Tracing Birth Parents
by Testing Your DNA

Today, many adoptees are tracing birth parents through DNA testing.

I did it myself, reuniting with my birth father’s family in 2007 more than twenty years after he had died.

Since I found my family, new, more powerful DNA tests have appeared that were not available when I did my search.

Read on to learn about the two major tests types that can help adoptees who are tracing birth parents:

Y-DNA Testing for Men

This is the classic genetic genealogy test that I used to learn my birth father’s surname. If you’re a male adoptee, I recommend you take this test. Even if you’re primarily searching for your birth mother, narrowing down the possibilities for your birth father can simplify your search.

This test works because the Y chromosome passes down, relatively unchanged, from father to son, generation after generation. By checking your Y-DNA against a huge database of other men, you can find cousins who share a common ancestor in your father’s paternal line.

Since men usually pass down their surname to their sons, you may find that a majority of your matches cluster around one particular surname. That name, most likely, will be the last name of your biological father.

Once you find that name, tracing birth parents becomes easier. You can narrow your search to men of that surname who lived in the time and place of your conception.

My Recommendation

Many companies offer a Y-DNA test. But for this test the most important selection factor is the size of the database. I recommend that you order your Y-DNA test from the company with the largest Y-DNA database by far: Family Tree DNA.

To see how I used the Y-DNA test in my personal search see my page on Genealogy DNA Testing. To learn more about the Y-DNA test see “The Paternal Line” on my DNA Genealogy page.

NOTE: The 37-marker test is often sufficient to identify your likely surname. You only need more markers if you get too many matches and need to narrow down your list. You can always upgrade from 37 to 67 or 111 markers later. If money is less of an issue and you want to save time, you can test a higher number of markers in the first place.

Family Finder and Relative Finder—New Tests for Everyone

These two very similar tests are examples of the latest development in tracing birth parents with DNA. Family Finder from Family Tree DNA and Relative Finder from 23andMe can help men and women find birth mothers and birth fathers.

These two tests are slightly different and use different databases. Both will find blood relatives who share a common ancestor with you from the last five generations or so.

Unless you get really lucky, you’re probably not going to get an immediate match with a parent or sibling. But you will almost certainly find biological cousins of varying degrees. Once you contact these people, they may be able to provide the clues needed for tracing birth parents.

Each test has certain advantages. Of the two tests, Family Finder is more likely to result in useful responses from informed genealogists. It also has a better user interface for managing your search.

Finally, the Population Finder feature, included with Family Finder, looks for ethnic DNA matches with more than 60 scientifically accepted population groups instead of just four for 23andMe.

Knowing your ethnic background is personally satisfying for any adoptee. Furthermore, the information can provide clues in your search for birth parents.

23andMe includes a lot of genetic health information. If you don’t have any medical history from one or both sides, that might be something you want.

My Recommendation

I suggest adoptees and genealogists test with BOTH companies. Since most people only test with one or the other, there is no way to know in advance which test will lead you to the closest relative with the most information.

You can make success in tracing birth parents more likely by doubling up and participating with both companies. Your cost will be higher. But how much is it worth to solve the central mystery of your life?

To learn more about these tests read my Autosomal DNA Testing page, which goes into more detail about how the tests actually work. For a detailed comparison of Family Finder and 23andMe's Relative Finder, see my Autosomal DNA Comparison page.

Contacting Your Matches

Whether you use the Y-DNA test or the new autosomal tests, you need to contact your matches to learn what they know. What you’re looking for is branches of their families that extend into the same geographic area where you were born.

When tracing birth parents with DNA testing, remember that your Y-DNA matches will definitely connect to your father’s side. But your matches from Family Finder and Relative Finder could connect to either side of your family.

Many of the matches who respond to your inquiry will be genealogists looking to enlarge their own family trees. Initially, all you will have to help them is the geographic area of your family.

While most people are willing to help adoptees with tracing birth parents, you may run into the occasional person who is not sympathetic to your cause. Therefore, you may want to omit any mention of adoption until you collect the basic information about the other person’s family.

An Ongoing Process

If you don’t uncover useful information right away, don’t be discouraged. More people take these DNA tests every day. It might take years to find the close match with key information that's the breakthrough you need.

Check my links to Family Finder and 23andMe for current pricing.

NOTE: 23andMe has dropped the up-front price of their DNA test and added a $9/month subscription fee that must be paid for a minimum of 12 months. Once you drop the subscription you will NOT get any new matches or new medical information. I recommend adoptees continue the service until all of your questions are answered.

Be sure to consider that extra $108/year when comparing the prices of the two tests. Currently Family Finder does not charge a subscription and your one-time fee entitles you to see new matches indefinitely.

Relationship Testing

Eventually, some combination of DNA testing and conventional research should lead you to your birth parents or their families. Unless you find a living birth parent AND need a legal paternity test, you can confirm your relationship through Family Finder or Relative Finder.

Simply have a suspected close relative take the same test you did. It can be a potential parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or first cousin. The results will tell you how closely you are related. The tests can even distinguish a half sibling from a full sibling.

If you followed my advice and used both Family Finder and Relative Finder, you can test the suspected relative with whichever test costs less at the time. Both should do a good job of confirming a close relationship.

NOTE: Do not count on a Y-DNA test for close relationship testing. While Y-DNA matches definitely share a common paternal ancestor, the test can only tie you to a genetic line, not to any one person or even any particular generation.

Mitochondrial DNA?

Both men and women can also take a mitochondrial (mtDNA) test that follows the maternal line. But learning anything about recent relatives from an mtDNA match can be elusive.

That’s partly because the maternal line usually changes surnames every generation. It’s also because mtDNA mutates very slowly. The common ancestors you share with your matches may have lived thousands of years ago.

All this means that mitochondrial testing is the least informative DNA test for tracing birth parents. I recommend you save your money and focus on the Y-DNA and autosomal tests described above.

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