Levi (Sephardi/Mizrahi tradition) Surname: Y-DNA Haplogroup
Published genetics research or a documented case study links the surname Levi (Sephardi/Mizrahi tradition) to a specific Y-DNA paternal-line haplogroup.
No single dominant founder haplogroup identified; predominantly Near Eastern lineages (J1, J2, E1b1b, etc.); R1a1a rare
Clade Mixed (predominantly J/E, not R1a)
Also spelled: Levy, Levite, Levitan
Behar et al. found only 3.2% of Sephardic-tradition Levites carried R1a1a, unlike Ashkenazi Levites. Sephardic Levites instead show the same diverse Near Eastern haplogroup mix seen in the general Sephardi Jewish population, i.e. no single unifying paternal founder for Sephardic Levite lineage was detected. Included for accuracy: do NOT present Levi/Levy as reliably R1a for Sephardic-tradition families.
Source: Behar et al. 2003, American Journal of Human Genetics 73:768-779
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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