What is a aunt or uncle?
Short answerYour aunt or uncle is a sibling of your parent. You are their niece or nephew: the child of their sibling. You share grandparents, and a full aunt or uncle shares about 25% of your DNA on average.
The family line, drawn out
Follow the highlighted line from you up to the shared ancestor and down to them.
How to work it out
Go up 2 generations from you to a shared grandparent, then 1 down to their child. That child is a sibling of your parent, which makes them your aunt or uncle.
Their spouse or partner is your aunt or uncle by marriage. Their children are your first cousins.
What to call each other
| Them, to you | You, to them | |
|---|---|---|
| Female | aunt | niece |
| Male | uncle | nephew |
| Anyone | aunt or uncle | niece or nephew |
Their family and yours
Relationships shift by one step for each generation. Here is how the people around them relate to you:
| Their child | first cousin |
| Their parent on the shared line | grandparent |
| Your child sees them as your child’s | great-aunt or uncle |
| Your parent sees them as your parent’s | sibling |
| What they call you | niece or nephew |
Shared DNA
On average, full aunts and uncles share about 25% of their DNA. That figure is the expected value: it halves with every generation of separation, and real amounts vary from person to person. A half relationship (through only one shared ancestor instead of a couple) shares about half as much: 12.5%.
Let Family Trees name it for you
In Family Trees, open anyone’s page to see how they are related to you in plain words, or choose any two people under How are they related?. The app counts the shortest blood line through birth and adoptive parents, names step, foster and in-law relations too, and uses exactly the words on this page. It’s free for a family of up to 100 people. You can also try the relationship calculator here.
Questions
What is a aunt or uncle?
Your aunt or uncle is a sibling of your parent. You are their niece or nephew: the child of their sibling.
How much DNA do you share with a aunt or uncle?
About 25% on average. Each generation of separation halves the expected amount, and individual results vary.
What is my aunt or uncle’s child to me?
Your first cousin.