What Is "Second Cousin Once Removed?"

A term often found in genealogy is "removed," specifically when referring to family relationships. Indeed, almost everyone has heard of a "second cousin once removed," but many people cannot explain that relationship. Of course, a person might be more than once removed, as in third cousin, four times removed.

In short, the definition of cousins is two people who share a common ancestor. Here are a few definitions of cousin relationships:

First Cousin: Your first cousins are the people in your family who have at least one of the same grandparents as you. In other words, they are the children of your aunts and uncles.

Second Cousin: Your second cousins are the people in your family who share the same great-grandparent with you.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cousins: Your third cousins share at least one great-great-grandparent, fourth cousins share a great-great-great-grandparent, and so on.

Removed: When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. "Once removed" indicates a difference of one generation, "twice removed" indicates a difference of two generations, and so forth.

For example, the child of your first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. That is, your cousin's child would be "almost" your first cousin, except that he or she is one generation removed from that relationship. Likewise, the grandchild of your first cousin is your first cousin, twice removed (two generations removed from being a first cousin).

Many people confuse the term "first cousin, once removed" with "second cousin." The two are not the same.

The following consanguinity chart may help to explain the relationships:

Cousins Table

A cousin is someone who shares a common ancestor with you. Use this chart to determine your relationship.

                                                                                                                                                                       

Find your     ancestor here →     Find your cousin's ancestor here ↓	Grand-     parents	G-     Grand-     parents	GG-     Grand-     parents	GGG-     Grand-     parents	GGGG-     Grand-     parents
Grand-     parents	1st cousins	1st cousins     1x removed	1st cousins     2x removed	1st cousins     3x removed	1st cousins     4x removed
G-     Grand-     parents	1st cousins     1x removed	2nd cousins	2nd cousins     1x removed	2nd cousins     2x removed	2nd cousins     3x removed
GG-     Grand-     parents	1st cousins     2x removed	2nd cousins     1x removed	3rd cousins	3rd cousins     1x removed	3rd cousins     2x removed
GGG-     Grand-     parents	1st cousins     3x removed	2nd cousins     2x removed	3rd cousins     1x removed	4th cousins	4th cousins     1x removed
GGGG-     Grand-     parents	1st cousins     4x removed	2nd cousins     3x removed	3rd cousins     2x removed	4th cousins     1x removed	5th cousins

For instance, we will assume that you and your newly-found relative are both descended from John Smith. This common ancestor is your great-grandfather and also is the great-great-grandfather of your newly-discovered cousin.

In the above chart, go across the top to find your ancestor: great-grandfather.
Next, go down the left column to find your cousin's relationship to the same person: great-great-grandfather.

Now notice where the two intersect in the above chart: you and your new cousin are actually second cousins, once removed.

You may prefer to use an automated online tool to determine relationships. Ancestor Search has one that I found simple to use. Take a look at http://www.searchforancestors.com/utility/cousincalculator.html

Here are a few other terms you may encounter when determining relationships:

HALF - Means you share only one parent. Example: half-brothers may have the same father but different mothers, etc.

STEP - Not blood kin, but a close legal relationship due to re-marriage of a parent, such as step-mother, step-brother, step-son, etc.

DOUBLE FIRST COUSINS - Are first cousins twice, once on your father's side and once on your mother's side, since your father's sibling married your mother's sibling.

IN-LAW - They are not really blood kin but are treated as such because they married blood kin.

Example: Your mother-in-law is not really your mother but is treated as such because you married her daughter/son. In law, you and your spouse are considered "one". Also your brother-in-law is your brother because your parents are also his parents, in "law" (mother-in-law, father-in-law, etc.).

KITH and KIN - "Kith" are friends and acquaintances whereas "Kin" are blood relatives or someone treated as such, in law.

By the way, it is estimated that everyone has approximately 4 trillion 20th cousins! In other words, everyone is related to nearly everyone else. Yes, you are undoubtedly related to George W. Bush and probably to Osama bin Laden as well.

Comments

[Virginia]

This explanation is far and away the best I've come across. Thank you for including the chart. Very helpful!

