Cousins Chart

 

Cousins Chart

Having trouble coming up with the proper term for your mother's uncle's father for your family tree? Here's a guide to who's who in the family structure.

 

Second cousin twice removed. Sounds mathematical, as though establishing a family relationship required the use of trigonometric algorithms. But like so many apparently daunting areas of expertise, it's really just a matter of learning the lingo. In the definitions below, "you" serve as the frame of reference, around which all the other relations revolve.

Uncle and aunt	Your parents' brothers and sisters, and their spouses. You don't need any blood connection to be a full-fledged aunt or uncle. Your mother's sister's husband is not your uncle by marriage. He's your uncle, fair and square.

 

Niece and nephew	Son and daughter of your siblings and siblings-in-law. As with uncle and aunt, they're not your nieces and nephews by marriage, they're your nieces and nephews, plain and simple, even if they're your spouse's siblings' kids and don't have a single drop of blood in common with you.

 

First cousin, full cousin, cousin-german

Children of your parents' brothers and sisters. You and your first cousins share one set of grandparents.

 

Double first cousins

If a pair of brothers marries a pair of sisters, their kids are not only first cousins, they're double first cousins: They have both sets of grandparents in common.

 

Second cousins

You and the children of your parents' cousins are second cousins and share at least one great-grandparent. Your child and your cousin's child are second cousins.

 

Third cousins

You and the children of your parents' second cousins are third cousins and share at least one great-great-grandparent. And so on with the fourth, fifth, and sixth cousins.

 

First cousin once removed

A relationship that is removed is one that exists in two different genealogical generations. Generation refers to the order of birth, a genealogical level. Your aunt and your mother may have been born 20 years apart, but they are still of the same generation. Your parent's first cousin is your first cousin once removed. The child of your first cousin is also your first cousin once removed: your grandparent is that child's great-grandparent. You can do the whole "removed" thing for every category of cousins -- second cousin once removed, and so on. But by then you'll probably drive everyone completely crazy.

 

Grandaunt and granduncle

We always called grandpa's sister "great-aunt." But the experts say that terminology is incorrect, and the terms at left should be used instead to refer to the siblings of your grandparents. (Which doesn't mean we have any intention of using them.)

 

Great-grandaunts, great-granduncles

Your great-grandparents' brothers and sisters.

 

In-laws

Family by marriage: Your spouse's parents, spouses of your siblings, and spouses of your spouse's siblings. That is, your brother's wife is an in-law, but none of her siblings are. And your husband's sister's husband is your in-law, but none of his brothers are. And in-laws pretty much stop with your parents-in-law and your siblings-in-law. You are not in-laws with the parents of your sister-in-law's husband. And the two sets of parents of a couple are not in-laws to each other either; they are the competitive parents -- an entirely different category.

 

Affinity relatives

Your husband or wife's blood relatives -- the in-laws that are biologically related to your spouse.

 

Birth mother, biological mother, natural mother

Terms for the biological mother of a child who has (usually) been adopted by other parents.

 

Adoptive mother

Mother of a child who is not biologically her own.

 

Excerpted from FAMILY REUNION
Copyright © 1998 by Jennifer Crichton
Used by permission of Workman Publishing Co., Inc., New York
All Rights Reserved

Defining Cousins

 

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Your uncle is the brother of your father or mother. 

Your aunt is the sister of your father or mother. 

Your great uncle (or grand uncle) is the brother of your grandfather or grandmother. 

Your great aunt is the sister of your grandfather or grandmother. 

Your great-great uncle is the brother of your great-grandfather or great- grandmother. 

Your great-great aunt is the sister of your great-grandfather or great- grandmother. 

Your first cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle. 

Your second cousin is the grandchild of your great aunt or great uncle. (If two people are first cousins, the children of each of the people will be second cousins.) 

Your third cousin is the great-grandchild of your great-great uncle or great-great aunt. (Children of 2nd cousins, are 3rd cousins to each other.) 

Your first cousin, once removed, is the child of your first cousin or is the child of your great uncle or great aunt. (See also REMOVED COUSINS) 

If someone is your first cousin, then his or her child is your first cousin once removed. (Once removed means one generation level different from you.) All your regular cousins (first, second, etc.) are at the same generation level as yourself. Those at different levels are "removed." If someone is YOUR first cousin once removed, then you are HIS or HER first cousin once removed also. Your second cousin once removed is the child of your second cousin. Your first cousin twice removed is the child of your first cousin once removed (i.e. the grandchild of your first cousin). Your second cousin twice removed is the child of your second cousin once removed (i.e. the grandchild of your second cousin). 

REMOVED COUSINS: If two people are some type of cousins, but they are at different generation levels, then here is the way to compute their relationship.

