Y chromosomes from different geographic areas (haplogroups) are recognizable by their combination of markers. R1b1 & R1b1b2. Group R1b and its branches, such as R1b1b2, is the most common in western Europe, accounting for about 70% the men there. The map at right shows the distribution of the R1b haplogroup and derivatives today. The members of the R1b haplogroup are thought to be the descendants of the first modern humans who entered Europe ~40 thousand years ago. R1b itself is one of the two major branches of haplogroup R1, the other being R1a, the latter being more common in Eastern Europe. It has become possible to split R1b1 into subbranches. The R1b1b2 subbranch can itself be separated into even more sub subbranches. Additional SNP testing will be needed to determination if any of the individuals tested belong to a branch of R1b1b2.

For historical background and the most current information on these haplogroups, check out the genetic tree maintained by the International Society on Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG).

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