patrilinear

Patrilinear, also spelled patrilineal in many sources, refers to a kinship and descent system in which a person’s membership in a descent group or clan, as well as the transmission of social status, family name, and often property, is traced through the father’s line. It is a form of unilateral descent.

In patrilinear systems, individuals typically belong to their father’s lineage and inheritance, titles, or clan offices are transmitted through the male line. Paternal relatives are typically the primary authorities for defining kinship obligations, alliances, and social responsibilities, while maternal kin may remain important as affinal connections but usually hold a secondary status within the lineage.

Patrilineality is distinct from patrilocal residence, where wives move to the husband’s household, and from matrilineality, where descent is traced through the mother’s line. Societies vary in the strength of patrilineal control, and some implement flexible or dual descent practices that incorporate elements of both paternal and maternal lines.

Patrilinear systems are widespread across history and in many regions, including parts of East Asia, the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and various African and Indigenous communities. Within these systems, rules about clan membership, name transmission, and property rights can differ considerably, reflecting local cultural, economic, and political contexts.

In anthropology, patrilineal descent is studied as a key pattern of social organization, often analyzed alongside matrilineal, bilateral, cognatic, and ambilineal systems to understand kinship, inheritance, and group formation.