Explore the Family Name Varghese

Possible origins of the surname Varghese

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 Varghese have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in India, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

What Varghese 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 Varghese is L-M27, which is predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian ancestry. Haplogroup L-M27 is descended from haplogroup L-M20. Other common haplogroups include R-Y6 and Q-M346, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Rao, Nair, Akhtar, Mathew, Hussain, Khan, Iqbal, Ahmed, Kumar, Menon.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Varghese surname are: M, U1a3, R5a2b4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of Central & South Asian and European ancestry.

Your paternal lineage may be linked to many Lebanese people

Haplogroup L-M27 is represented in major religious populations within Lebanon, including both Lebanese Maronite and Muslim groups. It has been discovered that Lebanese Maronite populations are genetically distinct from Lebanese Muslim populations. This may mean that Lebanese Muslim groups are descendants of populations from the Arabian Peninsula who were involved in the Islamic expansion in the 7th century CE. On the other hand, Lebanese Maronite groups are likely descendants of western European populations involved in the Crusades during the 11th-13th centuries CE.

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.