Can 8th Cousins Marry Each Other? | How Eight Cousins Are Related to You?

Table of Contents

Introduction

Do you know what an 8th cousin is? Are you interested in knowing what the genetic relation is between you and your eighth cousin ? In this Genetics Ancestry blog you will understand the concept of eight cousins, whether they are considered as a relative and the scientific aspect of this.

It is quite common that you may have heard of your first or second cousins. But something like eight cousins is quite uncommon for many of us. But Technically For every generation who are part of our ancestors, there is a different set of cousins. The more generations get separated from us it gives rise to more higher cousin level numbers.

What is an Eighth Cousin?

Eighth cousins can be considered as a part of the family tree in several ways. 8C is the abbreviation of 8th cousin. So exactly what is the relation between us and our eighth cousins? Here’s the explanation. Our eighth cousin is one who has the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents as ours. This is the common link between us and our eighth cousin, our ancestors who can be considered as our 7th great grandparents. If our 7th great grandparents had many children, then one among them will be our sixth great grandparent. The siblings of that 6th great grandparent will possibly be the 6th great grandparent of the 8th cousin. Hence, we have common ancestors with our eighth cousin. Let’s get into the details more in this blog.

Can Eighth Cousins be called as Distant Cousins?

Well, yes eighth cousins can be called as your distant cousins. But, usually in our everyday reference we do not consider our 8th cousin as our distant cousins or relatives since they are quite distant. However, to know more about your family tree and your distant relatives, knowing about your 8th cousin is an important part of your research on the family tree. How much DNA is shared by 8th cousins if they are so distant. In previous times there used to be large families within one generation. So it is likely that your 7th great grandparents have 8 or more children that can lead to the 8th cousin theory. In our everyday conversation we considered 4th cousins and beyond this as distant relatives. Suppose you are a part of a small immediate family, but have a large extended family then you may consider distant cousins as close cousins.

Eighth Cousin Once Removed, What Does It Mean?

First you need to know the meaning of the term “8th cousin once removed meaning”. It means you are separated from a person by one or more generations from both of your most recent common ancestors. The term ‘Most Recent Common Ancestor’ is abbreviated as ‘MRCA’

You are therefore the eighth cousin once removed of your parent’s eighth cousin, and your eighth cousin once removed is your eighth cousin’s child.

The term “eighth cousin once removed” (abbreviated as 8C1R) may be encountered in genealogical writing. This may appear on family trees or be a method used by experts to enumerate your kin and your connection to them. There are many acronyms in the field of ancestry and family history!

Are Eighth Cousins Blood-Related?

What is an eighth cousin ancestry, when it comes to blood relation. It is improbable that you will be related to any 8th cousins by blood, because there are so many degrees of separation between you and them. Recall that having DNA relatedness and having genealogy relatedness are two different things. The probability of being DNA matches is about 0.24%. You all may have millions of 8th cousins even with that small percentage you will be able to find an acceptable amount among them through DNA test.

How Many 8th Cousins Do We Have?

We’re going to surprise you with the stats, so get ready. A statistic suggests that you may have as many as 590,000 eighth cousins! Yes, you are distantly linked to nearly half a million people who are eighth cousins (you see why they are called distant cousins?).

Keep in mind that family trees expand exponentially, so even if this sounds like a ridiculously large number of ninth cousins, it’s actually not that high!

Even if they are far away, they are still kin! Finding all of these eighth cousins would be extremely difficult, particularly if the family moved and you were dealing with different languages or international laws governing information access.

However, these figures demonstrate that, despite our distance, we all have a sizable family.

Calculate your 8th Cousin chart

This chart represents all your possible generations and cousins. It will help you to calculate your estimated number of cousins.

Meaning of Half Eighth Cousin

It’s possible that you have encountered the term “half-cousin” while doing research on your lineage. Half-cousins are people who have a single relative as opposed to a pair, such as a pair of grandparents. (If you need further clarity, our guide on half-cousins is also quite helpful.)

