* Your uncle is the brother of your father or mother.

* Your aunt is the sister of your father or mother.

* Your great uncle (or grand uncle) is the brother of your grandfather or grandmother

* Your great aunt (or grand aunt) is the sister of your grandfather or grandmother

* Your great-great uncle is the brother of your great-grandfather or great-grandmother.

* Your great-great aunt is the sister of your great-grandfather or great-grandmother.

* Your 1st cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle.

* Your 2nd cousin is the grandchild of your great aunt or great uncle.

* If two people are 1st cousins, the children of each of the people will be 2nd cousins.

* Your 3rd cousin is the great-grandchild of your great-great uncle or great-great aunt.

* Children of 2nd cousins are 3rd cousins to each other.

* Your 1st cousin, once removed, is the child of your 1st cousin or is the child of your great uncle or great aunt.

If someone is your 1st cousin, then his or her child is your 1st cousin once removed. Once removed means one generation level different from you. All your regular cousins (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) are at the same generation level as yourself. Those at different levels are removed. If someone is your 1st cousin once removed, then you are his or her 1st cousin once removed also. Your 2nd cousin once removed is the child of your 2nd cousin. Your 1st cousin twice removed is the child of your 1st cousin once removed (i.e. the grandchild of your 1st cousin). Your 2nd cousin twice removed is the child of your 2nd cousin once removed (i.e. the grandchild of your 2nd cousin).

Here is the way to compute the relationship of two people who are some type of cousins, but at different generation levels. First, count how many generation levels they are apart. This is the number they are removed (once, twice, thrice, etc). Then, start with the one at the highest generation level (the older level) and count how many generations up you must go to find the brothers or sisters that are the ancestors of these cousins. This is the 1st or 2nd or 3rd part of the cousin relationship.