Y-DNA Test Results
The purpose of this table is to allow correlation of haplogroup STR signatures with specific family groups and locales. Y-DNA STR test data has been compiled from various published sources, including Y-search.org, the FTDNA Curley surname project and other FTDNA surname projects, various public domain information sources, and private contact from contributing testers. The complete raw test data may be viewed by selecting the “Y-DNA Data” tab at the top of this webpage. The list of testers is tabulated below, with assigned DNA groupings. The most distant ancestor from documentation is generally shown as reported by the test subject. But in limited cases the most distant ancestor has been corrected if the reported lineage has been deemed incorrect (through in depth research of the lineage) and inconsistent with the DNA test data. Birth year of most distant ancestor is just approximate in some cases. Full names and identifying account numbers of testers are excluded from the table to protect contributors' privacy.
Discussion
These groupings are determined from DNA test data, in particular the STR markers of Y-DNA. Groupings are made based on haplotype similarities between test subjects, using genetic distance and MRCA (most recent common ancestor) estimates to determine relatedness.
Surname lineages are typically fragmented into various DNA groups as the result of non-paternity events (NPEs), in which a martial infidelity, adoption, or such has introduced foreign DNA from a different family, replacing the native DNA of the original lineage. Such non-paternity events are common enough that most surname lineages have been affected by them at least several times over the hundreds of years of family history. So we should expect that some of the Curley lineages will have been affected by NPEs. Most likely, some of these distinct genetic groups do in fact share the same name lineage, but have been split into different genetic lineages due to NPEs.
The DNA test results reveal five major groups from which many modern Curleys descend. There is a group of Ulster McCurleys, a group of English Kerleys, a main Irish Curley lineage, and a couple of large NPE offshoots of the Irish Curleys in the province of Connacht.
Group 1 possibly originates in Dorsetshire, England, including one individual still living in this area. Descendants or this lineage bear the name Kerley, Kerlee, Kearley, and Cearley. A branch of this lineage migrated to America, after which the name transformed to Cearley or Kearley in some branches of the tree. The members of this group all have an MRCA estimate centered at 6 generations. The shared ancestor probably was born around 1800.
Groups 2, 3, 4, 5A, and 6 are all Irish Curleys, mostly of the Connacht province. Group 4 is ancient and widely spread throughout Ireland, including counties Galway and Louth. Groups 2, 3, 5A, and 6 represent more localized lineages from the region of counties Galway, Roscommon, and the western edge of Westmeath. Although these groups all have lineages that can be traced to the same Irish Curley population, the DNA of these groups do not match each other. Considering the geographically clustered nature of this Curley population, being concentrated almost entirely in counties Galway, Roscommon, and Westmeath, these groups must all represent the same name lineage which has been fragmented into different genetic groups through NPEs over the past 500 years of surname history. Group 4, which has an early MRCA and a wide distribution, is probably the original lineage. Groups 2, 3, 5A, and 6 are probably the result of NPEs that split strands of the Curley name away from the main branch. Group 4's presence in County Louth is consistent with the documentation that indicates the Curley family originated in the Oriel area. Group 4 also has pre surname matches to other families of the Oriel area, indicating a probable origin in this area.
The map below, right, illustrates the distribution of the various Curley genetic lineages of Ireland. Based on the clustered geographic distribution, it is likely that these lineages were originally a single Curley lineage. The old and widely distributed Group 4 lineage is probably the original lineage. After settling in the Roscommon/Galway area, the lineage became fragmented by NPEs and then expanded in this locale. The illustration below, left, describes the proposed structure of the Irish Curley tree.
Surname lineages are typically fragmented into various DNA groups as the result of non-paternity events (NPEs), in which a martial infidelity, adoption, or such has introduced foreign DNA from a different family, replacing the native DNA of the original lineage. Such non-paternity events are common enough that most surname lineages have been affected by them at least several times over the hundreds of years of family history. So we should expect that some of the Curley lineages will have been affected by NPEs. Most likely, some of these distinct genetic groups do in fact share the same name lineage, but have been split into different genetic lineages due to NPEs.
The DNA test results reveal five major groups from which many modern Curleys descend. There is a group of Ulster McCurleys, a group of English Kerleys, a main Irish Curley lineage, and a couple of large NPE offshoots of the Irish Curleys in the province of Connacht.
