Relationship Charts

Guthrie Genealogy Tidbits

Relationship Charts

First cousin? Third cousin twice removed? Cousin terminology can look complicated until you know where to start. The key is finding the ancestor you share.

Start with the Common Ancestor

Family relationships become much easier to understand when you stop trying to count cousins first and instead begin with the person—or ancestral couple—you both have in common.

Find the common ancestor first. Look at your tree and determine how that person is related to you. Then look at the other person’s tree and determine how that same ancestor is related to them. Those two positions are all you need to use the relationship chart.

Perhaps the common ancestor is your great-grandfather. On the other person’s branch, that same man might be their 2nd-great-grandfather. Once you know those two relationships, the chart tells you how the two of you are related.

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Use the chart by comparing each person’s relationship to the same common ancestor. Where those two positions meet is the relationship between the descendants.

Genealogy cousin relationship chart showing cousin degrees and degrees of removal

Cousin relationship chart. Begin with the shared ancestor, then compare each descendant’s relationship to that ancestor.

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Don’t begin by trying to remember a formula. Find the common ancestor, identify that person’s relationship to each of you, and let the chart do the work.
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How to Read the Chart

1

Find the Common Ancestor

Identify the person or ancestral couple who appears in both family trees.

2

Check Both Trees

Determine how the common ancestor is related to you and how that same ancestor is related to the other person.

3

Find Where They Meet

Locate those two relationships on the chart. Their intersection gives you the cousin relationship.

An Example
Your Tree Common ancestor is your
Great-Grandfather
+
Their Tree Same ancestor is their
2nd-Great-Grandfather

The chart shows that you are Second Cousins Once Removed.

This works no matter how far back the common ancestor is. You do not have to memorize every possible cousin relationship. You simply need to identify the shared ancestor correctly on both branches.

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First, Second, Third Cousins…

When two people are in the same generation, the cousin number reflects how far back they must go to find their closest shared ancestors.

First Cousins

First cousins share grandparents.

Second Cousins

Second cousins share great-grandparents.

Third Cousins

Third cousins share 2nd-great-grandparents.

The pattern keeps going. Fourth cousins share 3rd-great-grandparents, fifth cousins share 4th-great-grandparents, and so forth.

The chart becomes especially helpful when the two descendants are not in the same generation. That is when the word removed enters the relationship.

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What Does “Removed” Mean?

The word removed does not mean that someone is an additional degree of cousin. It describes a difference in generations.

Same Generation

No removal is needed. Two descendants might simply be first, second, third, or fourth cousins.

One Generation Apart

The relationship is once removed.

Two Generations Apart

The relationship is twice removed.

A common point of confusion: your first cousin’s child is not your second cousin. That child is your first cousin once removed. Your child and your first cousin’s child are the second cousins.
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A Few Familiar Examples

Once you separate the cousin relationship from the generation difference, the terminology becomes much easier to recognize.

You + Your Cousin Your parent’s sibling’s child is your first cousin.
You + Cousin’s Child Your first cousin’s child is your first cousin once removed.
Your Child + Cousin’s Child The children of first cousins are second cousins.
You + Parent’s Cousin Your parent’s first cousin is also your first cousin once removed.
The useful clue is the generation. “Once removed” can point either upward or downward in the family tree. It simply means the two people are separated by one generation.
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Why This Matters in Genealogy

Cousin terminology appears everywhere in genealogical research: family trees, correspondence, obituaries, probate records, family histories, genealogy software, and DNA match lists.

Historical records may use the word cousin rather loosely, while modern genealogy programs may give a much more specific relationship. Understanding how the relationship is calculated lets you compare the description with the documented family tree.

The chart is a tool, not evidence of the relationship itself. The family connection still depends on correctly identifying the shared ancestor and documenting both lines of descent.

It can also be useful when evaluating DNA matches. A predicted cousin relationship may suggest where to look, but the actual genealogical relationship is determined by tracing both people back to their shared ancestry.

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Follow the Ancestors

When a cousin relationship starts looking like genealogical algebra, go back to the family tree. Find the ancestor you share, determine how that person is related to each of you, and use the chart to find where the two lines meet. Once you know the common ancestor, even those mysterious “removed” relationships become much easier to understand.

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