Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) show sufficient variability among individuals in a population and high degree of geographical differentiation, so their polymorphic character makes them especially suited for population genetic studies. In this study, five novel Y-STR loci were analysed in 174 samples from five minority populations residing in north China (Daur, Kazak, Xibe, Uighur and Kirgiz) to determine the diversity of these loci in north China and to evaluate their usefulness in population study. Ninety-seven haplotypes were constructed, with 30 in Daur, 24 in Kazak, 28 in Uighur, 27 in Xibe and 16 in Kirgiz. Sixty-six (68.04%) of them were unique. The R(ST) showed that there was no significant difference in Daur and Xibe (R(ST) = 0.02231, P > 0.05), while among the Kazak, Uighur and Kirgiz, who reside in northwest China, there were significant differences. These results showed that these five Y-STR loci were polymorphic in the five populations. The results of AMOVA showed that majority of the differences were found within populations. By RST, the relationships of the five populations were accordance with the historical records: Xibe migrated to Xinjiang during the Qing dynasty, and Kazak, Uighur and Kirgiz have different ancestors.