With the confirmation of our R-BY109586 haplogroup and refined SNP testing, we now have a clearer view of our ancestral journey. We’re not Scots descended from William de la Haye. Nor are we Irish Hays from the clans in Munster or Ulster. Our surname story ties into the broader movement of peoples, shaped by migration, conquest, and evolving cultural identity across Europe over the last 2,000 years.
Using advanced Y-DNA analysis, including DYS388=10 and TMRCA (Time to the Most Recent Common Ancestor) estimates, I’ve identified a few surnames genetically linked to ours. These connections span various regions and eras, providing a broader picture of how our ancestors likely moved through Britain, Ireland, and Eastern Europe.
Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation—known as the Poll Tax in England. In Britain, hereditary surnames were adopted between the 13th and 14th centuries, starting with aristocracy and eventually spreading to the general population. By 1400, most English and Scottish individuals had surnames. However, many in Wales and parts of Scotland did not adopt fixed surnames until the 17th century or later.
Henry VIII’s orders for marital births to be recorded under the father’s surname solidified the importance of last names. Today, approximately 79% of white Americans have surnames of English, Irish, or Scottish origin, though their deeper roots are often more complex.
These are surnames with DNA matches to me and our Hays line based on Y-DNA genetic distance. The TMRCA values are rough estimates of when we likely shared a common paternal ancestor. I’ve excluded Hays/Hayes matches already discussed elsewhere, though there are several close relatives traced directly to Nicholas Hays and his descendants.
A diminutive of Richard (from the Germanic “ric” for power, brave, or strong), Dickey and its variants are found in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The first recorded spelling was Robert Dikky (1504), during King James IV’s reign. The surname gained ground as surnames became standardized for taxation.
Likely a patronymic derivative of “Stot” or “Stott” (a cattle dealer or young rowdy), or from “Stytt” meaning “to strike.” These Anglo-Saxon names reflect occupations and character, common in early English naming traditions.
From the Norse name Sven or Sveinn, meaning “boy.” Swain is one of the oldest surnames on record, predating the 1086 Domesday Book. Adopted by the English and Normans, it later evolved to mean a rustic or wooer. Variants include Swaine, Swayn, Swenson, and Swainson.
This English surname may derive from the fish (pike), a soil-breaking tool, or the weapon. Early examples like Alexander le Pik (1292) support occupational origins in fishing, farming, or combat.
From the Old English “Draca” or Norse “Draki,” meaning dragon or snake. Could refer to a fierce warrior or a battle standard bearer. The Latin root “draco” hints at its metaphorical and mythological use.
Other, more distant surnames in my genetic line include: Earls, Curtis, Jordan, Turner, and Bailey.
Our surname likely emerged during the early 1600s in Ulster, Northern Ireland. This corresponds with the Ulster Plantation period, where Protestant English and Scottish settlers colonized lands in Ireland. Our ancestors were likely among these settlers, fleeing England for religious reasons—perhaps during Henry VIII’s Reformation around 1540.
During this time, surnames were finally formalized, especially in Ireland’s new English-speaking Protestant communities. Dickey families also appear in this region around the same time, suggesting our common ancestors migrated from southwestern Britain into Ireland together.
The remaining surnames—Swain, Pike, Stetson, and Drake—trace their origins to southwest Britain, aligning with the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The Normans, originating in northern France, brought sweeping cultural, linguistic, and societal changes to England and later Ireland and Scotland.
Norman influence displaced native aristocracies, introduced French-speaking elites, and planted early seeds of the centralized bureaucratic state. Many surnames from this era began as descriptors tied to occupation, place, or lineage.
Our deeper roots are found among the early Slavs. Haplogroup R1a is particularly common in Eastern Europe, with the highest frequencies in Poland, Ukraine, and among the Sorbs of Germany. It’s strongly associated with the spread of the Proto-Indo-European languages and early Slavic migration into Europe following the collapse of Roman authority.
These ancestors likely lived in multi-ethnic confederations like the Sarmatians, Huns, or Goths before establishing more permanent Slavic settlements across Eastern and Central Europe around the 6th century AD.
R1a’s oldest branches trace back to the nomadic steppe tribes of Central Asia, commonly referred to as Scythians. These people spoke Indo-Iranian languages, built burial mounds (kurgans), and relied on horseback combat. They spread across Eurasia, eventually influencing the genetic landscape of both Europe and South Asia.
Modern DNA links R1a lineages to ancient Scythian and Saka warriors described by Greek historians like Herodotus. While many details of their migrations remain unclear, their genetic imprint lives on in people like us.
