Understanding the Relationship: What is a 1st Cousin Once Removed?

Understanding the relationship between cousins is a vital skill for any genealogist. But the terms used to describe cousins can get confusing, especially regarding generations and removed relations.

The term, once removed, is critical to understand because it indicates how many generations separate you from your cousin’s most recent common ancestor. Keep reading to learn the basics of once, twice, and three times removed cousins.

What is a 1st Cousin Once Removed?

Navigating family relationships can be tricky. It’s even harder when you start hearing terms like “once removed” or “twice removed.” When talking about cousins, these words describe how many generations separate you and your cousin. If you’re both the same age, you’re just plain first or second cousins. But what if you’re not? That’s when the terms become more complicated. Understanding family relationships often involves deciphering terms like 1st cousin once removed, indicating a specific degree of kinship between individuals within extended family connections.

They determine this by looking at your most recent common ancestor (MRCA). If you and your cousin share the same MRCA, you’re considered plain 1st or 2nd cousins. If you and your cousin are both in the same generation, but one of you is the child of your parent’s first cousin, then you’re called 1st cousins once removed or 1C1R.

You’re referred to as a 1st Cousin once removed because of a generation gap between you and your cousin. If you were to get together and see each other’s family tree, it would look something like this:

What is a 2nd Cousin Once Removed?

A cousin once removed shares at least one common grandparent with you. They can be in the same generation as you or a generation above or below you, depending on how you count generations. If they are in your age, you call them a first cousin. If they are the child of your first cousin, you call them a first cousin once removed. Then, if they are in the generation above or below you, you say that they are your second cousin once removed or their children are your second cousins once removed.

Cousin relationships are complicated, especially when they involve more than two people. There are several ways to calculate how close a relative is to you, and each course is different. Using a chart to help you understand the different types of relationships can be helpful.

Generally, the closer you are to a common ancestor, the more closely related you are. But it’s important to know how many generations you’re talking about because that determines your type of cousin. The easiest way to determine how many generations you are apart from a relative is to count the number of “greats” in their title. Then, you can tell if the person is a first or second cousin.

What is a 3rd Cousin Once Removed?

Navigating the complexities of familial relationships can be difficult. Especially when terms like “once removed” are involved. Essentially, the term refers to how many generations separate you from your cousin. This is important to understand when researching your family history because it defines the exact degree of your relationship.

For example, your first cousin shares a standard set of grandparents with you. Your second cousin shares the same great-grandparents with you (this can be either paternal or maternal). Then, if your second cousin has children, those are your third cousins. This is because they share the same great-grandparents with your cousin’s child.

Similarly, the child of your first cousin is your first cousin once removed. This is because there is a generation difference between you and the child. If the child of your first cousin had more than one child, that additional child would be considered a second cousin once removed.

Adding to the confusion, there are also parallel and cross cousins. Parallel cousins are the children of same-sex siblings (e.g., your brother’s daughter is your similar cousin). Cross-cousins are the children of opposite-sex siblings (e.g., the son of your sister’s husband is your cross-cousin). While these differences are less significant, it’s essential to be aware of them when creating a family tree.

What is a 4th Cousin Once Removed?

The family tree can be a confusing thing, especially when it comes to cousin relationships. You have first cousins, second cousins, third cousins, and so on. But then there are the cousins that are a little more complicated, such as the fourth and fifth cousins. These cousins are a little more tricky because they can be removed once or twice. And it’s essential to understand the difference between a cousin once removed and twice removed.

A cousin once removed means that the two of you share a common ancestor who is either a parent or grandparent. So, for example, if your father’s brother’s son is your first cousin, you would be first cousins once removed. But if your aunt’s daughter is your second cousin, you would be second cousins once removed.

But what if the cousin you are talking about is a child of your first cousin? In that case, you would be first cousins twice removed.

And if that child had children, you would be fourth cousins three times removed. This means that you are a generation away from them, and it’s a good idea to have some basic definitions for this type of cousin relationship when working with your genealogy software or building a family tree. This will help keep things more organized and clear for everyone.