How could my great-aunt's son be my second cousin?

Question:How is it possible that my great-aunt's son [father's cousin] is my second cousin? My great-aunt's son has a son, who I thought was my second cousin. How could my second cousin's son be my second cousin?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: How is it possible that my great-aunt's son [father's cousin] is my second cousin? My great-aunt's son has a son, who I thought was my second cousin. How could my second cousin's son be my second cousin?

He isn't. Your father's first cousin is your first cousin once removed. Your first cousin once removed kids would be your second cousin. Relationships are established by distance from the common ancestor. Your father and your great-aunt's son are both grandchildren of the same common ancestor, so they are first cousins. You are the great-grandchild to that common ancestor, so you are first cousin once removed to your father's first cousin. You and that person's kids are both great-grandchildren to the common ancestor, so your parallel relationship is that you are 2nd cousins to that person.

Use the chart below to figure it out:

http://genealogy.about.com/library/nrela...

Your father's first cousin is your first cousin once removed not your second cousin.

this is how it works.,
each relationship here, is the same 'level' from the ancestor in common:
siblings share parents
1st cousins share grandparents
2nd cousins share gr grandparents
3 rd cousins share gr gr grandparents
so on..
so your father has a first cousin...
YOU and your fathers 1st cousin are not of the same level (generation), you are a generation removed from each other. That makes your father's 1st cousin, YOUR first cousin, 'once removed'. The removed part refers to being of differing generations or levels.
Any children of your father's 1st cousin.. those are your 2nd cousins (you would be of the same level from the common ancestor).
Your great aunt's son (your fathers 1st cousin) is not, as you believed, your 2nd cousin. His CHILDREN are your 2nd cousins.

Your great aunt's son is your parent's first cousin, the follows you, the second generation of the cousin relationship, therefore they are likewise your second cousing, and your child's third cousin.

You're right--he's not. He's your first cousin once removed, and his son is your second cousin. Your children and the son's children will be third cousins.

A lot of people say their grandparents' siblings are their "great-aunts" and "great-uncles," but they're really your grand-aunt or grand-uncle. I don't know why people skip a generation when it comes to aunts and uncles....
Common mistake though.