Free tool

What's your exact cousin relationship?

Pick how many generations back your shared ancestor is on each side, and get the correct term, like "second cousin once removed", explained in plain English.

First cousins

You're both two generations from the same grandparent, so you're first cousins.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you select is saved or sent anywhere — see how Family Tree Studio handles data when you do sign in to sync a tree.

Want to browse every relationship at once instead? See the full family relationship chart.

How the terms actually work

Cousin terminology sounds complicated because it's doing two jobs at once: a degree (first, second, third cousin) and a removal (how many generations apart you are). Once you separate the two, it stops being confusing.

Degree: how many generations back you share

Count the generations from each of you back to the shared ancestor, then take the smaller number and subtract one:

  • Both two generations from a shared grandparent → first cousins
  • Both three generations from a shared great-grandparent → second cousins
  • Both four generations from a shared great-great-grandparent → third cousins

Removed: how many generations apart you are

"Removed" shows up when the two of you are different distances from the shared ancestor. Say your grandparent is the same person as your cousin's great-grandparent: you're two generations from that ancestor, they're three. The smaller number (2) still sets the degree at first cousin, and the one-generation gap between you makes it first cousin once removed. That's the exact relationship between a first cousin and that cousin's child.

A two-generation gap is "twice removed", three is "three times removed", and so on. The removal never changes how closely related you are by blood, it just describes the generational offset.

A worked example

Your great-grandparent and someone else's great-great-grandparent are the same person. That's 3 generations for you, 4 for them. The smaller number is 3, so the degree is second cousin (3 − 1). The gap between 3 and 4 is one generation, so the full term is second cousin once removed, currently the calculator's top result above by search volume.

Once you've mapped out how everyone connects, Family Tree Studio turns the whole tree into a print-ready poster you can hang or give as a gift.

Questions

Good to know.

What does "removed" actually mean?
It counts a generation gap between two cousins. If your common ancestor is your grandparent but their great-grandparent, you're one generation apart, so you're first cousins once removed. Two generations apart is twice removed, and so on. "Removed" never changes the cousin degree (first, second, third), it just says how many generations separate the two of you.
How is the cousin "degree" worked out?
Take whichever of you is fewer generations from the shared ancestor, and subtract one. Two grandchildren of the same person (2 generations each) are first cousins. Two great-grandchildren (3 generations each) are second cousins. Two great-great-grandchildren (4 generations each) are third cousins, and the pattern continues.
Are you still blood related to a cousin who's been "removed"?
Yes. "Removed" only describes the generation gap, not a weaker or more distant bloodline than the degree suggests. A first cousin once removed shares exactly the same great-grandparent-level ancestor as a pair of first cousins does, just spread across one extra generation.
What's a half cousin?
It's the cousin equivalent of a half sibling: you share only one grandparent (or great-grandparent, and so on) instead of a full shared couple. The degree and "removed" terms work exactly the same way, people usually just add "half" in front, for example "half first cousin."
What do you call your cousin's children, or your parent's cousin?
Your first cousin's child is your first cousin once removed, and so is your parent's first cousin, since both relationships span one extra generation from the same shared ancestor. The calculator above works out either direction: enter your generation from the common ancestor and theirs.
Does this calculator store or send my answers anywhere?
No. The two dropdowns above run entirely in your browser with plain JavaScript. Nothing you select is saved, sent to a server, or shared, there's no account and no tracking on this page.

You've worked out how you're related.

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