Updated mtDNA Ancestral Lines of Ashkenazi Jews

Kevin Brook, the author of The Maternal Genetic Lineages of Ashkenazic Jews (2022), is continuing to update and refine his analyses of Ashkenazi mtDNA. His 2022 book identified 129 Ashkenazi maternal lines. His analyses show that there are between 125 and 135 distinct Ashkenazi mtDNA lines. 

The first table below identifies 127 of those lines (Kevin has found that two of the lines identified in his book (N1b2 and T1b) were outdated assignments by Family Tree DNA). That table identifies those Ashkenazi mtDNA haplogroups by name (YFull's MTree, FTDNA, and 23andme often use different names for the same haplogroups), frequency (based on Wim Penninx's 2019 analysis of mtDNA frequencies in the Ashkenazi population, with modifications discussed in the note below), and the SNPs that define each haplogroup at its terminal level.

The second table below sets forth the mtDNA haplogroups found in ancient Ashkenazi samples, as set forth in: (1) a December 8, 2022 paper, S. Waldman, et al., Genome-wide data from medieval German Jews show that the Ashkenazi founder event pre-dated the 14th century, presenting genome-wide data from 33 Ashkenazi Jews, dated to the 14th century, obtained following a salvage excavation at the medieval Jewish cemetery of Erfurt, Germany; and (2) an October 24, 2022 paper, S. Brace, et al., Genomes from a medieval mass burial show Ashkenazi-associated hereditary diseases pre-date the 12th century, that reports genome sequence data from six individuals excavated from the base of a medieval well at a site in Norwich, UK who are believed to have been killed in antisemitic violence in 1190 CE. As shown by that table, many of those individuals belonged to mtDNA haplogroups that are found in the modern-day Ashkenazi population.

Kevin, along with Leo Cooper and Jeff Wexler, are collecting Ashkenazi mtDNA samples for inclusion in GenBank, the National Institutes of Health's genetic sequence database. The current samples that they are collected may be seen here. A spreadsheet providing the GenBank accession numbers for these samples and other Ashkenazi mtDNA samples is linked here.

This dataset of Ashkenazi mtDNA samples has helped to clarify, among other things, which mtDNA haplogroups are truly distinct and truly found in fully Ashkenazic people, and it has helped to identify the most precise branching of valid haplogroups that could be found. 

The goal of this project is to collect at least one sample from each Ashkenazi mtDNA haplogroup. We do not yet have a GenBank sample from any of the following haplogroups: (1) H1ai3; (2) H1b26; (3) H1bd; (4) H1f; (5) H3ap; (6) H4a1a1; (7) H4a1a1a; (8) H5a1; (9) H6a1b2; (10) H11a1; (11) H13a1a1a; (12) H41a1b; (13) HV5; (14) I5a1b; (15) N1b1a2j1a; (16) T2a1e; (17) T2b3-a; (18) T2b4-a5; (19) T2b4a; (20) U3a1; (21) U5a1a2a-a; (22) U5a1b1c2; (23) U5a1d2b; (24) U5a2b2a; (25)  U5b2a1a; (26) U8b1b1d; (27) V18a; and (28) X2e2a.

Please email us if you (1) manage a kit for someone who is Ashkenazi on their direct female line, has done full mtDNA testing, and belongs to one of these haplogroups and (2) would like to put that person's sample on GenBank for inclusion in our analyses. (Note that the haplogroups listed above are from YFull's Mtree; the FTDNA designation for some of these haplogroups is different, as set forth in the table below.)

Ashkenazi mtDNA Haplogroups (Alternative Names, Frequency, and Defining SNPs)

Mtree FTDNA 23andme     Freq. Defining SNPs

A-a1b3a1 A-T152C!-T16189C! A4     0.06% A3213G T14025C! C9728T


H10a1b1a H10a1b H10a1     0.57% G513A C16344T T7220C G10325A

 

H11a1 H11a1 H11a     0.23% C8898T

 

H11a2a2d H11a2a2 H11a     0.28% G5585A T15670C A16265G G7805A

 

H11b1c H11b1 H11     0.72% C16261T


H13a1a1a H13a1a1a H13a1a1a     0.03% G14831A

 

