R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 which population scores the highest in this halogroup/subclade
Executive summary
The precise label R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 does not appear in the supplied reporting, so the sources cannot identify which modern population “scores the highest” for that exact subclade; however, the broader genealogy and population studies in the dossier show that major branches of R1b—especially R-M269 and its Western European offshoots—reach their highest frequencies in parts of Atlantic and Western Europe, while other deep R1b branches concentrate in Africa and the Caucasus, indicating where a narrowly defined descendant subclade is most likely to be found [1] [2] [3].
1. Why the exact subclade label matters and why the records here fall short
Y‑chromosome nomenclature is hierarchical and constantly updated; the string R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 reflects nested SNP calls that many mainstream summaries and reviews do not list explicitly, and none of the supplied sources mention that precise terminal label, so a direct assignment of “which population scores highest” for R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 cannot be supported from these documents [4] [5] [1]. The reporting available focuses on well‑known markers (M343, M269, L23, V88, etc.) and broader subclade frequencies rather than ultra‑fine terminal subclades, meaning the necessary frequency data for R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 is absent from the provided corpus [5] [6].
2. The landscape of R1b in broad strokes: where major subclades peak
Across the materials, R1b (R‑M343) is consistently described as the dominant paternal lineage in Western Europe, with particularly high frequencies in Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, western Wales, the Atlantic fringe of France, parts of Spain, and the Basque country—regions where specific downstream subclades of M269 became common during the Bronze and Iron Ages [2] [7] [8]. R‑M269 in turn is the primary branch in Western Europe (often labeled R1b1a1b or R1b1a2 in older nomenclatures), and phylogeographic studies characterize subclades such as R‑P312/S116 and R‑U106/S21 as the two major Western European lineages [4] [6] [1].
3. Important exceptions and non‑European concentrations to consider
Not all R1b diversity is Western European: the V88 lineage expanded into parts of Sub‑Saharan Africa and dominates Chadic‑speaking groups in northern Cameroon and Nigeria according to family‑project and population reports [3] [9]. The dossier also highlights pockets of higher frequencies of certain M269‑related types in the central Balkans (Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia) and the Caucasus/Circum‑Uralic regions for particular L23‑related categories, underscoring that different subclades peak in different regions [5]. Those patterns mean that an obscure terminal subclade like R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 could plausibly be concentrated in Western Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, or even parts of Africa depending on which branch it descends from—information not resolvable from the present sources [5] [3].
4. Sources, data gaps, and how to get a definitive answer
The materials provided (Wikipedia summaries, ISOGG and project pages, and population genetics papers) are authoritative for broad subclade distributions but do not list every terminal clade or their population frequencies; the single best path to a definitive identification is querying specialist phylogenetic trees and large Y‑DNA project databases (ISOGG, FamilyTreeDNA haplotrees, or peer‑reviewed phylogeographic studies) that track fine‑resolution SNP calls and report population counts for terminal haplotypes—resources mentioned in the dossier but not supplying the exact string R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 within these excerpts [3] [1] [6]. If one needs a concrete population-ranking for that exact subclade, targeted testing in public Y‑DNA projects and consulting the up‑to‑date ISOGG tree or peer‑reviewed datasets is necessary because the provided summaries intentionally emphasize higher‑level branches and regional patterns rather than every terminal node [1] [3].
5. Balanced conclusion
From the supplied reporting it is not possible to state which population “scores the highest” for R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b2 specifically; nevertheless, the evidence shows that the highest frequencies of R1b lineages overall are in Western Europe (Ireland, Britain, Atlantic France, Basque regions) for M269‑derived branches, with notable non‑Western concentrations for other R1b branches (V88 in Africa, L23/M269 variants in the Balkans and Caucasus), which frames the plausible geographic expectations for a fine‑scale terminal clade—while underscoring the need to consult high‑resolution Y‑SNP data sources to answer the exact question [2] [7] [3] [5].