Explore the Family Name Saxton

Possible origins of the surname Saxton

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 Saxton have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

What Saxton 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 Saxton is R-P25_1, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P25_1 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Layton, Toro, Sexton, Quinones, Wiseman, Anders, Lebron, Wynn, Hills, Keyes.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Saxton surname are: H1, H3, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicolaus Copernicus's heliocentric view of the solar system now serves as the basis of our understanding of the universe, but was once at odds with the Catholic Church's beliefs. Ironically, the astronomer was laid to rest in 1543 at Frombork Cathedral in Poland, where he had served as a canon and developed many of his scientific theories.Since Copernicus's death, numerous attempts have been made to locate his unmarked tomb in the Cathedral (even Napoleon ordered a search), but in 2005, scientists discovered a skeleton buried next to an altar known to have been tended by Copernicus. The skeleton was the right age, and a forensic reconstruction of the face resembled paintings of the 16th-century astronomer. Finally, DNA collected from the mystery bones matched the DNA from hair found inside a calendar that belonged to Copernicus. The scientists' efforts revealed that Copernicus's male lineage belongs to haplogroup R-M343.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.