Explore the Family Name Thai

Possible origins of the surname Thai

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 Thai have recent ancestry locations in Vietnam and China.

What Thai 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 Thai is O-F1759, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F1759 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F11 and O-F2758, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Chua, Chu, Cao, Hsu, He, Ho, Wu, Tran, Chong, Chang.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Thai surname are: M, B5a1, M7b. 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 ancient people of the Indian subcontinent

While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.