Group 1 possibly originates in Dorsetshire, England, including one individual still living in this area. Descendants or this lineage bear the name Kerley, Kerlee, Kearley, and Cearley. A branch of this lineage migrated to America, after which the name transformed to Cearley or Kearley in some branches of the tree. The members of this group all have an MRCA estimate centered at 6 generations. The shared ancestor probably was born around 1800.
Groups 2, 3, 4, 5A, and 6 are all Irish Curleys, mostly of the Connacht province. Group 4 is ancient and widely spread throughout Ireland, including counties Galway and Louth. Groups 2, 3, 5A, and 6 represent more localized lineages from the region of counties Galway, Roscommon, and the western edge of Westmeath. Although these groups all have lineages that can be traced to the same Irish Curley population, the DNA of these groups do not match each other. Considering the geographically clustered nature of this Curley population, being concentrated almost entirely in counties Galway, Roscommon, and Westmeath, these groups must all represent the same name lineage which has been fragmented into different genetic groups through NPEs over the past 500 years of surname history. Group 4, which has an early MRCA and a wide distribution, is probably the original lineage. Groups 2, 3, 5A, and 6 are probably the result of NPEs that split strands of the Curley name away from the main branch. Group 4's presence in County Louth is consistent with the documentation that indicates the Curley family originated in the Oriel area. Group 4 also has pre surname matches to other families of the Oriel area, indicating a probable origin in this area.
The map below, right, illustrates the distribution of the various Curley genetic lineages of Ireland. Based on the clustered geographic distribution, it is likely that these lineages were originally a single Curley lineage. The old and widely distributed Group 4 lineage is probably the original lineage. After settling in the Roscommon/Galway area, the lineage became fragmented by NPEs and then expanded in this locale. The illustration below, left, describes the proposed structure of the Irish Curley tree.
The plots below illustrate the MRCA estimates between members of each of the Irish Curley groups. These estimates indicate that Group 3 is the youngest, Group 4 is the eldest, and Group 2 is somewhere in the middle. Excluding MRCA's between individuals with a known more recent relationship, Group 2's MRCA averages about 12 generation, Group 3's MRCA averages about 6 generations, and Group 4's MRCA averages about 17 generations. The relative age of each group indicates that Group 4 is most likely the original lineage of the family and the other two lineages are probably the result of NPEs.
In addition to the apparent antiquity of Group 4, Group 4 also has pre-surname matches to families of the Oriel area and modern Curley descendants still living in this area. This is consistent with the documentation, which indicates that the Curley family originated in the Oriel area circa 15th century with the Irish name MacOirealla.
In addition to the apparent antiquity of Group 4, Group 4 also has pre-surname matches to families of the Oriel area and modern Curley descendants still living in this area. This is consistent with the documentation, which indicates that the Curley family originated in the Oriel area circa 15th century with the Irish name MacOirealla.
Group 2 consists of a group of several Curley matches, with an MRCA estimate centered at about 12 generations, suggesting a common ancestor of the Roscommon area around 1600. This group includes one lineage from County Mayo. The remainder trace to the city of Athlone, the main center of the Irish Curley population. This group additionally includes several autosomal matches from Athlone. The Athlone subgroup probably descends from a single MRCA from around 1650. This Group is younger than Group 4, and not so widely distributed, so it is probably not the original genetic lineage of the Connacht Irish Curleys. An NPE may have occurred in the Roscommon area around 1600, with one especially prolific descendant of this branch going to Athlone soon after. Alternatively, it is possible that the NPE occurred within or near Athlone, and the Mayo representative migrated there from Athlone at a later time. The genetic group from which this lineage descends is concentrated around the Irish midlands, with an MRCA estimated around 800 AD. Therefore, this Curley lineage probably does not genetically descend from the original M'Curley lineage which migrated from the north and settled in the Athlone area, being rather the result of an NPE into Group 4's Curley name (which appears to be the original Curley lineage) from a genetic lineage long residing in the Roscommon area. There are several individuals named Burns/O'Byrne, with similar STR signatures of the same L1066 haplogroup, having a large GD and distant MRCA (around the 12th century) among themselves. Some of these Burns include the unusual STR signature of YCAIIa=22 shared with this Curley lineage. Burns, from the Irish clan name Beirne, has its home in the northern County Roscommon area, near Ballymacurly where the Curley family has resided since the 16th century. Perhaps this Curley lineage involves an NPE from the Burns gene line into the Curley name.
