What is a second cousin?

Kinship terminology can be confusing. It’s easiest to understand when broken down in simple terms.

Put clearly: 

• You and your second cousin both descend from the same set of great-grandparents. 
• Your grandparent and their grandparent were siblings. 
• Your parent and their parent are first cousins. 
• That makes you and them second cousins. 

Contrary to what you might think, second cousins are different from first cousins once removed.  

Unlike second cousins, first cousins once removed are from different generations. A first cousin once removed is the child of your first cousin, or the first cousin of your parent. 'Once removed' simply means that you’re one generation apart.

For example, if your maternal first cousin has a child, then that child is your first cousin once removed. 

As second cousins are fairly distant relations, they often don’t know eachother in their daily lives. When you build your family tree, however, you may find a long list of second cousins that you didn’t know you had.  

You share a family bond with your second cousins. You may share familial traits and genetic connections. Since second cousins share great-grandparents with you, their family records and stories may help you to gain a deeper understanding of your family history.