What is My Cousin’s Cousin (Not Related to Me by Blood) Called? A Guide to Cousin Relationships

Have you ever wondered what to call your cousin’s cousin who is not related to you by blood? Is this person your cousin too, or something else? How do you figure out your cousin relationships and what they mean? In this article, we will answer these questions and more, using simple explanations, examples, and a handy cousin calculator. Let’s get started!

What is a Cousin?

A cousin is someone who shares a common ancestor with you that is at least two generations away, such as a grandparent or a great-grandparent. You and your siblings are not cousins because your parents are only one generation away from you.

The most common type of cousin is a first cousin, who is the child of your aunt or uncle. You and your first cousins share the same grandparents. For example, if Alice and Bob are siblings, and Alice has a son named Charlie, and Bob has a daughter named Daisy, then Charlie and Daisy are first cousins.

What is a Second Cousin?

A second cousin is someone who shares a great-grandparent with you. You and your second cousins are the grandchildren of your first cousins. For example, if Charlie and Daisy are first cousins, and Charlie has a son named Ethan, and Daisy has a daughter named Fiona, then Ethan and Fiona are second cousins.

The number associated with your cousin indicates how many generations away your common ancestor is. For example:

  • First cousins share a grandparent (2 generations)
  • Second cousins share a great-grandparent (3 generations)
  • Third cousins share a great-great-grandparent (4 generations)
  • Fourth cousins share a 3rd-great-grandparent (5 generations)

A quick tip to find out what number cousin your relative is: count how many “greats” are in your common ancestor’s title and add 1. For example, if you share a 3rd-great-grandparent, then you are fourth cousins (3 + 1 = 4).

What Does it Mean to be a Cousin “Once Removed”?

Sometimes you and your cousin may share a common ancestor, but you each call this ancestor something different. For example, the common ancestor may be your great-grandparent, but your cousin’s great-great-grandparent. This is where the phrase “once removed” comes in handy.

To be “once removed” from a cousin means you are separated by one generation. The number before “removed” always represents the number of generations you are separated (“removed”) from the cousin. For example:

  • First cousins once removed share a grandparent and are separated by 1 generation
  • Second cousins once removed share a great-grandparent and are separated by 1 generation
  • Third cousins once removed share a great-great-grandparent and are separated by 1 generation

A quick tip to find out if you are “once removed” from a cousin: look at the difference between the number of “greats” in your common ancestor’s title. For example, if you share a great-grandparent (1 “great”), but your cousin shares a great-great-grandparent (2 “greats”), then you are first cousins once removed (2 – 1 = 1).

You can also be “twice removed”, “thrice removed”, or more from a cousin, depending on how many generations separate you. For example:

  • First cousins twice removed share a grandparent and are separated by 2 generations
  • Second cousins twice removed share a great-grandparent and are separated by 2 generations
  • Third cousins twice removed share a great-great-grandparent and are separated by 2 generations

A quick tip to find out how many times you are “removed” from a cousin: look at the absolute value of the difference between the number of “greats” in your common ancestor’s title. For example, if you share a great-great-grandparent (2 “greats”), but your cousin shares a great-grandparent (1 “great”), then you are second cousins twice removed (|2 – 1| = 2).

Now that we have covered the basics of cousin relationships, let’s go back to our original question: what is my cousin’s cousin (not related to me by blood) called?

The answer depends on whether your cousin’s cousin shares a common ancestor with you or not. If they do, then they are also your cousin in some way. If they don’t, then they are not related to you by blood at all.

Let’s look at some examples:

  • Example 1: Your first cousin has another first cousin on their other side of the family. This person is not related to you by blood, because you don’t share any common ancestors. You can call this person your cousin’s cousin, or your unrelated cousin, or simply your friend.
  • Example 2: Your second cousin has another second cousin on their other side of the family. This person is also your second cousin, because you share the same great-grandparents. You can call this person your second cousin, or your cousin’s cousin, or simply your relative.
  • Example 3: Your first cousin once removed has another first cousin once removed on their other side of the family. This person is your second cousin, because you share the same great-grandparents. You can call this person your second cousin, or your cousin’s cousin, or simply your relative.

As you can see, the term “cousin’s cousin” is not very specific, and can mean different things depending on the situation. If you want to be more precise, you can use the cousin calculator below to find out exactly how you are related to your cousin’s cousin.

How to Use the Cousin Calculator

The cousin calculator is a simple tool that helps you figure out how you are related to any of your cousins. All you need to do is select how you and your cousin are related to the common ancestor, and the calculator will tell you what to call each other.

For example, if you want to know what to call your first cousin’s child, you can select “grandparent” as the common ancestor for both of you, and then select “child” for your cousin and “grandchild” for yourself. The calculator will tell you that your first cousin’s child is your first cousin once removed.

You can also use the calculator to find out how you are related to your cousin’s cousin. For example, if you want to know what to call your second cousin’s second cousin on their other side of the family, you can select “great-grandparent” as the common ancestor for both of you, and then select “grandchild” for both of you. The calculator will tell you that your second cousin’s second cousin is also your second cousin.

You can download the calculator here and use it anytime you need to figure out your cousin relationships.

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped you understand what to call your cousin’s cousin (not related to me by blood) and how to calculate any of your cousin relationships. Remember that cousins are people who share a common ancestor with you that is at least two generations away, and that being “removed” from a cousin means being separated by one or more generations. You can use the cousin calculator to find out exactly how you are related to any of your cousins, or simply call them by their name if you prefer.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and family who might also be curious about their cousins. And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. We would love to hear from you!

Doms Desk

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