Skip to Content

Explained: Difference Between Nephew and Niece

Explained: Difference Between Nephew and Niece

Their difference is in gender! A nephew is a male, while a niece is a female. You call this to your siblings’ children or could be your cousins’ children.

It’s important to understand relationships. While you can call anyone your niece or nephew, knowing the proper person to use it is still essential.

Some people find determining which of the two should be used is challenging. This is probably because they almost sound the same. I’ll help you with your confusion. Let’s get to it!

What is a Family?

A family is a social group that consists of parents and their children. Basically, a family is a bunch of people who descend from the same ancestral group and are people who live together to make up what is called a “household.”

People might’ve said to you before, “Oh, you resemble your mother’s side of the family” or your father’s side of the family. Because you share the same genes, you have characteristics and features similar to your family.

There are many types of families, including the two major ones, the Nuclear family and the Extended family. Now the nuclear family is an immediate family unit. This close family includes partners and their children.

On the other hand, the extended family includes everybody else, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They could be living in the same household as you or nearby.

To officially define “family,” one could say it’s a group of bloodlines and legal relationships. Sometimes family could include other members like your step-parents, adoptive parent, siblings, or even your friends. But in the end, it’s your decision on who you consider your family!

How Many Make a Family?

There’s no limit. It solely depends on your family. As said earlier, family is defined as a group of partners, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Extended family can include your sibling’s children, nieces, and nephews. They are considered as much a part of the family as anybody else.

Here’s a table summarizing the different levels of family relationships:

Levels Links
First-degreeParents and children, brothers and sisters
Second-degreeGrandparents, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews
Third-degreeGreat-grandparents and their siblings.
Fourth degreeFirst cousin
This would help you check your family degree.

Moreover, instead of just your blood and legal relationships, many other people are seen or considered as family. When a person becomes an adult and is mature enough to build relationships with others, then it is for them to decide who constitutes a family to them.

Expanding the Boundaries of Family: Beyond Blood Ties

Many people build multiple types of connections with others and spend a lot of time and energy to honor their relationships. These relationships are built on trust, loyalty, and love. These characteristics are widespread between family members as well. So why don’t we consider the other relationships as familial too?

“Family is only blood” is a statement we’ve all heard before. The concept of “family” has become a social construct. This idea is accepted and followed by people all over the world.

However, when people nurture their relationships and put in effort, they choose who is family to them. I believe there’s nothing wrong with giving the family’s title to someone else.

Set of people enjoying by the beach.
Sometimes even friends are considered family due to the deep connections.

Who is Called a Cousin?

A cousin is a son or a daughter of an uncle or aunt. There are instances wherein some get confused with a cousin, nephew, and niece.

Cousins are related to you as descendants in a diverging line from a known common ancestor, like one’s grandparents, great-grandparents, or father’s and mother’s siblings. Another thing with cousins is that you can call them male or female.

These ancestors are generally two generations away. For example, you and your siblings are not cousins because your parents are only one generation away from you.

Even though they are considered blood relationships, they are not your immediate family but can be a part of your extended family.

Family offers support, security, and unconditional love. They will always care for you and help you become the best version of yourself.

Cousins tend to support you and your life decisions, they become a close part of you. They are someone you may have grown up with. They also share unlimited love, laughter, and a feeling of belonging.

Who is Your Nephew and Niece?

As I’ve mentioned earlier, “nephew” is a male. He is the son of your sibling, while a “niece” is a female. She is the daughter of your sibling.

The difference between the two is merely gender. It’s the same as calling a male an uncle and a female an aunt. You are typically considered an aunt or an uncle to them. While mom, dad, and siblings are regarded as immediate family, a nephew or a niece is part of your extended family because they are children of a sibling.

According to the traditional kinship system in English-speaking countries, a niece or nephew is part of your kin because they’re a sibling’s child. In the same way, both aunt/uncle and niece/nephew are separated by two generations and are examples of second-degree relationships.

They are 25% related if they are considered your blood.

Why are They Called Niece and Nephew?

