Daily AncestorNext of kin
Next of kin means a person's closest living relatives, the ones who inherit when there is no will and who are notified at a death.
Next of kin are a person's nearest relatives. In inheritance law they are the people who take the estate when someone dies without a will, which is why estate files list them.
Who counts as next of kin depends on the law of the time and place. Older law dictionaries count relatives by blood and also a wife; today the term also takes in adopted family. A list of next of kin can name siblings, nieces and cousins scattered across several states.
As seen in a recordHospital admission register, 1910s
Next of kin: Elvira Coldbeck, sister, Peoria, Ill.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Next of kin." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/next-of-kin. Last checked 2026-10-12.