Group 3 consists of three Curleys with an MRCA estimate centered at 6 generations. This group also includes autosomal matches (not affiliated with this surname project), each match having a distinct lineage. The separate documented lineages indicate that their genetic lineage has been intact since at least the early 1800's, and the MRCA estimate supports a common ancestor born around 1800. Several of these lineages include the somewhat uncommon (among the Irish) first names of Joseph and Francis. This suggests that these Curleys may all descend from a single, relatively recent family group. This group's origin appears to be localized in the east Galway area, spanning from Kilconly parish in the west to the town of Creggs in the east. Most likely, this lineage branched off from Group 4, which appears to be the original Curley lineage, via an NPE which occurred at about 1800 in the east Galway area. This group has many DNA matches to surnames Crain/Crane and Grant, which suggests that an NPE may have occurred with one of these families. Group 4 comprises the 3rd Irish Curley group, including native long time residents of Galway, Sligo, and Louth. This group has an MRCA estimate centered at about 17 generations, probably living in the 15th century. Given the widespread distribution and early MRCA, this lineage likely represents the original Curley lineage. According to the documentation, the Curley family was located in the Louth and Monaghan area in the 15th century. In the 16th century, a branch of the family migrated south to the Ballymacurly area of Roscommon, slowly expanding to the south and west into Galway and Athlone. The distribution and age of this genetic lineage, with distantly related branches in both Connacht and Louth, is consistent with the documented history. This lineage also has pre surname matches, from about the 14th-15th century, to families of the east Breifne and Oirgíalla territories, consistent with a progenitor of the Monaghan area. The plot at right illustrates the average MRCA among group members for each of the Irish Curley groups. Group 4 is apparently the eldest of the groups, and likely represents the original genetic lineage of the surname progenitor. Group 5A and 5B are M222 Curleys, but their relationship with the other M222 members is not clear. Some may be distinct Curley lineages, but some may have distant connections to other M222 Curleys. Group 5 includes Irish Curleys from the Connacht province. Members of Group 5A have been confirmed as not belonging to subclade A738/BY198. So they are unrelated to Group 4. Members of Group 5A may possibly belong to Group 7 or an unrelated lineage. Members of Group 5B have not been tested for A738/BY198, and may possibly belong to either Group 4, Group 7, or an unrelated lineage. Testing of the M222 SNP Pack is recommended for members of Group 5 to determine their haplogroup within M222. Members who are suspected of belonging to Group 4 may test SNP A738 to confirm this lineage. |
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Group 6A includes a small group of Curley lineages from near Gort, Galway. This young, localized lineage probably has a shared history with the other Curleys of the area, but has been split off into a different genetic lineage due to an NPE. These individuals have an MRCA estimate centered at about 3 generations. And members report a common ancestor of the late 1700's. So it is likely that an NPE occurred into the Curley name in the Gort area in the 18th century. There are Y-DNA matches of surname Quinn who may indicate the source of an NPE, with Quinns historically living in the Gort locale near this Curley family.
Group 6B includes a single Curley lineage from Garryredmond, Mayo. This lineage probably has a shared history with the other Curleys of the area, but has been split off into a different genetic lineage due to an NPE.
Group 7 are Ulster McCurleys, possibly from Scotland. This group is probably unrelated to the other M222 Curleys of Group 4, however it's not clear based on the genetic distance. This may possibly be a distantly related branch of Group 4 or an independent lineage. SNP testing of this group is needed to determine whether it is of the same lineage as Group 4. These Curleys supposedly originated in Scotland and came to Ireland during the Plantation, but it is also possible that they are simply Irish Curleys from the Ulster province. All the members of this group appear to have descended from Moses McCurley, who came to America by ship from Ulster.
Based on the DNA data, the Irish, English, and Ulster lineages do not appear to be related to each other. The surname apparently arose independently in several locations. There are to date no DNA samples that are known to descend from the Scottish M'Kerley lineage discussed on the "Scottish" webpage.
