What's a Distant Cousin?

Commonly, "cousin" refers to a "first cousin", a relative whose most recent common ancestor with the subject is a grandparent.

What does it mean to be a distant cousin?

A "distant cousin," also known as a collateral cousin, is a family member with whom you share a common ancestor, often many generations back. Close cousins are, by contrast, cousins one is likely to be acquainted with, descendant's of one's own grandparents, for example, the children of your aunts and uncles.

Is everyone a distant cousin?

In brief, this is what it said: According to the leading geneticists, no human being of any race can be less closely related to any other human than approximately fiftieth cousin, and most of us are a lot closer.