There was a surgery being done at one point where synthetic hair was implanted in the scalp. However, I believe that the vast majority of cases were dismal failures. In fact, one of the big repair cases I remember seeing when I first started frequenting the hairloss boards involved a gentleman with severe scarring and poor coverage following one such surgery.
Honestly, I'd agree with the previous recommendation to just do your research and not go for any surgery as of yet.
I'm 22 and though my hairline's TECHNICALLY still there (it's receded to something around NW2-NW3, probably) it's very, very thin, with the thinning taking the shape of a NW4-NW5 pattern. I was originally lurking on the boards, hoping to find more information on transplants, but I eventually found that for now, I wouldn't be able to get the density that I'd want (I'm still young enough to remember having REALLY dense hair), and that with future loss in consideration (I'll most likely end up pretty bald), I'd be better off waiting at least a few years before opting into any expensive surgery plans.
There's a lot of good information on these forums, and I recommend looking through all of it, with common sense and an open mind. If you ultimately decide that a transplant is for you, wait until you fully understand the full costs (monetary and otherwise) that will be involved, and what can be expected of the outcome.
Oh, and I know what you mean about having less hair than older family! My father will be 52 this year, and he has WAY more hair than I do. He actually wasn't showing any signs of thinning until the past year, and that's only because he came down with thyroid disease, Celiac's, and Krohns. In all honest, my 83 year old grandfather has much thicker hair than I do (and it's a really cool silver color, to boot!). Hang in there, it'll get easier with time.
Good luck on whatever you decide!
