Ancestor Numbers
An Ancestor Number (the proper name is an Ahnentafel number) says exactly where a direct ancestor sits in your family tree. You are always number 1. Anyone's father has double their number, and their mother double plus one: so your father is 2 and your mother 3, your father's parents are 4 and 5, your mother's parents 6 and 7, and so on. That's why every man in your tree (apart from you) has an even number and every woman an odd one.
Entering the Ancestor Numbers of your direct ancestors on My Ancestors keeps your records accurate, helps your cousins work out how they're related to you, and tells apart two lines that happen to share a surname.
Print our Ancestor Chart Every box on the chart shows its number, five generations back from you.
Peter Calver, who founded LostCousins, explained Ancestor Numbers in his newsletter of 25 December 2023 (Why are your female ancestors odd?).
Find a number by stepping back from you
Choose father or mother, one generation at a time, until you reach the person you want.
- 1 You
- 3 Your mother
- 7 Your mother's mother
- 14 Your mother's mother's father
- 28 Your mother's mother's father's father
- 57 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother
- 115 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother
- 231 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother
- 462 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father
- 925 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother
- 1851 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother
- 3703 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother
- 7407 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother
- 14814 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father
- 29628 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father
- 59256 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's father
- 118513 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's father's mother
- 237026 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's father's mother's father
- 474052 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's father's mother's father's father
- 948105 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's father's mother's father's father's mother
- 1896211 Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's father's mother's father's father's mother's mother
Your mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's father's mother's father's father's mother's mother, a 18x great-grandmother, is number 1896211.