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
- 29 Your mother's mother's father's mother
- 59 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother
- 118 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father
- 237 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother
- 475 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother
- 951 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother
- 1902 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father
- 3805 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother
- 7611 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother
- 15222 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father
- 30444 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father
- 60889 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother
- 121779 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother
- 243559 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother
- 487119 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's mother
- 974238 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father
- 1948477 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother
- 3896955 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother
- 7793911 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother
Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's father's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother, a 20x great-grandmother, is number 7793911.