Apart from these major genetic groups, the remaining test subjects are mostly a myriad of genetically isolated lineages with no known connection to the other Curley lineages.
Group 8 includes a single individual with no matches to other Curleys, having a lineage reported as being from England. This group is unrelated to the other M222 groups.
Group 9 includes a single McCurley of South Carolina, with no known matches to other Curleys.
Group 10 includes a single individual with no matches to any other test subjects of the Curley or Curlee surname. This Curlee lineage has not been traced beyond America, and it is not clear whether this name spelling has any relation to other members of the surname project. However, this test subject does have matches to other surnames from Scotland and Ireland. So at the very least, a Celtic origin is strongly suggested for this test subject.
Group 11 includes a couple lineages that can be traced to 18th century McCurleys of the US South. This group also includes some aDNA (autosomal DNA) matches to this same area. All these families must descend from a single 18th century family of the south, perhaps an Ulster Scot plantation settler. There are also distant possible yDNA matches to a Carley lineage of Belfast, Northern Ireland. None of this McCurley lineage have yet been traced to Europe or discovered any DNA matches from Ireland, Scotland, or England. But this group does have distant aDNA matches to surnames with a Scottish association. This lineage is possibly the result of an 18th century NPE into one of the major Curley lineages, or the representative of a relatively small lineage of European McCurleys that have not yet been been detected in the location of their European origin. The Scottish association hints at the possibility of a connection to the Scottish Cairill/Kerlie/Curley family, which is well known from documentation but has not yet been identified with a modern genetic lineage.
Group 12 includes a single individual with an Italian origin, having the original surname of Ciurleo. It is only relatively recently, in the 1930's, that this name morphed into Curley among some of the children after the family migrated from Canada to the United States.
Group 13 includes a single individual who was adopted, so there is no genetic relation to other Curlees.
Group 14 includes a single individual with no lineage information available. This individual has no DNA matches to other Curleys.
Group 15 includes a McCauley of Scotland and a Caulley of the UK, closely related to each other. They both match to a Corley who is not a member of this project, having an MRCA estimate centered at 6 or 7 generations, probably living at about 1800. There's a much more distant match to a Corlett, with a MRCA estimate centered at about 17 generations.
Group 16 includes a single Corlew from France. The Corlew family is likely connected to the Curlieu family of England. The DNA data shows that the Corlew/Corlieu/Curlew/Curlieu family of England and France is unrelated to other Curley lineages, such as the Irish Curley lineage.
Group 17 includes a single American Curley. There's been a recent surname change to Curley within this lineage, so there is no connection to older Curley lineages.
Group 18 includes two Kerleys of County Louth, Ireland. The genetic distance between these individuals indicates an MRCA centered at about 6 generations, suggesting a shared ancestor of around 1800. The relationship of this group to other groups is not yet clear. There are two reasonably likely scenarios. This may be a distinct family, with its own history, separate from the Curleys of Ireland and Kerleys of England. If this is the case, then there is currently no known historical documentation to reveal the ancient history of this lineage, so far found only in Louth. However, one possible candidate would be the currently untested Scottish Kerley family documented in the Scottish section of this website. Alternatively, this family may have a shared history with the Irish Curleys or English Kerleys, but have been genetically separated by an NPE. If this is the case, the genetic distance between lineages indicate that the NPE may have occurred quite a long time ago, possibly around 1800 or earlier. With the currently available data, it is not possible to determine if either these scenarios is true. Future testing of additional Kerleys, Curleys, and Corleys may eventually reveal the truth, either by finding additional genetic connections among locals with other spelling variations thus confirming a connection to the Curley name, or by finding a more ancient connection to other Kerleys confirming an ancient intact lineage not affected by NPEs, or by finding a genetic connection to Kerleys outside of Louth or Ireland (such as the unidentified Scottish Kerley lineage), or by finding a recent connection to an entirely different surname through which an NPE may have occurred.
Group 19 includes a single Corley of Virginia. This individual is genetically unrelated to any other member of the project but does have matches outside of the project.
Group 20 includes a single Corley of Texas. This individual is genetically unrelated to any other member of the project.
Group 21 includes a single Corley of Mississippi. This lineage has had a recent surname change to Corley, taken from the maternal surname.
