Explore the Family Name Bai

Possible origins of the surname Bai

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Bai have recent ancestry locations all within China.

What Bai haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Bai is O-M1470, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-M1470 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F46 and O-F18, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Son, Su, He, Gao, Tian, Liu, Li, Jin, Sun, Yuan.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bai surname are: B5a, R, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Yayoi people

Historical Japanese cultures developed from two waves of people migrating from the Asian continent. Hunter-gatherers arrived in Japan more than 12,000 years ago, perhaps during the last Ice Age, when a land bridge connected Japan to the Asian mainland. This influx of people led to a culture called the Jomon. The Jomon were followed by a second migration into Japan nearly 2,300 years ago. This migration, called the Yayoi expansion, brought one lineage of haplogroup O1b to Japan, along with wet rice agriculture, weaving techniques, and metalworking technology. Research suggests that the Yayoi people were descendants of prehistoric farmers that originated in Southeast Asia, and may be associated with the origin of agriculture in the region. The transition of people in Japan from hunter-gatherers to farmers may have been triggered around 400 BC by technological developments introduced by the Yayoi people, including cold-resistant varieties of rice, iron tools, and rice field irrigation.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han

Members of haplogroup D are found in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations at low to moderate frequencies. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, and Han language and culture only expanded into southern China in the last 2,000 years. The spread of Han people and culture from northern to southern China was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.