Entering Most Distant Known Ancestor Information at FTDNA

Entering your Most Distant Known Ancestor (MDKA) on FTDNA helps others identify connections, trace lineage, and improve surname and haplogroup research. 

It also assists DNA Projects by providing context for grouping related testers, identifying migration patterns, and refining ancestral origins.

For Irish Harringtons, it makes a difference knowing if your MDKA came from Tipperary or Cork or Galway.....or if the earliest known ancestor was in the USA or Australia...... dates and locations are key to being able to assign lineages....

To enter your MDKA information:

Log in to your FTDNA account.

Click on your Account Settings (found under your name in the upper right).

Select the Genealogy tab, then go to Earliest Known Ancestors.

1. In Direct Paternal Ancestor area, enter the 

name, 

birth, 

and death dates 

and a location of your MDKA 

(if you only have an estimate of birth or death date, put a small "c" beside the approximate date)

SAMPLE: John Harrington b c1830 d1880 Cork

2. Enter Country of Origin using the drop down menu

But don't stop there! You also need to enter the following.....

3. Enter Paternal Ancestral Location - enter county, or town or city and the system will add in the co-ordinates.

4. Click Update Location

5. Save to update your profile.

At FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA), the Most Distant Known Ancestor (MDKA) information is used in several reports and tools to enhance genealogical research. 

The main YDNA reports and features that utilize MDKA data are:

 Y-DNA Match Lists

• Your MDKA appears alongside matches in the Y-DNA match lists, helping testers quickly see shared ancestral locations and surnames.

 Y-DNA Group Projects

• Project administrators use MDKA data to organize testers into meaningful groups based on common ancestors, geographic origins, and surname patterns.

Group Project Reports & Maps

• Many surname, haplogroup, and geographic projects rely on MDKA data for:
  • Genetic migration mapping
  • Identifying surname patterns
  • Determining regional clustering of haplogroups

Y-DNA Block Tree, Match Time Tree, Group Time Tree etc

• These genetic trees display MDKA data to show how testers with shared haplogroups relate to each other and their distant ancestors.

Y-DNA Haplogroup Reports

• When analyzing haplogroup assignments, MDKA information helps researchers study surname continuity and migration patterns across haplogroups.

Y-DNA Haplotree

• Shows the earliest ancestor information associated with haplogroup testers, giving insight into how lineages evolved over time.

Why Enter MDKA Information?

Adding your MDKA ensures that your matches, projects, and haplogroup studies are more accurate, helping to refine genealogical research for everyone involved.

Thank you taking the time to add your MDKA details!