Five-generation family tree chart
A five-generation pedigree with 31 boxes: you, 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents and 16 great-great-grandparents. Boxes are numbered by generation so notes elsewhere can refer to “Great-grandparent 5”.
Download the blank PDF
Portrait. Best on A3; also provided for A4 and US Letter.
Or fill it in online
Opens this layout in the editor as a new tree of unnamed people, saved in your browser. Select a box to type a name; add more relatives whenever you like.
Use this template in the editor
What’s on the page
- 1 box for you, 2 for parents, 4 for grandparents.
- 8 great-grandparents, numbered 1 to 8.
- 16 great-great-grandparents (2× great), numbered 1 to 16.
- Each person’s two parents sit to their right, joined by a bracket.
Tips for filling it in
- Print on A3 if you can. On A4 or Letter the chart fits but the writing lines are short, which suits printed or neat small handwriting.
- The same person may appear twice when cousins married. Write them in both boxes; the editor marks such repeats automatically.
- Keep a separate sheet of sources (a census, a certificate, a family Bible) and note which box each one supports.
- For more than five generations, use the editor: its pedigree and fan charts go further and tile across several pages with readable names.
Filled-in example
The same layout with the fictional Hale family, exported from the editor.
Who this template is for
Family historians and anyone researching further back. Five generations reach the great-great-grandparents, often born in the 1800s, which is where census and civil records become essential. Many people frame the finished chart on A3.
How to use it
- Download the PDF for your paper size and print it at 100% (actual size).
- Fill in the names you know in pencil first; leave unknown boxes empty.
- Ask older relatives about the gaps, then go over the names in pen.
- To keep a digital copy, or when the family outgrows the boxes, open the template in the editor and type the names in.
Five-generation family tree chart questions
How many people are on a 5 generation family tree?
31: you, 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents and 16 great-great-grandparents.
What paper size is best for a five-generation chart?
A3 (or tabloid, 11 × 17 in) gives comfortable writing space. The A4 and US Letter versions fit but need small, neat handwriting.
Can I make a chart with more than five generations online?
Yes. The pedigree chart and fan chart makers go up to seven generations and can tile a large chart across several sheets.
What if the same ancestor appears twice?
Write them in both boxes. It happens when relatives married, and the online editor marks such repeats as “same person ×2” automatically.