paternalline

Paternalline is a term used to describe a lineage traced through male ancestors, typically in genealogical research and genetic ancestry studies. It denotes the paternal branch of a family tree, in contrast to matriline, and is often discussed alongside matriline and biparental ancestry.

Usage tends to vary by discipline and author; paternalline is not a universally codified term in formal genetics, but is employed in genealogy, paleogenomics, and cultural studies to emphasize male-line descent. In population genetics, the analogous concept more commonly appears as patrilineal inheritance or Y-chromosome lineage.

Practically, paternalline is represented in family pedigrees by tracing fathers and sons, and in genetic testing by Y-chromosome markers that pass from father to son relatively unchanged. It is limited by the fact that this line includes only half of the ancestors and is affected by events such as non-paternity events and adoption.

Compared with matrilineal lines, paternal lines may leave different cultural and surname traces due to patrilineal naming conventions. The term is also used in historical and anthropological contexts to discuss inheritance, lineage-based status, and kinship structures.

Related terms include patriline, patrilineage, patrilinear descent, and Y-DNA haplogroup; see also matriline, matrilineage.