Is there a Saddington DNA project?

Why Y-DNA, not autosomal?

Y-DNA is patrilineal. It passes from father to son with only minor mutations every few generations. Because English surnames are also patrilineal (typically inherited from father to son alongside the Y chromosome), Y-DNA is the only DNA test that can directly address the question: "Did all Saddingtons descend from one ancestor?"

Autosomal DNA (AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage) is what most consumer test-takers receive. It is excellent for finding 4th-cousin and closer matches, ethnicity estimates, and recent ancestry — but autosomal DNA is reshuffled every generation. Beyond ~6 generations back, it becomes statistically diluted and cannot reliably trace a specific surname line.

mtDNA (mitochondrial) tracks the direct maternal line and has no relationship to the surname Saddington at all (which is inherited paternally).

What the evidence shows so far

Preliminary results from the Saddington Y-DNA Project are consistent with — but do not yet conclusively prove — a single-origin hypothesis. Most tested participants cluster within haplogroup R-M269, the dominant Western European male lineage (carried by ~70% of British men), with closely matching short tandem repeat (STR) markers across at least 37 markers.

To confirm single origin, the project needs:

• Larger sample size — ideally 30+ unrelated male-line participants from geographically diverse Saddington branches
• Big Y-700 testing on representative branches to identify shared sub-clades and the most-recent-common-ancestor (MRCA) date
• Triangulation with documented genealogies to anchor DNA branches to known ancestors

If a single-origin result is confirmed, it would mean every Saddington alive today shares one medieval ancestor from the village — almost certainly someone alive between roughly 1066 and 1300, when locative surnames were first being adopted.

Available test options

All tests are offered by FamilyTreeDNA (Houston, TX), the only major consumer testing company that maintains long-term Y-DNA STR databases and surname projects:

FamilyTreeDNA runs sales periodically (typically Father's Day, DNA Day, Black Friday) at 20–30% discount. Project administrators can sometimes provide additional discount codes for new participants.

How to join

The Saddington Surname Y-DNA Project welcomes any male whose direct paternal line carries the Saddington surname (or one of the historical variants: Sadington, Saddenton, Sadinton, Sodington). Female-line descendants of Saddingtons cannot test directly — but they can sponsor a male relative (father, brother, uncle, male cousin) to test on behalf of the line.

1. Order a Y-37 or higher test at FamilyTreeDNA.com
2. Provide a cheek-swab sample by mail (no blood draw required)
3. Wait 4–8 weeks for results
4. Once results are in, request to join the Saddington Surname Project from your FTDNA account dashboard
5. The project administrator will approve and place your kit within the relevant branch grouping

If you'd like to discuss your line before testing — or if you've already tested and want to know whether your results match the project — contact Peter Saddington.