H13a1a1p H13a1a1 --     0.08% G7337A T13326C, A955AC (955.1C, 960.1C)

 

H15b6 H15b H15b     0.20% T3847C C16527T

 

H1ai3 H1ai1 H1     0.37% G6722A

 

H1aj1 H1aj1 H1 (presumably)   ~0.40% 207A G9621A T16172C


H1aj1a H1aj1a H1   ~1.03% G16456A

 

H1as2 H1as2 H1     1.49% T980C


H1ax2 H1ax H1     0.06% G5054C C7471T C8429T C10670T

 

H1b1a H1b1-T16362C H1b (if Build 12)     0.31% A8348G

 

H1b26 H1b H1b     0.26% T16356C A73G!

 

H1b2a H1b2a H1     1.20% A183G T8286C C16360T

 

H1bd H1bd H1 (if Build 12)     0.03% G9966A

 

H1bo H1bo H1o     0.37% T267C T485C G6446T A11002G A15844G

 

H1bw H1bw H1 (if Build 12)     0.08% C8478T

 

H1e4 H1e4 H1e   ~0.23% G3316A

 

H1e4a H1e4a H1e   ~1.41% C16114T

 

H1f-b H1f H1f     0.08% A9066G T4452C

 

H1u2c H1u2 H1u     0.11% G3483A C16320T G10586A

 

H25 H25 H25     0.34% C9620T

 

H26c2 H26c H26     0.89% G16129A!

 

H2a1e1a2 H2a1e1a H2a1   ~0.06% T16124C A9052G

 

H2a2b1d H2a2b1 H2a2b1     0.11% A16293G T16224C

 

H3ap H3ap H3 (if Build 12)     0.06% T10915C!

 

H3bo2 H3 H3     0.23% T6776C T16298C C10655T

 

H3p1 H3p H     1.32% A8245G C16222T A8245G


H3w1 H3w H3     1.35% C9081T


H40b1 H40b H     1.18% G7444A T7678C

 

H41a1b H41a H     0.52% C262T G5460A T10124C A14118G C16362T! C14433T


H47 H47 H     0.08% T9530C C12633T

 

H4a1a1 H4a1a1 H4a1a     0.03% A10044G

 

H4a1a1a H4a1a1a H4a1a     0.08% A73G!

 

H4a1a3a1a H4a1a3a H4a1b (prelim.)     0.17% A14133G

 

H5-a1a H5-C16192T H5'36     0.20% C16192T C16167T

 

H5-c1 H5-T16311C! H5'36     0.17% C16167T

 

H5* H5 H5 or H5'36 (prelim.)    0.08% T16304C

 

H56 H56 H     0.34% C11788T

 

H5a1 H5a1 H5a1     0.14% C15833T

 

H5a7e H5a7 H5a     0.52% G8557A C15175T A6800G

 

H5c2a H5c2 H5 (if Build 12)     0.95% C3819T G16213A C16304T!


H65a H65a H (presumably)     0.43% G3010A G7805A

 

H6a1a1a1 H6a1a1a H6a1a1a     0.57% G4991A A7325G A9362G G11611A T16311C!


H6a1a3 H6a1a3 H6a1a (apparently)     0.20% T5785C

 

H6a1a5 H6a1a5 H6a1a     0.98% C10936T

 

H6a1b2 H6a1b2 H6a1b2 (presumably)  0.11% A9254G

 

H6a1b3 H6a1b3 H6a1b (presumably)    0.23% T204C C16193T A16219G

 

H7c2 H7c2 H7c     0.95% C13959T

 

H7e H7e H7     1.90% A8026T C9527T

 

H7o H7 H7     0.80% T11137C (for MTree's branch)

T1700C (not recognized by MTree)


HV0-a HV0-T195C! HV0     0.14% T195C!

 

HV1a'b'c3b HV1a'b'c HV1     0.28% A15218G T16368C A13098G

 

HV1b2a HV1b2 HV1b2     3.99% T16189C!


HV5 HV5 HV5     0.11% A13105G!

