The Ball Surname Y-DNA Study is an international project working to identify the Y-DNA signatures of men bearing the Ball surname and its spelling variants, including Ball, Balle, Boll, and others.
Our goal is to determine the ancestral families of Ball immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland to the English colonies and other parts of the world. We believe we have identified the Y-DNA signature associated with descendants of Colonel William Ball of Millenbeck, Virginia, an ancestor of George Washington.
Who May Participate
The Ball Surname Study welcomes any male with the Ball surname—or a recognized variant—to participate. Members may order a Y-DNA test through FamilyTreeDNA or submit test results obtained from another testing company, regardless of where they live.
Questions We Are Studying
• From where and when did the Ball families of North America emigrate?
• How are the various Ball families of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland related?
• How are these families connected to Ball families from non-English-speaking countries in Western Europe?
• What is the Y-DNA signature associated with Colonel William Ball of Millenbeck, Virginia?
Project Results
The study has posted DNA test results for 232 participants and identified 40 haplogroups among those participants.
We encourage additional participants from the British Isles, Ireland, Europe, and throughout the world to join the project. Their participation may help identify ancestral connections, connect American and European cousins, and overcome the genealogical “brick walls” encountered in traditional family-history research.