Cousin chart: how are we related?

2 min readUpdated 19 October 2026

Short answerA cousin chart (also called a relationship or consanguinity chart) names how two relatives are related from their nearest shared ancestor. Find the ancestor’s relationship to you in the left column and to the other person along the top; the cell where they meet is the relationship. Two people who share grandparents are first cousins.

The chart

Every cell uses the same words Family Trees shows in the app. Linked cells have their own page with a diagram, examples and DNA figures.

The shared ancestor is… (rows: to you, columns: to them)
ThemParentGrandparentGreat-grandparent2nd great-grandparent3rd great-grandparent4th great-grandparent5th great-grandparent
YouSame personchildgrandchildgreat-grandchild2nd great-grandchild3rd great-grandchild4th great-grandchild5th great-grandchild
Your parentparentsiblingniece or nephewgreat-niece or nephew2nd great-niece or nephew3rd great-niece or nephew4th great-niece or nephew5th great-niece or nephew
Your grandparentgrandparentaunt or unclefirst cousinfirst cousin once removedfirst cousin twice removedfirst cousin 3 times removedfirst cousin 4 times removedfirst cousin 5 times removed
Your great-grandparentgreat-grandparentgreat-aunt or unclefirst cousin once removedsecond cousinsecond cousin once removedsecond cousin twice removedsecond cousin 3 times removedsecond cousin 4 times removed
Your 2nd great-grandparent2nd great-grandparent2nd great-aunt or unclefirst cousin twice removedsecond cousin once removedthird cousinthird cousin once removedthird cousin twice removedthird cousin 3 times removed
Your 3rd great-grandparent3rd great-grandparent3rd great-aunt or unclefirst cousin 3 times removedsecond cousin twice removedthird cousin once removedfourth cousinfourth cousin once removedfourth cousin twice removed
Your 4th great-grandparent4th great-grandparent4th great-aunt or unclefirst cousin 4 times removedsecond cousin 3 times removedthird cousin twice removedfourth cousin once removedfifth cousinfifth cousin once removed
Your 5th great-grandparent5th great-grandparent5th great-aunt or unclefirst cousin 5 times removedsecond cousin 4 times removedthird cousin 3 times removedfourth cousin twice removedfifth cousin once removedsixth cousin

How to read it

  1. Find the closest ancestor you and the other person both descend from.
  2. In the left column, find what that ancestor is to you, for example your great-grandparent.
  3. Along the top, find what the same ancestor is to them, for example their grandparent.
  4. Read the cell where the row and column meet: here, first cousin once removed.

The rules behind it

Cousin degree is the smaller number of generations up to the shared ancestor, minus one. “Removed” is the difference between the two numbers. Siblings are one generation from a shared parent; aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews are one step off the direct line; everyone else on the same line further out is a cousin.

Prefer not to count? Use the relationship calculator.

Questions

How do you read a cousin chart?

Find your shared ancestor’s relationship to you in the left column and to the other person along the top. The cell where they meet names the relationship, such as second cousin once removed.

What is a consanguinity chart?

It is another name for a relationship chart that shows degrees of blood relationship from a common ancestor. Lawyers use versions of it for inheritance, which may count degrees differently from genealogists.

What do second cousins share?

Second cousins share a set of great-grandparents. Their parents are first cousins.