1.     Count how many generation levels they are apart. This is the number they are "removed." 

2.     Start with the one at the highest generation level (the older level) and count how many generations up you must go to find the brothers or sisters that are the ancestors of these cousins. This is the "FIRST" or "SECOND" or "THIRD" part of the cousin relationship.

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bridgett/cousins.htm

 

http://www.searchforancestors.com/utility/cousincalculator.html

ousin Terms and Definitions

First Cousin 
Your first cousin is a child of your aunt or uncle. You share one set of grandparents with your first cousin, but you do not have the same parents. 

Second Cousin 
Your second cousin is the grandchild of your great-aunt or great-uncle. You share one set of great-grandparents with your second cousin, but you do not have the same grandparents. 

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cousins 
Your third cousin is the great-grandchild of your great-great-aunt or great-great-uncle. You share a set of great-great-grandparents with your third cousin, but do not have the same great-grandparents. Fourth cousins have one set of great-great-great-grandparents, but not the same great-great-grandparents. And so on. 

Double Cousins 
If two siblings in one family marry two siblings from another family and each couple has a child, the children are double first cousins. The word double in addition to the first cousin term is because because they share the same four grandparents. Regular first cousins share only one set of common grandparents, while double first cousins share both sets of grandparents plus all lineal and collateral relatives.


Removed 
The relationships of cousins of different generations are explained by using the word "removed". Cousins who are "once removed" have a one-generation difference. For example, the first cousin of your father is your first cousin, once removed. In that case, your father's first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This one-generation difference is explained by saying that your are cousins "once removed.". Removed cousin relationships is never measured by age, but only by generation differences. 

Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference between cousins. If you are two generations younger than the first cousin of your grandparent, then the relationship between you and your grandparent's first cousin are first cousins, twice removed. 

Cousin relationships can be any combination of first, second, third and so on, with once removed, twice removed, and so on. A genealogy program will calculate exact family relationships in your family tree for both blood relatives and relatives by marriage. Here is a list of genealogy programs some of which are free.

By using the cousin calculator above, you can see how the "removed" relationship works for cousins by blood. Use the + and - buttons to change generations between blood cousins to see how cousin relationships are defined. 

For example: 
"If you are the "grandchild" of an ancestor and 
Your relative is the "great-grandchild" of same ancestor, 

First cousins[edit] A child ("Sam") of one person ("Laura") and a child ("Ryan") of that one person's sibling ("Robert") are first cousins. First cousins share grandparents ("Joseph" and "Nancy"). Sam and Ryan are first cousins because they are non-siblings who share a pair of grandparents.	Joseph Nancy         Gordon Laura Robert Angie Sam Ryan
Second cousins[edit] The children of first cousins share a second cousin relationship. Second cousins share great-grandparents. People occasionally mistake the child of their first cousin as their "second cousin" - however that would actually be a first cousin, once removed. The removal denotes the generational difference. Sam and Susannah are second cousins because they are non-first cousins and non-siblings who share great-grandparents. In other words, Sam and Susannah's parents are cousins.	Joseph Mary         Nancy Joseph Bonnie James Gordon Laura Lucy Peter Sam Susannah
Third cousins[edit] The grandchildren of two first cousins; also the children of two second cousins. Third cousins share great-great-grandparents. Sam and Lyla are third cousins because they are non-second cousins, non-first cousins and non-siblings who share great-great-grandparents.	Joseph Beatrice         Joseph Mary Eugene Mary Nancy Joseph Julie Roger Laura Gordon Christina Matt Sam Lyla
First cousins once removed[edit] Two people for whom a first cousin relationship is one generation removed. The child of one's first cousin; also the first cousin of one's parent. Frank and his father's first cousin, Emma, are first cousins once removed. There exist numerous terms for first cousins once removed that describe the relationship more specifically: ·         For a male in the higher generation, "cousin-uncle" or "second uncle" ·         For a female in the higher generation, "cousin-aunt" or "second aunt" ·         For a male in the lower generation, "cousin-nephew" or "second nephew" ·         For a female in the lower generation, "cousin-niece" or "second niece"	Adam Anne         Bill Betty Charles Caroline Diana David Emma Frank
First cousins twice removed[edit] Two people for whom a first cousin relationship is two generations removed. The grandchild of one's first cousin; also the first cousin of one's grandparent. Harry and his grandfather's first cousin, Emma, are first cousins twice removed. There exist numerous addition terms to describe the relationship of first cousin twice removed more specifically and accurately: ·         For a male in a higher generation, "second granduncle" or "cousin-granduncle" ·         For a female in a higher generation, "second grandaunt" or "cousin-grandaunt" ·         For a male in a lower generation, "second grandnephew" or "cousin-grandnephew" ·         For a female in a lower generation, "second grandniece" or "cousin-grandniece"	Adam Anne         Bill Betty Charles Corinda Dawn David Emma Frank Felicity Harry
Second cousins once removed[edit] Two people for whom a second cousin relationship is one generation removed. The child of one's second cousin; also the second cousin of one's parent. Harry and his father's second cousin, Gloria, are second cousins once removed. There are more ways in which this type of relationship can be described more specifically: ·         For a male in a higher generation, "third uncle" or "second cousin-uncle" ·         For a female in a higher generation, "third aunt" or "second cousin-aunt" ·         For a male in a lower generation, "third nephew" or "second cousin-nephew" ·         For a female in a lower generation, "third niece" or "second cousin-niece"	Adam Agatha         Bill Betty Charles Corinda Dawn David Emma Eric Frank Felicity Gloria Harry

Additional terms[edit]

The following is a list of less common cousin terms.