Group 22 includes a single Kerley whose reported lineage traces to England. The relationship to other Kerleys is not clear. This lineage may share a name history with the Group 1 Kerleys, having been genetically separated by a non paternity event.
Group 6B includes a single Curley lineage from Garryredmond, Mayo. This lineage probably has a shared history with the other Curleys of the area, but has been split off into a different genetic lineage due to an NPE.
Group 7 are Ulster McCurleys, possibly from Scotland. This group is probably unrelated to the other M222 Curleys of Group 4, however it's not clear based on the genetic distance. This may possibly be a distantly related branch of Group 4 or an independent lineage. SNP testing of this group is needed to determine whether it is of the same lineage as Group 4. These Curleys supposedly originated in Scotland and came to Ireland during the Plantation, but it is also possible that they are simply Irish Curleys from the Ulster province. All the members of this group appear to have descended from Moses McCurley, who came to America by ship from Ulster.
Based on the DNA data, the Irish, English, and Ulster lineages do not appear to be related to each other. The surname apparently arose independently in several locations. There are to date no DNA samples that are known to descend from the Scottish M'Kerley lineage discussed on the "Scottish" webpage.
Apart from these major genetic groups, the remaining test subjects are mostly a myriad of genetically isolated lineages with no known connection to the other Curley lineages.
Group 8 includes a single individual with no matches to other Curleys, having a lineage reported as being from England. This group is unrelated to the other M222 groups.
Group 9 includes a single McCurley of South Carolina, with no known matches to other Curleys.
Group 10 includes a single individual with no matches to any other test subjects of the Curley or Curlee surname. This Curlee lineage has not been traced beyond America, and it is not clear whether this name spelling has any relation to other members of the surname project. However, this test subject does have matches to other surnames from Scotland and Ireland. So at the very least, a Celtic origin is strongly suggested for this test subject.
Group 11 includes a couple lineages that can be traced to 18th century McCurleys of the US South. This group also includes some aDNA (autosomal DNA) matches to this same area. All these families must descend from a single 18th century family of the south, perhaps an Ulster Scot plantation settler. There are also distant possible yDNA matches to a Carley lineage of Belfast, Northern Ireland. None of this McCurley lineage have yet been traced to Europe or discovered any DNA matches from Ireland, Scotland, or England. But this group does have distant aDNA matches to surnames with a Scottish association. This lineage is possibly the result of an 18th century NPE into one of the major Curley lineages, or the representative of a relatively small lineage of European McCurleys that have not yet been been detected in the location of their European origin. The Scottish association hints at the possibility of a connection to the Scottish Cairill/Kerlie/Curley family, which is well known from documentation but has not yet been identified with a modern genetic lineage.
Group 12 includes a single individual with an Italian origin, having the original surname of Ciurleo. It is only relatively recently, in the 1930's, that this name morphed into Curley among some of the children after the family migrated from Canada to the United States.
Group 13 includes a single individual who was adopted, so there is no genetic relation to other Curlees.
Group 14 includes a single individual with no lineage information available. This individual has no DNA matches to other Curleys.
Group 15 includes a McCauley of Scotland and a Caulley of the UK, closely related to each other. They both match to a Corley who is not a member of this project, having an MRCA estimate centered at 6 or 7 generations, probably living at about 1800. There's a much more distant match to a Corlett, with a MRCA estimate centered at about 17 generations.
Group 16 includes a single Corlew from France. The Corlew family is likely connected to the Curlieu family of England. The DNA data shows that the Corlew/Corlieu/Curlew/Curlieu family of England and France is unrelated to other Curley lineages, such as the Irish Curley lineage.
Group 17 includes a single American Curley. There's been a recent surname change to Curley within this lineage, so there is no connection to older Curley lineages.
