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
- 119 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother
- 239 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother
- 478 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father
- 957 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother
- 1915 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother
- 3831 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother
- 7663 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother
- 15326 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father
- 30653 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother
- 61307 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother
- 122615 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother
- 245231 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother
- 490463 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother
- 980927 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother
- 1961854 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's father
- 3923709 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother
- 7847418 Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's father
Your mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's mother's father, a 20x great-grandfather, is number 7847418.