Geographic Distribution of Branches Parallel to R1a-Y2619

This page provides information, compiled on June 28, 2026 from FTDNA's Discover tool and YFull's YTree, concerning the age of R1a-CTS6 and the age and reported geographic distribution of the two branches of R1a-CTS6 other than R1a-Y2619. Such information provides insight into where the direct male ancestor shared by men in the three branches of R1a-CTS6 - i.e., R1a-Y2619 Ashkenazi Levites and men in the two branches parallel to R1a-Y2619 - likely lived before those three lines branched from one another (1400 BCE according to FTDNA, and 3000 ybp (years before present) according to YFull).

FTDNA's Tree for Branches Parallel to R1a-Y2619

As of June 28, 2025, FTDNA's Discover tool provided the following information concerning the Y-DNA clusters downstream from R1a-CTS6 (omitting downstream branching and geographic distribution for R1a-Y2619 Ashkenazi Levites):

1 CTS6 (1400 BCE)

2 Y2619 (750 CE) Ashkenazi branch

2 S3418 (1250 BCE) Armenia (1), Iraq (1), Turkey (1), Unknown Origin (6)

3 S3412 (1150 BCE) Iran (1)

4 Y38011 (1100 BCE) Brazil (1), Iran (1)

5 S3420 (800 BCE)

6 S3407 (1900 CE) Spain (2)

6 FT411369 (550 BCE) Armenia (1)

7 FT410205 (350 BCE)

2 Y296563 (1300 BCE)

3 Y38014 (300 CE) Unknown Origin (1)

4 Y38022 (450 CE) Iran (1)

5 Y37892 (900 CE) Iran (1), Unknown Origin (1)

6 Y298020 (1100 CE) Turkey (2)

3 Y335553 (700 BCE) Armenia (1), Unknown Origin (1)

YFull's Tree for Branches Parallel to R1a-Y2619

As of June 28, 2026, YFull's YTree provided the following information concerning the Y-DNA clusters downstream from R1a-CTS6 (omitting downstream branching and geographic distribution for R1a-Y2619 Ashkenazi Levites):

1 CTS6 (3000 ybp) ERS1789549 (Iran - Kerman)

2 Y2619 (1250 ybp) Ashkenazi branch

2 CTS7297 (3000 ybp) YF147449 (Iran - Khuzestan)), YF008368 (Armenia)

3 CTS2736 (3000 ybp) YF063797 (Brazil - Rio Grande so Sul), ERS1789550 (Iran - Azarbayjan-e Gharbi)

4 S3420 (3000 ybp)

5 CTS10041 (500 ybp) HG01617 (Spain), ERS1789427 (Spain)

5 Y225798 (2800 ybp) YF135035 (Armenia), YF079725 (Azerbaijan - Agsu)

2 Y296563 (3000 ybp)

3 Y335449 (3000 ybp) YF137113 (Iran - Azarbayjan-e Gharbi)

3 Y37891 (1450 ybp) YF143996 (Iraq - Arbil), ERS1789548 (Iran - Kerman)

3 Y37892 (1250 ybp) YF083206 (Turkey - Van), ERS1789551 (Iran - Azarbayjan-e Gharbi), ERS1789460 (Iraq - Arbil)

4 Y298020 (1250 ybp) YF131374 (Turkey - Tunceli)

5 Y297708 (650 ybp) YF103527 (no country listed)

6 Y297768 (650 ybp) YF132311 (Turkey - Erzincan)

The six samples with ERS prefixes (two identified as Iran - Kerman, two identified as Iran - Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, one identified as Iraq - Arbil, and one identified from Spain) were reported in D. Behar et al., The genetic variation in the R1a clade among the Ashkenazi Levites’ Y chromosome, SREP-17-37687 (2017). That paper, discussed here, identified four subclusters within R1a-M582 (M582 and CTS6 currently define the same Y-DNA cluster), all of which share a direct male ancestor who lived about 3,000 years ago: (1) the R1a-Y2619 subcluster; (2) a 1,200-year-old subcluster including an Iranian Kerman man, an Iranian Azeri man, and a Yazidi man (YFull identifies this cluster as R1a-Y37892, falling within the R1a-Y296563 cluster); (3) a 2,700-year-old subcluster including an Iranian Azeri man and an Iberian man (YFull identifies this cluster as R1a-CTS2736, falling within the R1a-CT7297 cluster); and (4) a line, diverging from the other lines about 3,000 years ago, including an Iranian Kerman man (this is the basal R1a-CTS6* cluster on the YFull tree).

The sample identified as HG01617 was reported in S. Rootsi & D. Behar, et al., Phylogenetic Applications of Whole Y-Chromosome Sequences and the Near Eastern Origin of Ashkenazi Levites, Nature Communications 4, Article No. 2928 (2013).