Generation calculator
What do you call the ancestor seven generations back, how many of them do you have, and when were they born? Enter your birth year.
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Genealogists usually use 25 to 33 years. Lines that run through youngest children run longer; lines through oldest children, shorter.
| Generation | They are your | How many | Total so far | Born about |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | parents | 2 | 2 | 1951 (range 1946–1959) |
| 2 | grandparents | 4 | 6 | 1921 (range 1911–1937) |
| 3 | great-grandparents | 8 | 14 | 1891 (range 1876–1915) |
| 4 | 2nd great-grandparents | 16 | 30 | 1861 (range 1841–1893) |
| 5 | 3rd great-grandparents | 32 | 62 | 1831 (range 1806–1871) |
| 6 | 4th great-grandparents | 64 | 126 | 1801 (range 1771–1849) |
| 7 | 5th great-grandparents | 128 | 254 | 1771 (range 1736–1827) |
| 8 | 6th great-grandparents | 256 | 510 | 1741 (range 1701–1805) |
| 9 | 7th great-grandparents | 512 | 1,022 | 1711 (range 1666–1783) |
| 10 | 8th great-grandparents | 1,024 | 2,046 | 1681 (range 1631–1761) |
| 11 | 9th great-grandparents | 2,048 | 4,094 | 1651 (range 1596–1739) |
| 12 | 10th great-grandparents | 4,096 | 8,190 | 1621 (range 1561–1717) |
| 13 | 11th great-grandparents | 8,192 | 16,382 | 1591 (range 1526–1695) |
| 14 | 12th great-grandparents | 16,384 | 32,766 | 1561 (range 1491–1673) |
Go back far enough and the numbers pass the number of people alive, because cousins married cousins and the same ancestors fill more than one place in your tree. Genealogists call this pedigree collapse.
But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers, have I kept even unto this day, and I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me.
Questions
How many 5th great-grandparents do I have?
128. Each generation doubles: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, and so on. Your 5th great-grandparents are 7 generations back, and 2 to the 7th power is 128.
Is "2nd great-grandfather" the same as "great-great-grandfather"?
Yes. Counting the greats with a number keeps long names readable: your 5th great-grandfather is your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
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