Daily AncestorFirst cousin once removed
A first cousin once removed is either the child of your first cousin, or a first cousin of one of your parents.
This one relationship covers two directions. Your first cousin's son is your first cousin once removed, and you are his first cousin once removed too. Likewise your mother's first cousin is your first cousin once removed.
In each case one person is a grandchild of the shared couple and the other is a great-grandchild, so they sit one generation apart. Some families, including Mennonite ones, show the direction with cousin-uncle or cousin-nephew. When a record just says cousin, an age gap of a generation can point to this link.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "First cousin once removed." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/first-cousin-once-removed. Last checked 2026-10-12.