The Hughes Surname DNA Project was started by William "Al" Hughes in 2003. It has since grown from just a few members to more than 700, with the haplogroups represented ranging from E to R1b and including more than two dozen separate Y-DNA lineages. Tom Hughes is the project's current administrator and Virginia Phillips-Smith is co-administrator. The Hughes DNA Project is primarily intended as a surname project based on Y-DNA results from men named Hughes, including spelling variations such as Hughs, Hewes and Hues. However, the project also welcomes both men and women with other surnames as long as their autosomal or Y-DNA results show that they are genetically related to Hughes ancestors, especially if they are a match for other members of the project.