How to Research Ukrainian Roots

Part 4 - DNA Testing

Sometimes the paper-based genealogy hits a roadblock, such as missing, incomplete, or conflicting records, or a migration from an unknown location. In such situations, taking a DNA test can help fill missing family branches by discovering previously unknown relatives. Sometimes, you won’t see any close matches right away, but as more and more people are taking the tests, they are likely to appear over time.

There are a few major DNA test providers:

• 23andMe - the first company to offer autosomal DNA tests, with a large base of test takers.
• AncestryDNA - the largest database of autosomal DNA tests to date.
• MyHeritage DNA - somewhat smaller base but claims strong European and international coverage.
• FamilyTreeDNA - in addition to a basic autosomal test, called FamilyFinder, they offer more advanced Y-Chromosome (for genetic males only) and Mitochondrial DNA tests, which are useful for tracing direct paternal and direct maternal lines.

Generally, we recommend FamilyTreeDNA, as their advanced tests can be ordered later without a new sample. Their basic autosomal test is among the most affordable ones. Otherwise, AncestryDNA or 23andMe would be the best choices due to their large base of test takers.

Testing with multiple providers may give additional matches, so it's worth doing if your budget is not too tight. For MyHeritage, the results may be transferred from other providers using their free upload feature. We also suggest uploading the test results to GEDmatch, a free tool that accepts DNA test results from different test providers.

In the case of FamilyTreeDNA, we encourage test takers to join relevant volunteer-run projects:

• Ukrainian DNA - a generic group for ethnic Ukrainians and their descendants from around the world.
• Ivano-Frankivsk region - for people whose ancestors originate from the Ivano-Frankivsk (formerly Stanislawow) region of Ukraine.