Corvo   Faial   Flores   Graciosa   Pico   Sao Jorge   Sao Miguel   Santa Maria   Terceira   Other

The population of the Azores Islands in 1993 was 237,800.  Azorean emigration to North America began in the 1800's, when Azoreans joined the crews of American whaling ships.  This was the beginning of a large scale Azorean emigration to the United States and Canada.  By the late 20th century, more Azoreans resided in North America than in the archipelago.

While researching their Azorean ancestry, many genealogists encounter genealogical obstacles such as "pais incognitos" (parents unknown).  Another consistent difficulty arises with the random pattern with which Azoreans adopted their surnames.  Azoreans would sometimes choose the surnames of their noble lineage; Avila and Bettencourt are two examples.  Oftentimes, Azoreans would take their mother's surname, which may have religious origins (e.g.: da Rosa).

With no set naming pattern established, Azorean DNA surname projects would be a futile effort.  To establish genetic relationships for those of Azorean heritage, a geographical DNA project may be the answer.  Additionally, females are eligible to participate through mtDNA (mitrochondrial) testing, where they would be excluded in a Y-chromosome surname project.

To participate in the Azores Geographical DNA Project, please submit your lineage (as far back as you have it) and which island your ancestors were from. DNA results will be sorted by island.  If they were from multiple islands, then submit the most recent one or the one where their family resided the longest.  If you do not know which island, your results will be placed in "other".

Analysis of the first match in the Azores DNA Project on 11 Oct 2005:

The Serpa and Machado-Borges participants have a match on 12-markers.  A comparison of the markers yield a 91.41% result that they shared a common ancestor within the last 600 years.  The common ancestor may have lived at the time the Azores were colonized.