Pedigree chart maker: your ancestors on one sheet

A pedigree chart is the classic family tree for one person: you, your child or a grandparent at the bottom, two parents above, then four grandparents, then eight great-grandparents. You add the names; the chart lays itself out and sizes itself to the paper. Building it and watching the preview cost nothing, and there’s no account to make.

What a pedigree chart shows

Each generation doubles: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents. Every person gets their name and years (“1929–2004”, or “b. 1976” for someone living), and each couple’s wedding year prints under them (“m. 1952”) when you know it.

To keep the lines easy to follow, a pedigree chart leaves some people out:

• the start person’s partner,
• brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins,
• an ancestor’s other marriages.

Want the whole family instead? A descendant chart starts from a couple and shows everyone who came from them, with every marriage. An hourglass chart puts one person in the middle, with their ancestors above and their children and grandchildren below.

How many generations fit on each size

Generations count the start person as the first. When every ancestor is known, the number of people doubles with each generation, and the chart gets wide fast.

“Read well” means names print at 10 pt or larger, about the size of paperback type. Long names print a little smaller and short names a little bigger, so you don’t have to guess: under the preview, the app shows how big the names will print on the size you picked, and before you pay it recommends the smallest sheet where names reach 10 pt.

Missing ancestors don’t leave empty boxes. That line of the chart simply stops, so most real charts are smaller than the table suggests. Pedigree charts are wider than they are tall, so they usually print best in landscape; the app picks whichever orientation gives bigger names unless you choose one yourself.

Fill it in: type names or import a file

Type it in

1. Open the builder from this page. It asks Whose ancestors go on the chart?: type that person’s name and birth year, then continue.
2. Type both parents with their birth years and, if you know it, the year they married.
3. Click a parent’s name to open them, and add their parents the same way. Keep going up, one couple at a time.
4. Above the chart, choose Ancestors, check the person under Ancestors of, and pick 3, 4, 5 or 6 generations.

Not sure of a year? Type it the way you know it, such as “c. 1890”, or leave it empty. The name still prints.

Import a GEDCOM file

If your tree already lives on Ancestry or MyHeritage, or in a program like RootsMagic, export it as a GEDCOM file and upload it in the builder. The file is read in your browser and never uploaded. Then choose Ancestors and pick who the chart starts from; everyone who isn’t a direct ancestor stays off this chart. Our GEDCOM guide shows the export steps for each site and program.

Tips for a school project

• Check how many generations the assignment asks for. Three (you, parents, grandparents) or four (adding great-grandparents) fit on any size, even 11×17.
• Ask relatives early. Grandparents often know names and years that aren’t written down anywhere. Birth certificates, family Bibles and old letters help too.
• Write what you know. A rough year like “c. 1890” is fine, and an empty year is fine too.
• One set of parents per person. The chart doesn’t mark adoptions, so enter the family you want the chart to show.
• Put your name on it. Use Edit the title to change the heading, for example to “Emily Parker’s Family Tree”.
• Printing in black and white? Pick the Minimal look: black lines on white.
• Rather write it by hand? Download our free blank template: four generations on one letter-size page, no email needed.

Looks, sizes and price

There are four looks: Navy & gold, Parchment, Minimal and Botanical. Names, dates and layout stay the same when you switch; only the paper, type and lines change. Sizes are 11×17, 18×24 and 24×36 inches, in landscape or portrait.

Building, every look and size, and the on-screen preview are free. The preview carries a watermark. When it looks right, pay $12 once, with no subscription, for a vector PDF that stays sharp up to 24×36 and a 300-dpi PNG, both without the watermark. Typo fixes and re-downloads are free for 30 days, and if the print isn’t right, you can get a full refund within 14 days. For paper and frames, see our printing tips.

Ancestry, MyHeritage and RootsMagic are trademarks of their owners. Family Chart Maker is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.