 

HV5a HV5a HV5       1.89% C12133T

 

I1c1a1 I1c1a I1     1.26% G6267A

 

I5a1b I5a1b I5a1     0.03% C204T! T13602C T15968C

 

J1b1a1j J1b1a1 J1b1a     1.23% C2322T

 

J1c-a J1c-C16261T --     0.20% C16261T T195C G4491A C8940T A9120G

 C16355T


J1c13 J1c13 J1c     0.34% T204C G6249A T9219G C11503T

 

J1c14 J1c14 J1c     1.43% T195C! G4491A C8940T A9120G G16274A 

16355T


J1c1l1 J1c1 J1c1     0.92% T482C T3394C


J1c3e2c J1c3e2 J1c3     0.14% G8865A C15853T C2280T

 

J1c4-a9 J1c4 J1c4     0.03% A9632G A9389G

 

J1c5 J1c5 J1c5     0.03% A5198G

 

J1c7a J1c7a J1c7a     2.30% C6464A A13681G

 

J2b1e2 J2b1e J2b1     0.23% C14761T

 

K1a1b1-b1 K1a1b1 --     0.03% C16234T

 

K1a1b1a K1a1b1a K1a1b1a   20.70% T12954C


K1a4a2a1 K1a4a K1a4a     0.20% G6260A C16168T C6134T A6605G

 

K1a9 K1a9 K1a9     6.10% A16524G


K2a K2a K2a (apparently)     0.37% T4561C

 

K2a2a1 K2a2a1 K2a2a     5.30% A512C A9254G G11914A!

 

L2a1l2a L2a1l2a L2a1l, L2a1l2     2.20% A143G! T14180C


M1a1b1c M1a1b1c M1a1b     0.31% C375G A16289G

 

M33c3 M33c M33c     0.34% C4182T

 

N1b1a2j1a N1b1a2 N1b1b (apparently)     0.08% C4904T T9335C! T13608C T4619C

 

N1b1b1 N1b1b1 N1b2     6.08% T14581C


N1b2* N1b2 --     0.00% C5507A A12026G T15784C G16129A! A16258C


N9a3a1b1 N9a3 N9a3     0.52% T146C!


R0a2m R0a2m R0a2     1.23% A4767G

 

R0a4a R0a4 R0a     1.29% C150T A9531G T2351C

 

T1a1 T1a1 T1a1     0.34% T9899C

 

T1a16 T1a --     0.11% C16186T C6656T

 

T1a1b-a6 T1a1b T1a1b1     0.08% C14281T G16000A


T1a1j T1a1j T1a1 (if Build 12)     0.43% A8530G

 

T1a1k1 T1a1k1 T1a1     0.43% T146C! G11914A! A12753G

 

T1b* T1b --     0.00% T16243C

 

T1b3d T1b3 T1b     0.63% C15853T A16194C

 

T2a1e T2a1 T2a     0.14% A14687G A10398G!

 

T2a1b4b T2a1b T2a     0.31% T16324C T12481A A1530G

 

T2b16 T2b16 T2b (if Build 12)     0.14% T634C

 

T2b25b T2b25 T2b     1.00% G16129A!

 

T2b3-a T2b3-C151T T2b3     0.03% C151T

 

T2b4-a5 T2b4 T2b4     0.11% A9254G T16296C! A16241G

 

T2b4a T2b4a --     0.06% T16172C

 

T2e1b T2e1b T2e     0.52% A9181G

 

T2g1a T2g1a T2g     0.08% T1977C

 

U1b1a1 U1b1 U1b     0.80% A3426G


U2e1a1d U2e1a1 U2e1a     0.28% C3116T A8014G G13708A

 

U3a1 U3a1 U3a1     0.14% G3010A

 

U3a1a3 U3a1a U3a1     0.43% A257G


U4a3a4 U4a3a U4a3     0.20% A16265G T13659C

 

U5a1a2a-a U5a1a2a U5a1a     0.06% A5319G


U5a1b U5a1b U5a1b     0.06% A9667G

 

U5a1b1c2 U5a1b1c2 --     0.06% G3705A

 

U5a1b1q U5a1b1 U5a1b1     0.17% C16291T T15893C

 

U5a1d2b U5a1d2b --   ~0.03% G4924C T10858C T14110C G15217A T16304C


U5a1f1a3 U5a1f1a --     0.37% T1700C

 

U5a2b2a U5a2b2a U5a2b     0.11% A13269G


U5b1b1-b U5b1b1-T16192C! U5b1b1     0.06% T16192C!

