Title Of A Vague Relative, Cousin Type Thing

[joko]

just curious, but i know a guy who is my blood uncles nephew - because my uncle is married to my non-blood auntie, who is the sister of this guys mum

just wondered if there is any kind of description for the vague connection?

i know we are not really related - but i guess if you decided to draw out a massive family tree, connecting people, we would both be on it somewhere.

it doesnt matter, im only wondering as when we bump into each other and people ask how we know each other, there is always this sort of mumbling joke about vague family connection - i would see him at my uncles house with my cousins growing up, and at some family occasions.

thanks

[Jackdaw33]

He is a cousin of some degree. What you need to find out are common ancestors. People who share the same grandparents are first cousins. Those who share the same great grandparents are second cousins, those who share the same great great grandparents are third cousins and so on.

[New Judge]

So your uncle (who is the brother of either your mother or your father – hence your term “blood uncle”) is married to your aunt (who, but for her marriage to your uncle, would be no relation to you). She has a sister who has a son. Hope I’ve got that right.

So this makes the guy you are talking about your uncle’s nephew (by dint of his marriage) but he has no relationship to you. If you drew out a tree of your family line there is no reason for the other guy to be on it at all (unless there is a coincidental meeting of the family trees above your grandparents). He would only be a cousin (second, third, fourth, etc., as jackdaw has explained) in the event of this coincidence.

If people ask how you know him, he is your uncle's nephew (and add by marriage to avoid confusion)

[Jackdaw33]

Thanks, NJ. I should have pointed out that there may be no common ancestors.

[Chintz]

I am in similar situation. David's blood Auntie is married to my blood Uncle.. Therefore David and I are not related other than "by marriage". We use the reply when asked your query.

[Chintz]

Joko - sorry I missed off the last line. It should have said

[Chintz]

When asked we say we share an Auntie/Uncle

[Jackdaw33]

Cousin-in-law would seem to fit the bill here as the relationship is by marriage, not a blood one, although this is not a very common term.

[New Judge]

I think you think wrongly, methyl!

Firstly, there is no such relationship recognised in the UK as “cousin-in-law”.

In addition, I don’t know if you’ve made a typo, but your two statements about “cousins-in-law” are one and the same:

"Your non-blood auntie's kids would be your cousin-in-laws.
YOur non-blood auntie's kids are your cousin-in-laws once removed."

And they are both incorrect.

Your “non-blood” auntie’s children are your (proper) cousins. Your non-blood auntie must be married to your (blood) uncle (otherwise she would not be your auntie). Her children will therefore also be the children of your (blood) uncle and are therefore your cousins.

You have the right idea about “removal”. The children of one’s cousins are cousins once removed. But since cousins-in-law is not a recognised term, then cousins-in-law removed is equally invalid.

[Jackdaw33]

Although not a legal relationship, the term cousin-in law does exist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin#Additional_terms

[New Judge]

And in any case the “cousin-in-law” definition provided in the Wiki chart does not cover the situation which joko describes. Their definition of a cousin-in-law is “…either the spouse of an individual's cousin or the cousin of one's spouse.”

The person to whom joko refers is not married to her cousin nor is he a cousin of her husband. He is the child of her (non-blood) auntie’s sister. The “in-law” connotation is clearly used to try to align it with “mother-in-law” or “brother-in-law” where there is a clear and immediate connection by virtue of marriage. Joko’s auntie’s sister’s son does not quite fit the bill as, without her auntie’s marriage to her uncle, there would be no connection between them at all.

[New Judge]

Quite so, jackdaw. But as I said, even using that definition, it does not fit the situation of Joko's auntie's sister's son.

[Cloverjo]

If your uncle and non-blood auntie have children, they would be cousins of both you and this guy you're talking about. So he'd be your cousins' (other) cousin, otherwise you have no familial connection that is described by a single name.

[Peter Pedant]

cousin by marriage gives the sort of thing
I mean why be accurate ?

my grandfather was one of eleven
and one of his brothers ( my great uncle ) had fifteen brothers and sisters in laws
the progeny were all called cousins of which as you can imagine there were zillions

[joko]

thanks everyone, seems confusing ... i think cousins cousin is probably the simplest way that doesnt need an explanation haha

its no big deal, it rarely happens, i was just wondering if there was any sort of term for it