# Grandfather ... Great Uncle?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 15, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553 "2009-08-15T19:32:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553/1 "2009-08-15T19:32:02Z")

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What’s the skinny on usage for generational differences? I am, as of yesterday, a tearful great uncle. How come I’m not a grand uncle? The prefix -great is used for paternal and maternal lines after the first generation, as in great-great-grandmother, but not for avuncular relations.

Any ideas why?

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**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553/2 "2009-08-15T19:45:36Z")

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You are both. The terms are interchangeable.

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553/3 "2009-08-15T19:54:42Z")

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No idea why the usage. Note that it’s only the direct line that uses “grand-”, and that it goes both ways: A grandfather’s son’s son is his grandson. But your wife or sister, if any, is now a great-aunt. It may be simply that the variation highlights the distinction between direct and collateral ancestry: “great-” comes into play in the second generation for collagteral relatives, in the third for direct ancestors/descendants.

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553/4 "2009-08-15T20:01:35Z")

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In my experience, in Ireland, “grand uncle” is used in preference to “great uncle”.

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**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553/5 "2009-08-16T02:04:48Z")

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I’ve used Grand Uncle and/or Grand Aunt for years, mainly when I started doing our (E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D Family) Family Tree. It’s just something I’ve grown used to and I’m noticing many other people using it now as well.

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553/6 "2009-08-16T13:56:50Z")

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Interesting, though, that you never hear “greatfather”, only grandfather. I suppose greatfather sounds like you’ve just been discovered by Lewis and Clark and told that some white dude back east is now your ruler.

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**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grandfather-great-uncle/506553/7 "2009-08-16T15:25:15Z")

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> [@jjimm](#):
>
> In my experience, in Ireland, “grand uncle” is used in preference to “great uncle”.

I think in Ireland, “grand uncle” and “gran’aunt” sound more cosy or familiar, and “great uncle” and “great aunt” sound more “proper”. In other words different registers or different contexts.