DNA Testing

What types of tests are available?

There are three types of DNA tests currently available for genealogical research:

• Y-DNA – relevant to the direct paternal/male line
• Micochondrial DNA (mtDNA) – relevant to the direct maternal line
• Autosomal DNA (atDNA) – can match you to any relative

Who provides the tests?

There are several companies who perform DNA testing.

• AncestryDNA
  • Autosomal DNA testing only
  • View current pricing
• FamilyTree DNA
  • Autosomal DNA, mitrochondrial DNA and  Y-DNA
  • View current pricing
• MyHeritgage
  • Autosomal DNA testing only
  • View current pricing
• 23andMe
  • Autosomal DNA, micochondrial DNA and  Y-DNA
  • View current pricing
• LivingDNA
  • Autosomal DNA, micochondrial DNA and  Y-DNA
  • View current pricing

For more information on choosing a testing company, see:

•  Best DNA Test for Ancestry
• Different DNA Tests for Different Purposes: Which Do You Need?

Will my results be confidential?

You have control over whether or not your information will be made available to others. You can keep the results private (meaning only you will be able to view the results), or you can choose to share your results with others.

How to interpret the results when they arrive?

Each of the companies performing DNA testing provides some guidelines for interpreting your results.

Your ethnicity (the regions where your early ancestors lived) will be easy to interpret. However, diving deeper into the results may require some learning on your part. The Dallas Genealogical Society has a DNA Special Interest group that meets once a month that is a good source of information and assistance.

You can view the slides from a 2018 meeting that provided an overview of the types of tests and the testing companies.