Explore the Family Name Yee

Possible origins of the surname Yee

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 Yee have recent ancestry locations all within China.

What Yee 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 Yee is N-L665, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup N-L665 is descended from haplogroup N-M231. Other common haplogroups include O-F8 and N-M231, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Yim, Yu, Shi, Zheng, Song, Cheng, Lai, Leung, Wu, Ko.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Yee surname are: F1a1, H, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the people of the lower Xiajiadian culture

Remains from three humans found at a site called Dadianzi in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China, belonged to haplogroup N-M231. The Dadianzi site was dated to 3,600 years old, and it also contained pottery, bronze artifacts, and burial rituals. The artifacts are from a period called the Lower Xiajiadian culture, which was a main branch of the bronze culture of northern China 4,500-3,500 years ago, primarily practiced in the West Liao-River valley. This wealthy civilization had highly developed agriculture, unique painted pottery, and other elaborate artifacts. The human remains found at Dadianzi indicate that haplogroup N-M231 made up a large proportion of the Lower Xiajiadian culture population, perhaps as far back as 12,000 years ago in northern China.

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.