Borjigin (Genghis Khan "star cluster") Surname: Y-DNA Haplogroup

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.