[Connie]

Ever since my then-young son asked (about 40 years ago), "How do you remove a cousin?", I have used a ladder analogy to explain it. The visual image works better with some people (more memorable). The top sticking-up pieces (above the top rung) of the ladder are the mother and father, tied together by a piece of rope by which you can hang up the ladder. The top rung is their children, the second rung is the children's children - grandchidren of the original couple or first cousins. The third rung is the next generation down - great-grandchildren of the original couple or second cousins and so on down the rungs. A "removed" cousin sits on a different rung; count up or down to find the number of rungs or degrees of "removal".

[Israel Pickholtz]

Everything above is correct, of course, but I wish it weren't. It always seemed weird to me that the "removed" relationship is identical in both directions. My grandfather's second cousin Sig is my second cousin twice removed, but I am also his second cousin twice removed. That seems like using the same word for uncle and nephew.

There ought to be a way to define this relationship that says which of the second cousins twice removed belongs to the older generation and which to the younger.

I am not sure how to redefine it, but I can tell you what they did in Hebrew in the 1800s (in Europe). Second cousins were called "second and second." My second cousin twice removed would be "my second and fourth" (without the word "cousin") if I were the older generation and "my fourth and second" if I were from the younger generation. That is cumbersome, but surely someone can come up with a good idea for today.

Can we start a movement here?

[Gloria Ishida]

I discovered a fifth cousin once removed here in Japan as members of a certain organization abroad (we are both Americans, she from Massachusetts, I from Ohio); just seeing her name and the same in my family brought us into converstion. The interesting point is that she is about 12 years younger than I, her father older than mine but he married later than mine - that makes us once removed. Far apart in generations, but we have bonded.

[Carol R. Austin]

My husband's brother is my brother-in-law, but is his wife my sister-in-law? I've always called her that but I've been told she isn't. Someone said she is my husband's sister-in-law but not mine.

[E, Hansen]

My sister and I married brothers, so our children were "officially" double cousins. We always called them "kissing cousins" -- not genealogically accurate, of course, but we liked it.

Great chart, by the way. Thanks.

[M.J.Stone]

This has made it so easy for me: Count the "g"s

grandparents in common - 1 g = first cousins
great great grandparents in comon - 3 gs = 3rd cousins

for unequal generations the extra gs are the removeds.

I have no idea who figured this out, but it is sure quick & easy.

[Elisabeth]

This is just fun to see how people are related, and I like the chart and the comments. A second cousin once removed in England (I am in the USA) found me through the IGI several years ago; she is just older than my daughter, and her grandfather was a younger brother to my great-grandfather (the immigrant). Her father married very late, and she is my mother's generation. We have had fun digging up all the family; and we were able to meet about 10 years ago in England, and she showed me the home where our common 2nd great (mine) & 3rd great (hers) grandfather lived with his second wife.

[Jackie]

Thanks for clarifying the relationships. Now, I understand this complex topic much better. Most charts and descriptions that I have seen only make the subject more confusing.
Jackie

[Elisabeth]

P.S. As I read my prior entry, I realized I had the greats mixed up. The 2nd was hers, and the 3rd was mine. It takes concentration sometimes.

[Albert]

In a world that has a specific name of every new flower, insect, star,&c., I've often wondered why we nave never created a specific name for the spouses of our in-laws. Mighty queer, eh?

[Ecallaw]

Your explaination of relationships is certainly precice and I've been using it for some time even though I was taught a different system while growing up.

But what about referring to someone as you uncle? My parent's brothers are my uncles, but what are my grandparent's brothers called? I think they should be grand-uncles but some called them great-uncles. Is there a preferred convention?

[Gene Pomerance]

When I was maybe 12 years old (that would be around 75 years ago), the standard lingo was "first cousin augmented" and "first cousin diminished" etc. With those terms, it WAS possible to distinguish between the nephew and the uncle as Connie was concerned with on Feb. 19. I could never remenber which was which ( and some of us said augmented and demented instead of augmented and diminished) so maybe tht's why the method got lost through time.

