What’s The Difference Between 2nd Cousins & 1st Cousins Once Removed? These terms can be so hard to remember!

Here’s a simple breakdown to help you finally understand cousin labels (without needing a family tree degree!):

Table of Contents

2nd Cousins: Share great-grandparents (your grandparent’s sibling’s grandchild).
3rd Cousins: Share great-great-grandparents, and so on.

This indicates a generational gap:

1st Cousin Once Removed: Either:
- Your parent’s 1st cousin or
- Your 1st cousin’s child.
2nd Cousin Once Removed: Your grandparent’s 2nd cousin or your 2nd cousin’s child.

Relationship	What It Means	Example
1st Cousin	Same generation, share grandparents	Your aunt’s kid
2nd Cousin	Same generation, share great-grandparents	Your great-aunt’s grandkid
1st Cousin Once Removed	1-generation gap	Your mom’s cousin or your cousin’s kid
2nd Cousin Twice Removed	2-generation gap	Your grandpa’s 2nd cousin

Count the “greats” in your shared ancestor:

No “greats”? → 1st cousins
One “great”? → 2nd cousins
Then count how many generations apart you are for “removed.”

Now you can impress at family reunions! 👨👩👧👦