Group 18 includes two Kerleys of County Louth, Ireland. The genetic distance between these individuals indicates an MRCA centered at about 6 generations, suggesting a shared ancestor of around 1800. The relationship of this group to other groups is not yet clear. There are two reasonably likely scenarios. This may be a distinct family, with its own history, separate from the Curleys of Ireland and Kerleys of England. If this is the case, then there is currently no known historical documentation to reveal the ancient history of this lineage, so far found only in Louth. However, one possible candidate would be the currently untested Scottish Kerley family documented in the Scottish section of this website. Alternatively, this family may have a shared history with the Irish Curleys or English Kerleys, but have been genetically separated by an NPE. If this is the case, the genetic distance between lineages indicate that the NPE may have occurred quite a long time ago, possibly around 1800 or earlier. With the currently available data, it is not possible to determine if either these scenarios is true. Future testing of additional Kerleys, Curleys, and Corleys may eventually reveal the truth, either by finding additional genetic connections among locals with other spelling variations thus confirming a connection to the Curley name, or by finding a more ancient connection to other Kerleys confirming an ancient intact lineage not affected by NPEs, or by finding a genetic connection to Kerleys outside of Louth or Ireland (such as the unidentified Scottish Kerley lineage), or by finding a recent connection to an entirely different surname through which an NPE may have occurred.
Group 19 includes a single Corley of Virginia. This individual is genetically unrelated to any other member of the project but does have matches outside of the project.
Group 20 includes a single Corley of Texas. This individual is genetically unrelated to any other member of the project.
Group 21 includes a single Corley of Mississippi. This lineage has had a recent surname change to Corley, taken from the maternal surname.
Group 22 includes a single Kerley whose reported lineage traces to England. The relationship to other Kerleys is not clear. This lineage may share a name history with the Group 1 Kerleys, having been genetically separated by a non paternity event.
Haplotype Histories
The Group 2 Athlone Curleys appear to be Gaelic in origin. Their position on the Y-DNA haplotree is R-L21>Z253>L1066. These Curleys are distantly related to other lineages of the Irish midlands region of counties Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath, Cavan, and Longford, with a likely shared ancestor around 800 AD, predating the arrival of the Normans. Related individuals include the surnames McMahon, Burke, Chapman, Campbell, Flood, Dolan, O'Byrne, and Ryan. Interestingly, these distant matches are each genetically isolated within their own surname groups, apparently unrelated to more ancient clans of their various names. This suggests that these surnames were acquired more recently. This genetic group likely descends from an ancient Celtic tribe of Ireland, with the descendant branches acquiring various surnames around the 1500's, possibly prompted by the arrival of English settlers.
Based on their STR signatures, the Group 3 Irish Curleys probably belong to haplogroup R-L21>DF21>CTS3655>Z16539. Z16539 has its highest concentration in Scotland, possibly originating there, and spreading into England and Ireland.
Groups 4, 5, 7, and 8 are all R-L21>M222. This genetic group's distribution is centered on the Ulster Province, spreading into greater Ireland, the Scottish Lowlands, and Northern England. This subclade is probably Gaelic or Pictish, originating in Scotland or Ireland in the time of Rome around the first century AD. The M222 subclade is native to the area of Oriel. Within M222, Group 4 is a member of the A738/BY198 subclade. Based on the STR signature, Group 7 may be a member of the DF85 subclade. But testing is needed to verify their subclade.
Based on the STR signature, Group 6A is probably R-Z253>S845. This haplogroup is distributed along an arc through Ireland, from Dublin to Limerick.
Group 6B probably belongs to haplogroup L21>L513>S6365>BY16>Z16372. This haplogroup is concentrated in the south of Ireland, mostly in counties Cork and Kerry.
Group 15 is R-L21>FGC5494, which is concentrated in England.
Groups 16 and 18 are I-M223. This is a very old haplogroup, spread throughout all of Europe.
Group 17 probably belongs to haplogroup R-L21>Z253. Probably over 4000 years old, this haplogroup has its highest concentration in Ireland and spreads into the surrounding area from there.
Group 19 belongs to haplogroup I-M253. This haplogroup is concentrated in Norway and Sweden.
Group 20 most likely belongs to haplogroup U-106. U-106 is found throughout Western Europe, and is especially concentrated along the English Channel.
Group 21 probably belongs to haplogroup R-L21>DF21>Z30233>DF5>BY9595. This haplogroup is spread throughout Ireland, but appears to be concentrated around the Roscommon area.
Group 22 appears to belong to haplogroup R-L21, which dominates Britain and Ireland, but his subclade within L21 is not clear.
The remaining Curley groups do not yet have enough test data to make a determination of their ancient origins.
