age and medieval periods. This pattern aligns with oral histories and medieval documentation regarding the formation and consolidation of Scottish Highland clans.