About us
The surname Hughes and its variants have separate stories of origin in England, Wales and Ireland, but all are believed to be derived from the personal name Hugh. In Ireland, for example, Hughes is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Celtic surname Mac Aodha. "Aodha" later became Anglicized as "Hugh," and "Mac Aodha" turned first into "McHugh" and "O'Hugh" (both meaning son of Hugh), before these surnames became "Hughes" later on.
The Y-DNA results from more than 300 men in the Hughes Surname DNA Project include haplogroups ranging from E to R1b, and more than two dozen separate Y-DNA lineages are represented. These results clearly show that these men are not all related to each other, but instead are descended from a diverse group of paternal ancestors.
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.
The Y-DNA results from more than 300 men in the Hughes Surname DNA Project include haplogroups ranging from E to R1b, and more than two dozen separate Y-DNA lineages are represented. These results clearly show that these men are not all related to each other, but instead are descended from a diverse group of paternal ancestors.
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.