Both niece and nephew initially meant “grandchild” but were narrowed to their current meaning in the 1600s.

The term “niece” ultimately comes from the Latin word “Neptis,” which means “granddaughter.” Whereas the time “nephew” comes from the Latin word “Nepos,” which translates to “grand-son.” However, in English, the terms niece and nephew mean daughter and son of a sibling instead of grandchildren.

What Do You Call Your Nieces and Nephews?

Generally, nieces and nephews are popularly known as “niblings.”

Nibling is probably the most general term to form niece and nephew alike. This term was relatively obscure for several decades but has recently revived in the past few years as the world keeps evolving. Check out this video to know more about it.

Nibling is modeled on the term sibling, with the addition of N instead of S, taken from Nephew and Niece.

There isn’t a single standard term to refer to both nephew and niece at once. We can refer to Mom and Dad as our parents, brothers and sisters as our siblings, and grandpa and grandma as our grandparents.

Then why not a mutual term for nieces and nephews too? They provide one with so much support and love and should be equally appreciated.

Therefore, a linguist, Samuel Martin, coined this gender-neutral term- nibling- in the 1950s. This term can refer to these essential relatives when discussing both or more than two.

Moreover, as the world evolves, it’s become more sensitive towards people and how they define their identity. Consequently, people are now becoming more aware of those around them who aren’t confined to one gender and are non-binary. Then how must we address them if they don’t conform to a specific gender?

This term is an excellent example of a gender-neutral and gender-inclusive language that makes it easier to refer to and address relatives we care about- regardless of gender.

Other terms for niece and nephew that are non-binary and gender-inclusive include niephling, niephew, chibling, and sibkid. These are combinations of the terms niece, nephew, and sibling.

Who is Closer, a First Cousin or a Nephew?

You’re closer blood relative to a niece and a nephew than a first cousin. But why is it like that? This is because a niece or a nephew is the offspring of a sibling. They would share the genes of both your parents (their grandparents) and another, your sibling’s partner.

On the other hand, a first cousin is the product of only one of your parent’s sibling and their partner. So if we see it reverse from a niece or nephew’s perspective, you as an aunt are genetically closer to them than the first cousin you will produce, as the first cousin would have a diluted bloodline because of your unrelated spouse.

Therefore, it is more likely that a niece or nephew will share a gene with you as an aunt or an uncle. You share 25% of your DNA with your nieces and nephews, but you only share 12.5% of DNA with your first cousins.

Of course, these numbers are just an average across the large population and can vary, but you can only find out the actual percentage through a DNA test.

What Do I Call My Niece’s Son?

Your nibling’s child will be a grand-nephew or a grand-niece. If your niece or nephew has a child, you’ll be the “grandaunt.”

The nephew’s parents will be the grandparents, so their siblings will also branch out from this title. They become aunts and uncles. Meanwhile, you’ll be a grandaunt granduncle.

Some people add “grand,” while others add “great.” However, they both mean the same thing, and it is a preference for you to decide. That’s not complicated at all!

Two old woman with children.
Grandmother and aunt look happy together with their nieces.

Final Thoughts

  • Nephews are males, while nieces are females. They are typically your siblings’ or cousins’ children.
  • Understanding family relationships is essential, and using these terms correctly is crucial.
  • Families come in various forms, from nuclear families with immediate members to extended families. It includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
  • The concept of “family” has evolved beyond blood relations. It often includes step-parents, adoptive parents, and even close friends.
  • Cousins are descendants of common ancestors. They are typically two generations away and can be part of your extended family.
  • Nieces and nephews are your siblings’ children and belong to your extended family.
  • Both terms, niece and nephew, are second-degree relationships. These share 25% of your DNA; first cousins share 12.5%.
  • Nieces are related to girls, and nephews to boys, making it easy to differentiate between them.
  • The term “nibling” is gender-neutral and includes nieces and nephews. It acknowledges diverse family structures.

Other Must-Read Articles

A short web story about these differences can be found here.

Skip to content