Accordingly, a person who shares only one of the two seventh great-grandparents with you is a half-eighth cousin. This occurs when a kid of your seventh great-grandparent is born to a different partner, making the offspring half-siblings.

Considering how long ago this would have occurred, widowhood or an affair—rather than a divorce, which was unusual at the time—are the most plausible causes. Your sixth great-grandparents’ offspring would be half-siblings, having one parent instead of two.

What is a Third Cousin Once Removed? | How Are Third Cousins Related?

What is Fifth Cousin Once Removed?

What is Fourth Cousin Once Removed?

What Is Second Cousin Once Removed?

Are Double First Cousins Genetically Siblings?

Can You Marry Your 8th Cousin? Know the real science

The true danger arises when related partner unions, such as cousin marriages, continue to occur generation after generation. When a person with a variant gene—a gene that increases the likelihood of a genetic disorder—marries someone who also has a variant gene—which naturally raises the risk of getting married to a relative—their children will probably inherit both genes and be negatively affected. This can include conditions linked to trisomy as well as severe allergies and skin conditions.

At What Point Are Cousins Not Related?

The distance (or the quantity of ages) expected before being viewed as connected with somebody really relies on how and why you check it out. Lawfully, you may at this point not be viewed as similar to somebody as a second cousin. Hereditarily, it might take 4-5 ages to dispose of shared DNA basically. Hereditarily, we don’t impart a lot of DNA to our fourth or fifth cousins – and we aren’t hereditarily related. Nonetheless, in the event that you’ve routinely invested energy with your far off cousins, you might in any case feel a familial bond. All things considered, we should sort out why we aren’t in fact connected with our fourth and fifth cousins (or past) on a hereditary level.

Overall, we get half of our hereditary material (DNA) from our mother – and the other half from our father. Consequently, every age we return, we decrease the level of shared DNA significantly.

Relation	Shared DNA Percentage
Identical Twin	100%
Parent or Child	50%
Siblings (including fraternal twins)	50%
Grandparent or Grandchild	25%
Great-grandparent/child or a 1st cousin	12.5%
1st cousin once removed	6.25%
2nd cousin	3.13%
2nd cousin once removed	1.5%
3rd cousin	0.78%
4th cousin	0.2%
5th cousin	0.05%

Conclusion

As we come to the end of our blog, hope this blog is able to clear your queries regarding your 8th Cousin. Eighth cousins are considered as part of the family tree in several ways. Our eighth cousin is one who has the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents as ours. In our everyday reference we do not consider our 8th cousin as our distant cousins or relatives since they are quite distant. To know more about family trees and distant relatives, knowing about 8th cousins is an important part of research on the family tree.

Marrying your cousin could be fascinating from genealogical aspects. Finding the shared ancestor of two branches of the same family is not only an exciting experience, but it also illustrates how a person’s lineage implodes, turning from what appears to be a diamond-shaped tree to an odd shape with inlets. The true danger arises when related partner unions, such as cousin marriages, continue to occur generation after generation. When a person with a variant gene—a gene that increases the likelihood of a genetic disorder—marries someone who also has a variant gene—which naturally raises the risk of getting married to a relative—their children will probably inherit both genes and be negatively affected.

FAQ

What does “8th cousin once removed” mean?

“8th cousin once removed” signifies a familial relationship where individuals share a common ancestor eight generations back, with a difference of one additional generation either up or down the family tree.

How do you determine the degree of cousinship?

Cousinship degrees are determined by counting the number of generations between two individuals and their nearest common ancestor.

Is there a significant genetic connection between 8th cousins once removed?

Typically, there is a minimal genetic connection between 8th cousins once removed, as the genetic similarity diminishes with each generation.

How likely is it to discover an 8th cousin once removed?

Discovering an 8th cousin once removed largely depends on the size and preservation of genealogical records, as well as the frequency of intermarriage within a particular community or region.

Can 8th cousins once removed feel a sense of familial connection?

While the familial connection may exist in terms of shared ancestry, the emotional connection between 8th cousins once removed is often distant unless there is ongoing family interaction or shared cultural ties.