Three-generation family tree template
A pedigree chart with seven boxes: you on the left, your two parents in the middle, and your four grandparents on the right. It is the quickest useful tree to finish, and a good first page for an interview with a grandparent.
Download the blank PDF
Landscape on A4 or US Letter, with generous space in every box.
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
- Generation 1: you.
- Generation 2: parent 1 and parent 2.
- Generation 3: four grandparents, the two parents of each parent.
Tips for filling it in
- Pedigree charts show biological or legal parents only: brothers, sisters and partners are not part of this layout. Use the blank family tree for those.
- Write maiden or birth surnames where you know them. They are the most useful clue for going back another generation.
- Ask about places as well as dates; a town of birth narrows any later search much more than a year does.
- When three generations are complete, the five-generation template continues from the grandparents.
Filled-in example
The same layout with the fictional Hale family, exported from the editor.
Who this template is for
Beginners, school homework and anyone who wants a quick ancestry chart: three generations take an evening to complete and give you the names you need to go further back. It is also a good worksheet to bring to an interview with a grandparent.
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.
Three-generation family tree template questions
What is a three-generation family tree?
A chart of three generations: you, your two parents and your four grandparents, seven people in all. It is the simplest useful pedigree chart.
Does a 3 generation family tree include siblings?
Not in this layout, which shows direct ancestors only. Use the blank family tree template for brothers, sisters, a partner and children, or add them online.
Is it suitable for a school project?
Yes, three generations is the most common school assignment. For younger children the family tree for kids has bigger boxes and room for drawings.
What comes after three generations?
The five-generation template continues back to your great-great-grandparents, and the online pedigree chart maker goes up to seven generations.