Save on Family FinderY-DNA, mtDNA, and Bundles during our Early Bird Sale! Now through November 24th.

R L165 and Subclades

R1b-L165/S68 and Subclades Project inc. BY129,BY456,FGC20084
  • 388 members

About us

The SNP defining R-L165/S68 was discovered in 2007 by Jim Wilson of Ethno Ancestry.  It was originally thought to be a "Private SNP", but later found in another individual with a different surname and haplotype; Ethno Ancestry designates the SNP as S68. FTDNA found the same SNP independently in 2010 and initially thought it to be "Private" until more unrelated samples showed up. The FTDNA designation for this mutation is L165. Later in 2010 it was discovered that the two designations actually refer to the same SNP.  ISOGG convention in these cases is to to list them alphabetically regardless of which was discovered first.  The ISOGG designation is therefore R-L165/S68. Europedia lists the origin of this SNP at about 3,500 years before present. They show the most prevalent ancient group to be Germanic; however there has been considerable discussion on this matter.  


The Viking Gene Dr. Jim Wilson - Updated belief (2022) that R-L165 (S68) is of Pictish Male Lineage (40 min mark) 

[Refernce to SNP S530 being a part of the L165 profile has been removed since it is not reference in the video of Dr. Wison posted above and is contradicted by the ISOGG and FTDNA Haplotrees.
If there is a separate reference to this idea, please post that reference. -- edited by WT (NPE Burk)]



The R-L165 Project was created in December of 2010 by Lori McLeod Wilke and the late Timothy W. McLeod.  Clan MacLeod Magazine Article