FTDNA's Y-DNA Haplogroup Designations for R1a1a Ashkenazi Levites

[This page, posted in April 2014, is provided as a matter of historical interest. As suggested below, R1a1a Ashkenazi Levites are now commonly designated as R1a-Y2619 Ashkenazi Levites.]

As of April 2014, following Family Tree DNA's introduction of its new Y-DNA haplotree, Family Tree DNA's Y-DNA Matches page and its project websites used a variety of haplogroup designations to identify R1a1a Ashkenazi Levites (including R-M420, R-SRY10831.2, R-M198, and R-M512). These designations are all consistent with each other, but they are less specific than they could or should be.

Notwithstanding the differing designations used by Family Tree DNA (which apparently reflect, in part, the use of SNPs tested on the Geno 2.0 kit and those tested by the reported men on an a la carte basis), as shown on the ISOGG Haplogroup R tree, all R1a1a Ashkenazi Levites share the following SNPs, in the following order:

R1a: M420

R1a1: SRY10831.2

R1a1a: M512, M17, M198

R1a1a1: M417

R1a1a1b2: Z93

R1a1a1b2a2: Z2124

R1a1a1b2a2b: Z2122

R1a1a1b2a2b1: F1345

R1a1a1b2a2b1a: CTS6, CTS3412, CTS8448

[No ISOGG designation yet:] Y2619

Accordingly, all R1a1a Ashkenazi Levites should be designated as R-CTS6 (or, perhaps, R-Y2619).