WE write to draw readers’ attention to our research project on surnames, DNA and Viking ancestry in the north of England.

Surnames are passed down from fathers to sons, and in Britain, this has been going on since heritable surnames were first established some 700 years ago.

We have studied the link between DNA and surnames, focusing on the Y chromosome, part of our DNA that is like the surname, passed down the paternal line.

In this project, we want to learn about British history by studying the Y chromosomes of men with old local surnames, to provide us with a link to the DNA of people in the past.

We are particularly interested in the history of the Vikings.

We know that these people left a lasting legacy on our language, landscape and place names.

But did they leave any genetic trace in today’s population?

To answer this question, we wish to obtain DNA samples from men with old, local surnames from the north of England.

Men carrying such names are very likely to have inherited them from ancestors who lived in the area only a few generations after the Vikings settled in the region.

To find out how to participate in our study, men should visit our website: leicestersurnamesproject.org.uk where they will find a list of eligible surnames. Recruitment events for the study will take place on the weekend of January 21 and 22.

DNA donation is simply via a saliva sample, and volunteers will receive a description of their own Y chromosome type when the work is completed in 2013.

Our address and telephone number for any further information is the Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, telephone 0116 252 3427.

Prof MARK A JOBLING and Dr TURI E KING University of Leicester