Daily AncestorHalf cousin
A half cousin is the child of your parent's half-brother or half-sister; half first cousins share only one grandparent, not two.
When two parents are half-siblings, their children are half cousins. Ordinary first cousins share a pair of grandparents; half first cousins share just one grandparent.
Records rarely say half cousin; they just say cousin. A half cousin turns up when you notice that the shared grandparent had children by two different spouses.
As seen in a recordFamily history note, 1880s
Amasa and Delight Crowell, half cousins, the grandchildren of Elias Crowell by his two wives
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Half cousin." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/half-cousin. Last checked 2026-10-12.