Founded in 2003 by Christopher John Glenn (Glynn) of Saint Paul, Minnesota, this Y-DNA surname project has been working to establish relationships between the various families using surnames derived from the ancient Mag Fhloinn, which means “son of Flann,” with the latter being a reference to red or ruddy.  Whether the first man to carry this moniker had red hair or a ruddy complexion may never be known.  Derivatives of this surname include Glen/Glenn,Glyn/Glynn, Glin/Glinn, McGlynn/MacGlynn, and even Maglen, Maglinne or Maglyne.  While the name originated in Ireland or Scotland, it has now has proliferated around the entire world.

While many companies now offer autosomal DNA tests, only FamilyTreeDNA still offers the Y‑DNA test we use to trace a man’s direct paternal lineage. The advantage is that while autosomal DNA may not even show a DNA match when two men sharing a common great great grandfather, Y‑DNA will easily show matches 5, 10, or even 20 generations back. In fact, because of how Y-DNA mutations have been mapped into haplogroups,Y‑DNA allows someone to trace their direct male lineage back thousands of years.

Not all members of this surname project will share a common male ancestor, but our goal is to group together those that do in as many subgroups as is required to help folks compare their common lines.  Y‑DNA can trace connections well-before surnames were in common use; as such, this group is only a starting point to find common male descendants of your male line. Given that boys sometimes inherit a surname from their mother (e.g. --when the father was unknown or when the mother did not want the father's identity to be known), it is important to note that your matches will not be limited by your surname -- as all Y‑DNA testers at FamilyTreeDNA are compared to each other to find potential matches. 

Who can Participate? Because only males carry a Y-chromosome, participants must be maleswith one of the above-mentioned surnames or direct male bloodline. But that doesn't eliminate females from becoming involved. You can ask any male relative(father, brother, uncle, distant cousin) to represent your family line, as long you both descend from a common male ancestor using this surname. 

GroupAdministrator Please emailchristopher.j.glenn@gmail.com for comments or questions about this DNA project. 

Reviewed and revised 24 Feb, 2023.