Term	Definition	Example	Chart
Double cousin	Double cousins arise when two siblings of one family mate with two siblings of another family. The resulting children are related to each other through both of their parents and are thus doubly related. Double first cousins share both sets of grandparents and have twice the degree of consanguinity of ordinary first cousins; genetically, they are as related as half-siblings. In a scenario where two monozygotic (identical) twins mate with another pair of monozygotic twins, the resulting double cousins would test as genetically similar as brothers or sisters. Double second cousins can arise in two ways: from the relationships of two first-cousins with two other first-cousins or from the relationships two double-first-cousins with two other persons.	David and Irene are double first cousins because each is related through their mother's family and also their father's family, the result of a brother and sister (Ben and Helen) having married another brother and sister (Hugh and Betty). For David and Irene, each has a mother who is an aunt by blood of the other and a father who is an uncle by blood of the other.	Gary Glenda Adam Agatha Betty Ben Helen Hugh David Irene
Half-cousin	Half-cousins are the children of two half-siblings, and their respective spouses.	David and Lilian are half cousins because their fathers (Ben and James) are maternal half-brothers, their grandmother (Agatha) having remarried.	Adam Agatha Anthony Betty Ben James Janet David Lilian
Stepcousin	Stepcousins are either stepchildren of an individual's aunt or uncle or nieces and nephews of one's stepparent.	David and Mary are stepcousins because David's uncle (Charles) has become Mary's stepfather as a result of Mary's mother (Corinda) having remarried.	Adam Agatha Betty Ben Charles Corinda Colin David Mary
Cousin-in-law	A cousin-in-law is the spouse of an individual's cousin or the cousin of one's spouse.	David and Eric are first cousins-in-law to each other because Eric's wife (Emma) is David's first cousin.	Adam Agatha Betty Ben Charles Corinda David Emma Eric
Maternal or paternal cousin	A term that specifies whether one individual is a cousin of another through the mother's side of the family (maternal) or the father's side (paternal). If the relationship is not equally paternal for both or equally maternal for both, then the paternal cousin of one is the maternal cousin of the other.	Emma and David are paternal first cousins (being related through their fathers). Emma is also Natalia's paternal first cousin (as related on Natalia's father's side), but Natalia is Emma's maternal first cousin (as related on Emma's mother's side). David and Natalia would only be related if they shared a common ancestor.	Adam Agatha Luke Laura Betty Ben Charles Corinda Mark Maud David Emma Natalia

Relationship charts[edit]

Cousin chart[edit]

A "cousin chart", or "table of consanguinity", is helpful in identifying the degree of cousin relationship between two people using their most recent common ancestor as the reference point. Cousinship between two people can be specifically described in degrees and removals by determining how close, generationally, the common ancestor is to each person.^[2]

If one person's →		Parent	Grandparent	Great-grandparent	Great-great-grandparent	Great-great-great-grandparent	Great-great-great-great-grandparent
Is the other person's ↓	Then they are ↘
Parent		Siblings	Parent/Child or Uncle/Aunt	Grandparent/Grandchild	Great grandparent/Great grandchild	Great great grandparent/Great great grandchild	Great great great grandparent/Great great great grandchild
Grandparent		Parent/Child or Uncle/Aunt	1st cousins	1st cousins once removed	1st cousins twice removed	1st cousins 3× removed	1st cousins 4× removed
Great-grandparent		Great-uncle/Great-aunt	1st cousins once removed	2nd cousins	2nd cousins once removed	2nd cousins twice removed	2nd cousins 3× removed
Great-great-grandparent		Great-great-uncle/Great-great-aunt	1st cousins twice removed	2nd cousins once removed	3rd cousins	3rd cousins once removed	3rd cousins twice removed
Great-great-great-grandparent		Great-great-great-uncle/Great-great-great-aunt	1st cousins 3× removed	2nd cousins twice removed	3rd cousins once removed	4th cousins	4th cousins once removed
Great-great-great-great-grandparent		Great-great-great-great-uncle/Great-great-great-great-aunt	1st cousins 4× removed	2nd cousins 3× removed	3rd cousins twice removed	4th cousins once removed	5th cousins

Canon law relationship chart[edit]