[Dick Eastman]

According to Black's Law Dictionary, the generally-recognized definitive guide to legal terminology, great-uncle and grand-uncle are the same thing and the terms may be used interchangeably.

[Pat]

The chart is very helpful but here in the South we just keep eveything simple. It doesn't matter how "removed" you are we are just cosins.

[Anthony Cerminaro]

It certainly can get confusing. Just imagine if you were your own grandfather, as this old tune from Ray Stevens explains:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/54702/im_my_own_grandpa/

[Joni Martines]

Wow, I don't know where my information came from, but I always thought the wrong way. Thanks so much for the great chart. No only does it explain it to me. It also helps me explain it to others who don't have an inkling of what I'm talking about, when in all reality....I didn't.

[Jed White]

In your section "IN-LAW," the second sentence in your example is confusing. I had to reread it a couple of times. It seems clearer to say something like "your brother-in-law is treated as your brother because he married your sister."

[Louise]

Re the question of in-laws there's an interesting article at http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/relation.htm. Apparently it depends on which authority you use. I think of my husband's brother's wife as my sister-in-law, where others might not. I think your chart is far easier to follow than the one in the article, but it goes onto cover many other relationships not covered here. eg steps, relationship changes through adoption, divorce, etc. As to great and grand, I think that I am an extremely great and grand aunt to my sister's grandchildren, and that's their point of view too.

[Alvie L. Davidson CG]

I am surprised that more people do not make a concerted effort to understand the "once-removed" information. In the court of probate arena in FL this part of genealogy is critical since our probate law is "per stirpes" and not by "class" or "per capita". If a person has only one paternal first cousin and none on the maternal side, then that is the sole heir to the estate; but if that first cousin has died and left only grandchildren, those are paternal first cousin-once removed and they become the heir(s).
An essential part of probate knowledge in Florida. Not sure about other states.

[john astolfi]

re 2nd cousins: the problem with your def is you also share a great-grandparent with your 1st cousins and your siblings...the def should continue "but [share] no grandparent"....which is just a roundabout way of saying your grandparents are siblings...i find that easier to work with, altho perhaps easiest is: "your 2nd cousin in the child of your parent's 1st cousins"....this is most likely to apply to real-life people...

re removed: augmented and diminished is good...also used is ascending and descending...and very rarely, 2nd uncle/aunt and 2nd nephew/neice, which i like best for any number of reasons...

re great/grand uncle...i believe granduncle is prefered because it matches up with grandfather, and they are brothers...there is no greatfather....

[Benjamin Redd]

As the previous poster mentioned, there is a slight problem if you say that first cousins are those individuals who have at least one set of grandparents as you. After all, your own siblings share at least one set of grandparents as you. Here's the way I explain it:

Children of siblings: 1st cousins
Grandchildren of siblings: 2nd cousins
Great-grandchildren of siblings: 3rd cousins

and so on.

[Eve Gardner]

No, I'm not related to George W. but it seems I'm related to Laura Bush. She is said to be descended from William Ezekiel Aldridge and his wife Elizabeth Symons. So am I.
Her home is in Texas and I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. So her ancestors moved south and west from North Carolina and mine moved north and west, finally moving out of the country. Interesting world, isn't it?

[Nancy]

Thank you! I've always found this confusing -- this is a great (simple!) explanation.

[Cari Thomas]

Hurrah for bringing up the question of great vs grand in relation (hah!) to aunts and uncles! Once into genealogy - after personally using Great for years and years, it makes so much more sense to me to use Great and Grand in exactly the same manner as we do with parents. This instantly gives the correct generational level of the aunt or uncle:

Siblings of GRANDparents == GRAND-Aunt or GRAND-Uncle.
Siblings of GREAT-GRANDparents == GREAT-GRAND-Aunt or Uncle.

Do you see the difference? Talking of your Great-Great-Aunt can lead to thinking of her as on the same generational level as a great-great-grandparent ("2 greats") and the more greats there are, the "greater" the problem. Your 5th Great-Grandmother's sister is your FIFTH Great-Grand-Aunt, but would be your SIXTH Great-Aunt! ....and that's a problem.