# Godsibs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875 "2009-04-21T18:54:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/1 "2009-04-21T18:54:30Z")
Every so often I hear someone mention their godsister or godbrother. Not often, but not rarely either. I, being once a catholic, had godparents but I don’t remember it going any further than that. But all that catholic stuff went away a long time ago. Is it customary for some to aquire a godfamily along with godparents? How far can it go? Aunts, uncles, cousins etc? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/2 "2009-04-21T19:04:12Z")
Not officially; officially you have a godmother, godfather, or both. I will sometimes refer to my godmother’s son as my godbrother as a shorthand, but no, there’s nothing official about that. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/3 "2009-04-21T19:08:02Z")
I’ve heard this mostly among black people. I’ve even heard “godniece.” ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/4 "2009-04-21T19:54:59Z")
It may be related to how far out “family” is counted. Some black people I’ve known, and some southern families, count their kin out to many “removeds”. “Old monied” clans too, like the Kennedys. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/5 "2009-04-21T20:44:30Z")
My godmother has another godchild, and I call him my “godbrother,” but it’s just a joke. She has no children, and if she did, I don’t think I would call them my godsiblings. I don’t have a godfather. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/6 "2009-04-21T20:46:46Z")
I call my godmother’s daughters my godsisters, but that’s mostly because my godmother is my mother’s absolute best friend in the world and her kids and I practically grew up together. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/7 "2009-04-21T21:10:26Z")
In my family, we never needed such a term, since “cousin” is good enough: My mom had many siblings, and they all basically served as godparents for each others’ children. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/8 "2009-04-21T21:17:57Z")
I assumed when I posted this that godparent was always a religious relationship. Back in the catholic church I was born into the godparents (officially) were to look after the religious upbringing of the child, esp if orphaned. They also witnessed the baptism of the child. I think they often became more like aunts and uncles. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/9 "2009-04-21T22:16:13Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I assumed when I posted this that godparent was always a religious relationship. > Back in the catholic church I was born into the godparents (officially) were to look after the religious upbringing of the child, esp if orphaned. They also witnessed the baptism of the child. > I think they often became more like aunts and uncles. It’s supposed to be religious, I guess, but it doesn’t seem to be in practice. A friend of mine has several godchildren that she looks after often, and they refer to each other as godbrothers and sisters. My godparents are all related to me - two aunts and my eldest brother - so any extra nomenclature was unnecessary. They’ve put zero effort into being godparents; I haven’t seen one of the aunts for about 17 years, and have seen the other twice in that time, at funerals. The brother I’ve seen slightly more, but in a distant way. BTW, I’m not Catholic - I was christened Church of England. Goparents aren’t just a Catholic thing. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/10 "2009-04-21T22:46:43Z")
After **Pipercub** was baptised, the two sons of his godparents were saying goodbye, and spontaneously said, “If Mum and Dad are his godparents, that makes us his godbrothers!” And that’s what we’ve called them since. Doesn’t have any formal religious significance, but it’s a nice way to indicate a closer than usual relationship. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/11 "2009-04-22T00:13:21Z")
It has a nice “ring” to it. I suppose that’s why some pick it up with no “official” meaning implied. Nuttin’ wrong with that! 😛 I just looked at [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godparent]wiki\* in the middle of this reply (thanks for witing ;)), and it seems the practice is pretty old and widespread. It has been religious up to modern times. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/12 "2009-04-22T14:43:31Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I assumed when I posted this that godparent was always a religious relationship. > Back in the catholic church I was born into the godparents (officially) were to look after the religious upbringing of the child, esp if orphaned. They also witnessed the baptism of the child. That’s the way I think of it, but I had friends who aren’t religious at all call me their kid’s “godmother”. I kind of :dubious: at that because I don’t see a casual meaning for it, but I guess to them it meant someone super-close to her. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godsibs/493875/13 "2009-04-22T23:55:21Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > That’s the way I think of it, but I had friends who aren’t religious at all call me their kid’s “godmother”. I kind of :dubious: at that because I don’t see a casual meaning for it, but I guess to them it meant someone super-close to her. Being a god parent should always be a mutual thing. It’s not generally thought of as casual, and does imply a special relationship. Especially, I think, if non-religious.