 

U5b1e1 U5b1e1 U5b1e     0.06% A2757G T12616C

 

U5b2a1a U5b2a1a U5b2a1     0.03% T15511C C16189T!!

 

U6a7a1b U6a7a1b U6a7, U6a7a1     0.34% C150T

 

U7a5 U7a U7     1.55% G9300A A13966G C14245T G14869C C16291T

 T16304C


U8b1b1d U8b1b1 U8b     0.06% A14053G T16304C

 

V15 V15 V (if Build 12)     0.17% C4221T

 

V18a V18a V (if Build 12)     0.06% A14914C

 

V1a1 V1a1 V1a     0.60% C5263T

 

V7a2c1b V7a V7a     2.40% A12753G

 

V7b1 V7b V7     0.40% C16173T

 

W1h3 W1h W1     0.40% A4917G

 

W3a1a1b W3a1a1 W3a1     0.86% C10715T

 

W3b1 W3b1 W3     0.95% G189A! T7058C

 

X2b7a X2b7 X2b     0.72% A10634G

 

X2e2a X2e2a X2e, X2e2, X2e2a     0.14% A3948G


 * Five Ashkenazi persons identified by FTDNA as N1b2 are actually N1b1b1


** Five Ashkenazi people identified by FTDNA as T1b are, based on their full mtDNA sequencing, actually T1b3


The percentages set forth above are based on information reported in Wim Penninx's 2019 analysis, with the following modifications: (1) only fully sequenced samples are included; (2) the samples reported as N1b2 and T1b have been reassigned to N1b1b1 and T1b3d; and (3) several haplogroups have been divided into two rows and divided proportionally according to each haplogroup's ratio in Kevin's matches (those estimates start with the symbol ~, signifying "approximately"). 

mtDNA Haplogroups of Ancient Ashkenazi Samples

Mtree FTDNA 23andme     Ancient Ashkenazi Samples


H1aj1 H1aj1 H1 (presumably) I14847 (Erfurt-EU)


H1as2 H1as2 H1 I13868 (Erfurt-EU)


H1c1k* H1c1 H1c1 (presumably) I14849 (Erfurt low coverage)


H3p1 H3p H I13864 (Erfurt-ME)


H3w1 H3w H3 SB676 (Norwich)


H5c2a H5c2 H5 (if Build 12) I14739 (Erfurt-ME); SB605, SB606, SB671 (Norwich)


H6a1a1a1 H6a1a1a H6a1a1a I14852 (Erfurt-ME)


H11b1c H11b1 H11 I13869 (Erfurt-EU)


HV1b2a HV1b2 HV1b2 I14901 (Erfurt-EU)

J1c1l1 J1c1 J1c1 I14897 (Erfurt-EU)


K1a1b1a K1a1b1a K1a1b1a I13861, I13862 (Erfurt-EU), I13866, I13867, I13870, 

I14736, I14741, I14851, I14903 (Erfurt-ME), I14846, 

I14899 (Erfurt low coverage)


K1a9 K1a9 K1a9 I13863 (Erfurt-EU); I14848 (Erfurt low coverage)


L2a1l2a L2a1l2a L2a1l, L2a1l2 I13865 (Erfurt-ME)


N1b1b1 N1b1b1 N1b2 I14737 (Erfurt-ME)


N9a3a1b1 N9a3 N9a3 I14740 (Erfurt-EU)


T1a1b-a1 T1a1b T1a1b1 I14904 (Erfurt-EU)


U1b1a1 U1b1 U1b I14850, I14853, I14898 (Erfurt-EU)


U3a1a3 U3a1a U3a1 I14738 (Erfurt-EU)


U5a1a2a-a U5a1a2a U5a1a I14854, I14855 (Erfurt low coverage)


U5a2b2a U5a2b2a U5a2b I14900 (Erfurt low coverage)


* H1c1k is believed to be extinct in the modern Ashkenazi population