Do you know what to call your "cousins"?

[Jem]

In my family and extended family and even including some close friends of the family that are always around you're either an aunt/uncle or a cousin. However, we also use aunt/uncle instead of the "proper" cousin title if there is enough of an age gap. For example, I call all my Dad's first cousins, aunt and uncle...always have. Just like my cousins kids call me their aunt.
One time, "my cousin" and me were trying to figure out how we were actually related...it was painful but this little diagram would have been helpful!!! Turns out she is my third cousin....I think.

So does your family work the same way or are there actually people out there that know how to decipher and figure out how you're related to those in your family tree?



Edit...Nope...second cousin....I think

 

[Margret]

"Removed" refers to the generation. So a cousin of your mother or father is your first cousin (because he or she is a first cousin of your parent) once removed (one generation away from you). The child of your first cousin once removed is your second cousin. And it works in reverse, too. You are the second cousin of your second cousin and the first cousin once removed of your first cousin once removed - it isn't like "aunt" and "uncle," where you're a "nephew" or "niece" (or vice versa).

As for my family, my father was one of ten children, and all my aunts, uncles, and cousins on his side lived in the same city where I lived growing up. I'd only see them at big family get-togethers about once a year and I had trouble keeping it straight who was which aunt or uncle, and only kept track of the cousins who were about my age. I have one first cousin who seemed to be about the same age as my parents (i.e. he was an adult when I was a child); I always thought he was an uncle whose name I didn't know until I found out otherwise as an adult.

Margret

 

[strider rose]

well it depends what generation they are from

 

[misty8723]

We always called my maternal grandfather's siblings Aunt and Uncle and their children were cousins. Technically they were Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle. And their children were 1st cousins 1x removed.
My paternal grandfather had no siblings except a half brother I didn't know. We called his father (my great grandfather) Grandpa Ed.

Since I'm into genealogy, I have Family Tree Maker installed on my computer. This program calculates the relationship between any person and me, so I don't have to try to sort it out myself. I always get confused with the times removed.

 

[Pywacket21]

And then there is “kissing cousins”. Who may, or may not be real cousins, but you like them, and will kiss them anyway.

 

[game misconduct]

we just keep it simple in my family my cousins kids call me uncle same as my sisters kids do. i just prefer being called by my name only though i dont feel as old then

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Theres too many people for that. Any cousin older than my own generation is called Cousin SoandSo. On my mom’s mom’s side we called her sisters Cioci SoandSo instead of Great-Aunt. (Gram’s parents were born in Poland.)

We seem to be doing it less with the younger generation. Some of the great-grands refer to my mom and aunt as Cioci but others just say Aunt. I go back and forth how I refer to my Aunt on that side with them. It would probably help if I called her Cioci consistently because my uncles wife has the same name as his sister. It caused a few moments of confusion as a kid when I’d walk into the room and say “Aunt ___” and both would respond. Adding their last initial didn’t help. And now my aunt took her maiden name back after being widowed so they have the same name again.

I do refer to my cousins as Cousin ____ to my kids but mostly they call the ones they know by their first name. I don’t mind if its the adults preference. But at church adults are Mr or Ms so its not unusual to my kids. Just the adults.

 

[vansX2]

My wife's Relatives address me as Tito which translates to Uncle.

 

[Katie M]

I don't think I've met anyone beyond first cousins

 

[aliceneko]

I come from a big family despite being an only child myself, so I've always been surrounded by lots of cousins. I always call them "cousin" despite the fact they're my 2nd or 3rd cousin instead.

 

[maggiedemi]

I called all my cousins, my cousins, regardless of age, besides my cousin Elmer I called Uncle Elmer. My mom said it was because my cousin Kathy called him that, so I did too....So then I always thought he was my Uncle my entire life! Ha!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I called all my cousins, my cousins, regardless of age, besides my cousin Elmer I called Uncle Elmer. My mom said it was because my cousin Kathy called him that, so I did too....So then I always thought he was my Uncle my entire life! Ha!

My kids call my closest friends Aunt because that’s what I did with my moms friends. Every now and then I make sure they know its not a blood relation for this reason. They call their cousins aunt Aunt J too even though shes my stepdad’s exwife’s sister. No one minds and my kids end up at birthday parties at her house playing with her kids. Its amusing but hopefully not super confusing.