45 Free Family Tree Templates

Whether you’re a history enthusiast, looking to trace your ancestry, or simply want to preserve your family heritage for future generations, creating a family tree is a great way to visually represent your lineage.

From simple charts to detailed designs, a family tree allows you to connect the dots of your heritage, highlight relationships, and organize essential family information.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about family tree templates, from what they are, how to use them, and why they matter, to how to choose the right template for your needs.

Plus, we’ll provide 45 free and editable templates to make the process as easy as possible!

What is a Family Tree?

A family tree is a diagram that shows the relationships between family members across generations.

It usually starts with one individual or a couple and branches out to include their ancestors and descendants, illustrating how family members are connected.

Family trees often contain vital information like names, birth and death dates, and relationships such as parentage, siblings, spouses, and children.

Why Use a Family Tree Template?

Using a template can save you a lot of time and effort in organizing family data.

Rather than starting from scratch, a well-designed template offers a structured layout where you can easily input your family information.

Here are some of the main reasons to use a family tree template:

Saves time: Pre-designed templates eliminate the need to design your tree from scratch, allowing you to focus on gathering data.
Organizes information: Templates ensure your data is organized in a logical way, making it easy to read and understand.
Visually appealing: Templates often come with aesthetic designs, which make your family tree not only functional but also attractive.
Easy to customize: Most templates are fully customizable, allowing you to modify names, dates, relationships, and more to fit your family’s unique history.

Key Components of a Family Tree Template

Before diving into the templates, let’s briefly go over the common components that you’ll find in most family tree templates:

Starting Point: The first person or couple you are tracking, usually at the bottom or center of the chart.
Generations: Family trees are typically divided into generations, with the older generations appearing at the top or left side.
Lines and Connections: These lines represent familial relationships—parents, children, siblings, and spouses.
Personal Information: Names, birthdates, marriage dates, and sometimes photos or other relevant details.

Types of Family Tree Templates

Different types of family tree templates cater to different needs.

Whether you’re creating a simple family tree for a school project or tracking multiple generations for an extensive genealogy study, there’s a template for everyone.

1. Simple Family Tree Templates

Perfect for beginners, simple family tree templates focus on immediate family members, typically covering up to three generations.

2. Extended Family Tree Templates

These templates go beyond just parents, children, and grandparents. They include cousins, aunts, uncles, and more extended relationships, often covering four to five generations.

3. Ancestor Tree Templates

Ancestor trees start with you (or a chosen family member) and trace your lineage backward, showing your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on.

4. Descendant Tree Templates

In contrast to ancestor trees, descendant trees start with a person from an earlier generation (often the eldest known family member) and trace their descendants down through multiple generations.

5. Cousin Tree Templates

Cousin trees help illustrate the relationships between siblings and their children, mapping out the connection between cousins.

6. Family Trees with Photos

These templates allow you to add photos of family members, giving a more personal touch to your family history.

7. Circular Family Tree Templates

Circular trees offer a unique and visually appealing way to represent your family connections, radiating outwards from a central individual or couple.

8. Pedigree Chart Templates

Pedigree charts focus on your direct ancestors, often used in genealogical research. These templates prioritize lineage over broader family relationships.

How to Choose the Right Family Tree Template

With so many options, choosing the right family tree template can feel overwhelming. Here’s how to narrow down your choices:

Purpose: Are you creating the tree for a school project, a family reunion, or personal genealogical research? The purpose can help guide your decision.
Level of Detail: Decide how detailed you want your tree to be. Do you just need names and dates, or do you want to include photos and stories?
Generations: Consider how many generations you want to include. Some templates only support three generations, while others can accommodate five or more.
Design Preferences: Do you prefer a simple, minimalist chart, or are you looking for something more decorative?
Editable Formats: Check whether the template is available in a format that you can easily edit, such as Google Docs, Word, or Excel.

How to Use a Family Tree Template

Download the Template: Once you’ve selected a template that fits your needs, download it in your preferred format (Google Docs, Word, Excel, etc.).
Input Your Information: Begin filling in the template with your family’s information, starting with yourself or the oldest known ancestor and working outward or upward. Ensure that you double-check the accuracy of names, dates, and relationships.
Customize the Design: If you’re using an editable template, feel free to customize it by changing colors, fonts, or adding photos.
Save & Print: After completing your tree, save the document and print it out to share with family members or keep for your records.