Regarding supposed connections of the Curley name to the Ui Toirdealbhaigh clan, genetic testing shows no connection of this clan with any of the Curley lineages. King Brian Boru is the most prominent member of this clan, and his descendants bear the O'Brien name. None of the Curley lineages have any genetic connection to any O'Brien lineages within historic times. The L226 haplogroup is generally recognized as being associated with the Brian Boru lineage, and no Curleys belong to this group. If the Curley surname were related to the Ui Toirdealbhaigh clan, a connection to this clan within the past two millenia would certainly be evident. But no such connection exists. The nearest Curley relationship to L226 is from the Athlone Curley haplogroup L1066. The L1066 haplogroup is estimated to have split off from the L226 haplogroup approximately 3800 years ago, long before the formation of medieval Irish clans. The most that can reasonably be said of the relationship between L1066 and L226 is that they likely shared a bronze age pre-Celtic ancestor. But this shared ancestor predates by at least a couple millenia the Ui Toirdealbhaigh clan, or for that matter any medieval Irish clan.
There are a handful of Turley surname DNA tests, more likely to be connected to the Toirdealbhaigh name, and none of these show any connection to any of the Curley groups.
Based on their STR signatures, the Group 3 Irish Curleys probably belong to haplogroup R-L21>DF21>CTS3655>Z16539. Z16539 has its highest concentration in Scotland, possibly originating there, and spreading into England and Ireland.
Groups 4, 5, 7, and 8 are all R-L21>M222. This genetic group's distribution is centered on the Ulster Province, spreading into greater Ireland, the Scottish Lowlands, and Northern England. This subclade is probably Gaelic or Pictish, originating in Scotland or Ireland in the time of Rome around the first century AD. The M222 subclade is native to the area of Oriel. Within M222, Group 4 is a member of the A738/BY198 subclade. Based on the STR signature, Group 7 may be a member of the DF85 subclade. But testing is needed to verify their subclade.
Based on the STR signature, Group 6A is probably R-Z253>S845. This haplogroup is distributed along an arc through Ireland, from Dublin to Limerick.
Group 6B probably belongs to haplogroup L21>L513>S6365>BY16>Z16372. This haplogroup is concentrated in the south of Ireland, mostly in counties Cork and Kerry.
Group 15 is R-L21>FGC5494, which is concentrated in England.
Groups 16 and 18 are I-M223. This is a very old haplogroup, spread throughout all of Europe.
Group 17 probably belongs to haplogroup R-L21>Z253. Probably over 4000 years old, this haplogroup has its highest concentration in Ireland and spreads into the surrounding area from there.
Group 19 belongs to haplogroup I-M253. This haplogroup is concentrated in Norway and Sweden.
Group 20 most likely belongs to haplogroup U-106. U-106 is found throughout Western Europe, and is especially concentrated along the English Channel.
Group 21 probably belongs to haplogroup R-L21>DF21>Z30233>DF5>BY9595. This haplogroup is spread throughout Ireland, but appears to be concentrated around the Roscommon area.
Group 22 appears to belong to haplogroup R-L21, which dominates Britain and Ireland, but his subclade within L21 is not clear.
The remaining Curley groups do not yet have enough test data to make a determination of their ancient origins.
Regarding supposed connections of the Curley name to the Ui Toirdealbhaigh clan, genetic testing shows no connection of this clan with any of the Curley lineages. King Brian Boru is the most prominent member of this clan, and his descendants bear the O'Brien name. None of the Curley lineages have any genetic connection to any O'Brien lineages within historic times. The L226 haplogroup is generally recognized as being associated with the Brian Boru lineage, and no Curleys belong to this group. If the Curley surname were related to the Ui Toirdealbhaigh clan, a connection to this clan within the past two millenia would certainly be evident. But no such connection exists. The nearest Curley relationship to L226 is from the Athlone Curley haplogroup L1066. The L1066 haplogroup is estimated to have split off from the L226 haplogroup approximately 3800 years ago, long before the formation of medieval Irish clans. The most that can reasonably be said of the relationship between L1066 and L226 is that they likely shared a bronze age pre-Celtic ancestor. But this shared ancestor predates by at least a couple millenia the Ui Toirdealbhaigh clan, or for that matter any medieval Irish clan.
There are a handful of Turley surname DNA tests, more likely to be connected to the Toirdealbhaigh name, and none of these show any connection to any of the Curley groups.
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