What is a third cousin 3 times removed?
Short answerYour third cousin 3 times removed is either your great-grandparent’s third cousin or your third cousin’s great-grandchild. “Third cousin” comes from whichever of you is closer to the shared ancestors; “3 times removed” means you are 3 generations apart. The word is the same in both directions: you are their third cousin 3 times removed too. Full third cousins 3 times removed share about 0.098% of their 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
- Find the nearest ancestor you share: your 5th great-grandparent.
- Count the generations from each of you up to that ancestor: 7 for one, 4 for the other.
- Take the smaller number and subtract one: 4 − 1 = 3, so they are third cousins.
- The difference between the two numbers is how many times removed: 7 − 4 = 3.
Cousins are only “removed” when they belong to different generations. Two people in the same generation are never removed, whatever their ages.
Their family and yours
Relationships shift by one step for each generation. Here is how the people around them relate to you:
| Their child | fourth cousin twice removed |
| Their parent on the shared line | second cousin 4 times removed |
| Your child sees them as your child’s | third cousin 4 times removed |
| Your parent sees them as your parent’s | third cousin twice removed |
| What they call you | third cousin 3 times removed |
Shared DNA
On average, full third cousins 3 times removed share about 0.098% of their DNA. That figure is the expected value: it halves with every generation of separation, and real amounts vary from person to person. At this distance, a DNA test may find no shared DNA at all even when the relationship is certain. A half relationship (through only one shared ancestor instead of a couple) shares about half as much: 0.049%.
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 third cousin 3 times removed?
Your third cousin 3 times removed is either your great-grandparent’s third cousin or your third cousin’s great-grandchild. “Third cousin” comes from whichever of you is closer to the shared ancestors; “3 times removed” means you are 3 generations apart. The word is the same in both directions: you are their third cousin 3 times removed too.
How much DNA do you share with a third cousin 3 times removed?
About 0.098% on average. Each generation of separation halves the expected amount, and individual results vary.
What is my third cousin 3 times removed’s child to me?
Your fourth cousin twice removed.
Is a third cousin 3 times removed the same as a sixth cousin?
No. A sixth cousin is in your own generation and shares your 5th great-grandparents. A third cousin 3 times removed shares the same ancestors but sits 3 generations away from you.