Borjigin (Genghis Khan "star cluster") Surname: Y-DNA Haplogroup
Published genetics research or a documented case study links the surname Borjigin (Genghis Khan "star cluster") to a specific Y-DNA paternal-line haplogroup.
C2-M217 star cluster (orig. reported as C3*(xC3c); modern refinement often cited as C2b1a3a1c2-F5481)
Clade C2
Also spelled: Borjigen, Borjigid, Chinggisid
A near-identical Y-STR haplotype found at high frequency (~8%) across 16 populations from the Pacific to the Caspian Sea, with a coalescence time the authors placed ~1000 years ago. The authors hypothesized descent from Genghis Khan or a close male-line relative based on historical/genealogical reasoning, NOT a direct paternity test on his remains (no confirmed grave/body exists). Later work is divided: some studies (e.g. Mongol royal "Golden family" graves at Tavan Tolgoi, Lkhagvasuren et al. 2016, PLoS ONE) found R1b-M343 in high-status Mongol-era burials, casting doubt on the C2 attribution to Genghis Khan personally, even though the C2 star-cluster itself is a real, well-replicated population-genetic finding.
Source: Zerjal T, Xue Y, Zerjal T, et al. 2003. "The Genetic Legacy of the Mongols." American Journal of Human Genetics 72(3):717-721.
How to read this. A surname match means some people with that surname, in a specific study or family record, were found to share a haplogroup, most likely due to a shared patrilineal ancestor generations back. It is not proof that you personally carry that haplogroup: surnames change through adoption, remarriage, non-paternity events, and independent origin of the same name in different families. For your own confirmed haplogroup, test your DNA with our HaploAI Y-DNA/mtDNA predictor.
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