Half-Blood Relationships

A half-blood relation is any person related to you by just one common ancestor, when he or she could otherwise be related to you by two common ancestors.  The same designation applies to any two people at the same level of relation to one another (cousin, aunt, etc.) who could be related by two common ancestors, but are not.

Some state's intestacy laws provide half-blood relatives with only half as much as whole blood relations who are within the same degree of relationship.  For instance, the decedent's whole blood sibling will receive twice the amount as the decedent's half-blood sibling.  However, if the decedent has only half-blood relations, they will each receive a full share.

Examples:

Half-Sibling

Any person who shares your relation with one of your parents, but not with both.  (For example, you may share the same mother, but have different fathers.)

Half-Aunt / Half-Uncle

Any person who shares just one common parent with your parent.  (If your grandmother had a child with anyone other than your grandfather, that child is your half-aunt or half-uncle.  The same applies if your grandfather had a child with anyone other than your grandmother.)

(Did a search engine bring you to this page?  Open the Kinship Chart for a picture of family relationships.)