AreYourCousinsRemoved?

June26,2014ByBethTaylor

WhenIwas16,Igotmyfirstsummerjobworkinginacafeteriaat
BrighamYoungUniversity.Thenextsummer,Iwentbacktosame
jobbutfoundthateveryonewasconstantlyconfusingmewithoneof
thenewemployees,claimingwelookedalike.Aftereyeingeachother
carefullyatfirst,wequicklybecomegoodfriends.Aswegottoknow
eachother,wesoondiscoveredthatinadditiontolookingalike,we
wereactuallyrelated.Mythirdgreatgrandfatherwasherfourthgreat
grandfather.Butwewereconfused,howshouldwedescribeour
relationship?

Youmayhaveheardsomepeopleusephraseslikeshesmyfifth
cousins,twiceremoved,orhesmysecondcousin,ninetimes
removed.WhatdoesthismeanandhowcouldIfigureoutmy
relationshiptomyfriendusingtheseterms?

InEnglish,therearespecifictermstodescribetherelationships
betweenpeopleofthesamegeneration,meaningpeoplewhoarethesamenumberofgenerationsfromacommon
ancestor.

Siblingsshareacommonparent
Cousinsshareacommongrandparent
Secondcousinsshareacommongreatgrandparent
Thirdcousinsshareacommonsecondgreatgrandparent
Fourthcousinsshareacommonthirdgreatgrandparent
Fifthcousinsshareacommonfourthgreatgrandparent

CommonAncestor Relationship
5thgreatgrandparents 6thcousins
4thgreatgrandparents 5thcousins
3rdgreatgrandparents 4thcousins
2ndgreatgrandparents 3rdcousins
greatgrandparents 2ndcousins
grandparents cousins
parents siblings

Whathappenswhenyoushareacommonancestorbutarenotinthesamegeneration?Youdefineyourrelationship
bydeterminingthetotalnumberofgenerationsthatyouareremovedfromyourcousinandthencombineitwith
yourcousinrelationship.Soundconfusing?Letsseeitinaction.

HenryandCharlotteshareacommonancestor,Eleanor.EleanorisCharlottes6thgreatgrandmother(orgreat
greatgreatgreatgreatgreatgrandmother)andisHenrys2ndgreatgrandmother.Howaretheyrelated?Letslook
atintheformofatable.

Eleanor Relationship
5thgreatgrandparent greatgrandparent Siblings
4thgreatgrandparent grandparent 1stcousins
3rdgreatgrandparent parent 2ndcousins
2ndgreatgrandparent Henry 3rdcousins
greatgrandparent children 4thcousins
grandparent grandchildren 5thcousins
parent greatgrandchildren 6thcousins
Charlotte 2ndgreatgrandchildren 7thcousins

Toputitadifferentway:

Charlottes6thgreatgrandmotherisHenrys2ndgreatgrandmother
Charlottes5thgreatgrandparentisthesiblingofHenrysgreatgrandparent
Charlottes4thgreatgrandparentisthecousinofHenrysgrandparent
Charlottes3rdgreatgrandparentisthe2ndcousinofHenrysparent
Charlottes2ndgreatgrandparentisHenrys3rdcousin
Charlottesgreatgrandparentisthe4thcousinofHenryschildren
Charlottesgrandparentisthe5thcousinofHenrysgrandchildren
Charlottesparentisthe6thcousinofHenrysgreatgrandchildren
Charlotteisthe7thcousinofHenrys2ndgreatgrandchildren

Nowthatweseeitvisually,wecanquicklydeterminetherelationshipbetweenHenryandCharlotte.First,figure
outthecousinrelationshipbetweenHenryandCharlottesancestorofthesamegeneration.InthiscaseHenryisthe
3rdcousinofCharlottes2ndgreatgrandmother.Next,countthenumberofgenerationsbetweenCharlotteandher
2ndgreatgrandmother(orbetweenCharlotteandHenry)whichisfour.Thisisthenumberofgenerationsone
cousinisremovedfromtheothercousin.Finally,combinethetwonumbers.ThismeansthatHenryandCharlotte
arethirdcousinsfourtimesremoved.

Tryitonyourown.

WilliamandCatherinearerelatedthroughacommonancestor,Stewart.StewartisCatherines3rdgreat
grandfather.StewartisalsoWilliams8thgreatgrandfather.HowareWilliamandCatherinerelated?
MyrtleisalsorelatedtoStewart.SheisStewarts5thgreatgranddaughter.HowareMyrtleandWilliam
related?HowareMyrtleandCatherinerelated?
JohnisalsorelatedbutthroughStewartsgrandfather,James.HowisJohnrelatedtoStewart,William,
Catherine,Myrtle?
Tryitwithsomeoneinyourownfamily.

RemembermyworkfriendwhoeveryonethoughIlookedlike?SheandIsatdown,diagrammedourancestors,
andcametotheconclusionthatwewerefourthcousinsonceremoved.

2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Great
Ancestor Child Grandchild great great great great
grandchild
grandchild grandchild grandchild grandchild
Great 2ndGreat 3rdGreat 4thgreat 5thgreat
Aunt/Uncle
Aunt/Uncle Aunt/Uncle Aunt/Uncle Aunt/Uncle Aunt/Uncle
Child Siblings Niece/
Niece/ Niece/ Niece/ Niece/ Niece/
Nephew
Nephew Nephew Nephew Nephew Nephew
Aunt/Uncle firstcousin, firstcousin, firstcousin, firstcousin, firstcousin,
Grandchild Niece/ Cousin onetime twotimes threetimes fourtimes fivetimes
Nephew removed removed removed removed removed
Great
firstcousin, 2ndcousin 2ndcousin
Great Aunt/Uncle 2ndcousin 2ndcousin
onetime 2ndcousin threetimes fourtimes
grandchild Niece/ onceremoved twiceremoved
 Nephew removed removed removed
2ndGreat
2nd Aunt/Uncle firstcousin, 2ndcousin 3rdcousin
3rdcousin 3rdcousin
great Niece/ twotimes once 3rdcousin threetimes
onceremoved twiceremoved
grandchild Nephew removed removed removed

3rdGreat
3rd firstcousin, 2ndcousin
Aunt/Uncle 3rdcousin 4thcousin 4thcousin
great threetimes twice 4thcousin
Niece/ onceremoved onceremoved twiceremoved
grandchild removed removed
Nephew
4thgreat
4th firstcousin, 2ndcousin 3rdcousin
Aunt/Uncle 4thcousin 5thcousin
great fourtimes threetimes twice 5thcousin
Niece/ onceremoved onceremoved
grandchild removed removed removed
Nephew
5thgreat
5th firstcousin, 2ndcousin 3rdcousin
Aunt/Uncle 4thcousin 5thcousin
great fivetimes fourtimes threetimes 6thcousin
Niece/ twiceremoved onceremoved
grandchild removed removed removed
Nephew
6thgreat
6th firstcousin, 2ndcousin 3rdcousin 4thcousin
Aunt/Uncle 5thcousin 6thcousin
great sixtimes fivetimes fourtimes threetimes
Niece/ twiceremoved onceremoved
grandchild removed removed removed removed
Nephew
7thgreat
7th firstcousin, 2ndcousin 3rdcousin 4thcousin 5thcousin
Aunt/Uncle 6thcousin
great seventimes sixtimes fivetimes fourtimes threetimes
Niece/ twiceremoved
grandchild removed removed removed removed removed
Nephew