# What do you call the child of a first cousin? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396 "2013-01-07T21:09:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/1 "2013-01-07T21:09:49Z")
How would you describe how someone is related to their uncle’s grandson? The “proper” term is “first cousin once removed,” but I have heard a number of people, including my mother, say “second cousin,” even though “proper” second cousins are both grandchildren of siblings. To clarify: Andy and Arthur are brothers Andy has a son, Bob Arthur has a son, Ben Bob and Ben are first cousins Ben has a son (Arthur’s grandson), Charlie How are Bob and Charlie related? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/2 "2013-01-07T21:13:49Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > How would you describe how someone is related to their uncle’s grandson? The “proper” term is “first cousin once removed,” but I have heard a number of people, including my mother, say “second cousin,” even though “proper” second cousins are both grandchildren of siblings. > > To clarify: > Andy and Arthur are brothers > Andy has a son, Bob > Arthur has a son, Ben > Bob and Ben are first cousins > Ben has a son (Arthur’s grandson), Charlie > How are Bob and Charlie related? I think of them as my first cousins once removed, but nobody understands what that means so I don’t usually say it. I generally call them my cousin’s children, since I’ve known my cousin his entire life and his kids are quite young. Everyone encourages the kids to call me **Uncle Fuzzy Dunlop** which bugs me in only the most pedantic sense. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/3 "2013-01-07T21:14:36Z")
In my opinion, you’re asking two different questions: 1. How do you describe the relationship? 2. How do you call the relative. For me: 1. First cousin, once removed 2. My cousin, and leave it at that. Just in my opinion. . . . BTW, I’ve asked a similar question before, and the colloquialism of calling a first cousin, once removed a “second cousin” goes back at least a hundred years. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/4 "2013-01-07T21:17:25Z")
It’s “first cousin once removed”. My children are second cousins to my cousin’s children, IIRC. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/5 "2013-01-07T21:26:47Z")
My one and only first cousin I’m at all close to calls my daughter her niece, so I’d call her kid a niece/nephew too. Other technical cousins, I wouldn’t call their kid anything. I don’t even know them. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/6 "2013-01-07T21:34:53Z")
When trying to be precise for informational purposes, “first cousin once removed.” When talking about them in relationship terms, “nephew” or “niece.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/7 "2013-01-07T21:35:23Z")
I would call them first cousin once removed if describing the relationship. They, however, call me “uncle.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/8 "2013-01-07T21:42:58Z")
I have relationships with my mom’s cousins (I am the child in the question in the OP) and we call each other cousin. I also have relationships with my cousin’s kids (they are the children in the question in the OP) and I just call them “my cousin’s kids” but I suspect when they’re older we’ll call them “cousin.” I guess I’d probably describe them as “second cousins” in both scenarios but no one (including me) knows exactly what that means anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/9 "2013-01-07T21:54:36Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I guess I’d probably describe them as “second cousins” in both scenarios but no one (including me) knows exactly what that means anyway. No one knows? I know what I mean when I say it – Your first cousins have the same grandparents as you. Your second cousins have the same great-grandparents as you. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/10 "2013-01-07T21:56:26Z")
I avoid it by being Uncle **Leaper** to my cousin’s daughter (wasn’t it just yesterday that SHE was a baby?!). It’s inaccurate, but who the hell cares. Plus, it just feels weird to be “just” a cousin to someone multiple decades younger than you. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/11 "2013-01-07T21:58:09Z")
My cousin’s kids are my first cousins once removed. I just call them cousins. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/12 "2013-01-07T21:58:34Z")
[Cousin Calculator](http://cousincountry.com/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180010891&sec_id=180004334) ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/13 "2013-01-07T22:21:04Z")
I know that the correct term is first cousin once removed. I grew up calling them second cousins. Now I just think of them as cousins. My parents came from families with 4 and 7 children respectively. Some of them had very big families as well…I actually have never managed to get an exact count of how many cousins I have…over 30 for sure, probably over 50. Of one thing, I am sure: Due to my parents having me very late in life (my mom was 45) I am younger than all of my cousins on both sides, and all but 4 (IIRC) are more than 10 years older than me, including my two siblings. I am younger than about a dozen of their kids (the OP’s relation), and most of them have kids only a few years younger than me…so these were the kids of my generation at family gatherings, etc, so it just avoids a whole lot of explanation outside the family if I just call them cousins. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/14 "2013-01-07T23:06:01Z")
At least in Spanish you would use niece/nephew. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/15 "2013-01-07T23:09:11Z")
First cousin once removed. But over the holidays I spent some time with my first cousin’s 10-yr-old son, very familiar with the distinction between first cousins (of which he has few) and second cousins (of which he has many), and he decided I was probably his “second uncle.” So he is my “second nephew” now. Fair’s fair. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/16 "2013-01-07T23:17:34Z")
No, in Spanish I use “primos segundos” (second cousins). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/17 "2013-01-07T23:26:54Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > No one knows? I know what I mean when I say it – Your first cousins have the same grandparents as you. Your second cousins have the same great-grandparents as you. I apologize for leading you to believe that I did not think that you personally know what it means. I meant it to mean that “no one I would generally have personal contact with would know the precise meaning of ‘second cousin’, but surely **Ascenray** would.” ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/18 "2013-01-08T01:20:28Z")
My mom was the youngest of six and had kids later in life (late 20s) versus her siblings (late teens/ early 20s). This means that all of my cousins are considerably older than me and their kids are my age and younger (2 are actually older than me). They are first cousins once removed, but I just call them cousins. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/19 "2013-01-08T01:25:32Z")
I usually just say _cousin_. But if the relationship actually matters I’d say _my father’s first cousin_. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396/20 "2013-01-08T01:32:30Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > I think of them as my first cousins once removed, but nobody understands what that means so I don’t usually say it. I generally call them my cousin’s children, since I’ve known my cousin his entire life and his kids are quite young. This. Our kids call each other cousins, though they’re technically second cousins, in part because I am an only child, which limits the number of true first cousins my child can have (namely, my wife’s three nephews). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-child-of-a-first-cousin/646396.md?page=2)