What Is a Second Cousin Once Removed? (With Relationship Chart)

"Second cousin once removed" might be the single most confusing phrase in the entire family relationship vocabulary, and yet it's one of the most commonly searched, because sooner or later almost everyone meets a relative at a reunion or on a DNA match list with exactly this label attached. The good news is that once you understand two simple ideas, cousin degree and "removed," the whole system clicks into place and you'll never need to ask again.

The Two Questions That Define Any Cousin Relationship

Every cousin relationship, no matter how distant, is defined by answering just two questions:

1. How many generations back is your shared ancestor? This determines the cousin "degree": first, second, third, and so on.
2. Are you and your cousin the same number of generations from that shared ancestor? If not, the difference in generations is how many times "removed" you are.

Cousin Degree: Counting Back to the Shared Ancestor

Your first cousins share a set of grandparents with you: you're both exactly two generations from that shared ancestor. Your second cousins share a set of great-grandparents: you're both three generations from that shared ancestor. Your third cousins share great-great-grandparents, and so on. The degree number always matches how far back you have to go to find a common ancestor that both of you are equally distant from.

"Removed": When the Generations Don't Match

"Removed" only comes into play when you and your cousin are not the same number of generations from your shared ancestor. If your cousin is one generation further from the shared ancestor than you are (for example, they're your parent's second cousin, making them a generation above you but still descended from the same great-great-grandparent as you), the relationship is "once removed." Two generations of difference makes it "twice removed," and so on. The degree (first, second, third cousin) never changes based on removal; removal is purely about generational offset, layered on top of the degree.

Second Cousin Once Removed, Specifically

Putting both rules together: a second cousin once removed shares a set of great-great-grandparents with you, but is one generation off from you in the family tree. This can happen two ways:

• They are the child of your second cousin (one generation younger than you), or
• They are the second cousin of one of your parents (one generation older than you).

Both people hold the exact same label, "your second cousin once removed"; the chart doesn't distinguish which direction the generational gap runs.

Great-Great-Grandparent (shared ancestor)
└── Grandchild - your grandparent's first cousin
    └── Child - your parent's second cousin
        └── Grandchild - your second cousin
            └── Great-Grandchild - your second cousin, once removed

The Cousin Relationship Chart

Here's the standard chart genealogists use, showing how cousin degree and "removed" combine. Read across a row for the degree, and down a column for how many generations of offset:

Shared Ancestor	Same Generation	1 Gen Apart	2 Gen Apart
Grandparents	1st cousin	1st cousin, once removed	1st cousin, twice removed
Great-grandparents	2nd cousin	2nd cousin, once removed	2nd cousin, twice removed
Great-great-grandparents	3rd cousin	3rd cousin, once removed	3rd cousin, twice removed

Why This Matters for DNA Matches and Family Trees

This chart shows up constantly in consumer DNA test results, where matches are often labeled with an estimated relationship like "second cousin once removed" based purely on shared DNA percentage. Because that DNA estimate can't tell which direction the "removal" runs, the same label might describe your grandparent's cousin's child or your own cousin's grandchild; the actual position in the tree still needs to be worked out from names, dates, and documented records, not just the DNA estimate.

This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to get right on paper and then lose track of a generation later, which is why it's worth actually recording it in a family tree rather than relying on memory: a digital tree like myrOoOts will calculate and display the correct relationship label automatically once you've entered how everyone connects, so nobody has to redo this math by hand at the next family reunion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "once removed" mean in a family tree?

It means there's a one-generation difference between you and your cousin relative to your shared ancestor. If your cousin is your parent's cousin, or your cousin's child, they're "once removed" from you.

Is a second cousin once removed closer or more distant than a first cousin?

It depends on what you're measuring. In terms of shared ancestry, a second cousin once removed shares a more distant common ancestor (great-great-grandparents) than a first cousin does (grandparents), so they're generally a more distant relative, even though "once removed" on its own sounds close.

How much DNA do second cousins once removed typically share?

On average, second cousins once removed share roughly 0.78% of their DNA, though the actual amount can vary quite a bit due to how DNA is randomly inherited each generation, which is why DNA testing companies usually list this relationship as a range rather than a single percentage.

Can "removed" apply to first cousins too?

Yes. A first cousin once removed is either your parent's first cousin or your first cousin's child; the "once removed" rule applies the same way regardless of cousin degree.

What's the easiest way to figure out a cousin relationship without doing the math?

Trace both people back to their shared ancestor on a family tree and count the generations on each side. The smaller number of generations minus one gives you the cousin degree, and the difference between the two sides gives you how many times removed they are, or simply enter the relatives into a family tree tool that calculates it for you.

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