Relationship Charts Simplify Everything
Now that you have an idea of what these different words mean, take a look at the chart below. It’s called a relationship chart, and it can help you figure out how different people in your family are related. It’s much simpler than it looks, just follow the instructions.
Instructions for Using a Relationship Chart
- Pick two people in your family and figure out which ancestor they have in common. For example, if you chose yourself and a cousin, you would have a grandparent in common.
- Look at the top row of the chart and find the first person’s relationship to the common ancestor.
- Look at the far left column of the chart and find the second person’s relationship to the common ancestor.
- Determine where the row and column containing those two relationships meet.
| Common Ancestor | Child | Grandchild | G-grandchild | G-g-grandchild |
| Child | Sister or Brother | Nephew or Niece | Grand-nephew or niece | G-grand-nephew or niece |
| Grandchild | Nephew or Niece | First cousin | First cousin, once removed | First cousin, twice removed |
| G-grandchild | Grand-nephew or niece | First cousin, once removed | Second cousin | Second cousin, once removed |
| G-g-grandchild | G-grand-nephew or niece | First cousin, twice removed | Second cousin, once removed | Third cousin |
