COUSINS EXPLAINED
Whilst meeting relatives for the first time the question always asked is "What relation am I to you?"
On this page I aim to try and explain the different types of cousin.
RELATIONSHIPS EXPLAINED
Some relationships are obvious, Parents, Grandparents, Great Grandparents, but when it comes to cousins then confusion can set in so hopefully this page will help make sense of it all..
1st COUSIN
First cousins are children of your parents brothers and sisters.
They share the same grandparents as you .
2nd COUSINS
Second cousins are children of your first cousins. They share the same Great Grandparents as you.
3rd COUSINS
Third cousins are the grandchildren of first cousins / the children of second cousins.
They share the same Great Great Grandparents as you.
COUSINS REMOVED
Once removed means one
generation apart.
Twice removed means two generations apart
MATERNAL / PATERNAL COUSIN
A term that specifies whether one individual is a cousin of another through the mother's side of the family (maternal) or the father's side (paternal).
MATHMATICAL DEFINITIONS
There is a mathematical way to identify the degree of cousinship shared by two individuals. In the description of each individual's relationship to the most recent common ancestor, each "great" or "grand" has a numerical value of 1. The following examples demonstrate how this is applied.
Example: If person one's great-great-great-grandfather is person two's grandfather, then person one's "number" is 4 (great + great + great + grand=4) and person two's "number" is 1 (grand=1). The smaller of the two numbers is the degree of cousinship. The two people in this example are first cousins. The difference between the two people's "numbers" is the degree of removal. In this case, the two people are thrice (4 − 1=3) removed, making them first cousins three times removed.
Example 2: If someone's great-great-great-grandparent (great + great + great + grand=4) is another person's great-great-great-grandparent (great + great + great + grand=4), then the two people are 4th cousins. There is no degree of removal because they are on the same generational level (4 − 4=0).
Example 3: If one person's great-grandparent (great + grand=2) is a second person's great-great-great-great-great-grandparent (great + great + great + great + great + grand=6), then the two are second cousins four times removed. The first person's "number" (2) is the lower, making them second cousins. The difference between the two numbers is 4 (6 − 2=4), which is the degree of removal (generational difference).
FACTS & MYTHS ABOUT
COUSIN MARRIAGE
No European country prohibits marriage between first cousins. It is also legal in Canada & Mexico. The USA is the only western country which has any restrictions with only 26 states allowing such marriages
It is estimated that 20% of all marriages worldwide are first cousins and that historically 80% are first cousins.
In Leviticus 18 it lists all forbidden sexual relationships. Cousins are not included. Jacob married 2 of his first cousins, Rachel & Leah.
We are all cousins in theory as no two people can be more distantly related than 50th cousin.
Current studies show that cousins have a lower ratio of miscarriages.
The National Society of Genetic Counsellors states that the increased risk of birth defects between first cousins is 1.7 - 2.8%. That s about the same as a woman over 40 years old.