What is a 4th cousin?

A 4th cousin is a relative who shares a great-great-grandparent with you. This means that your parents and their parents are third cousins. Fourth cousins share about 0.2% of their DNA and may not necessarily have the same last name as you since several generations have gone by. The relationship between fourth cousins is quite distant, and they may not even know each other exists unless they have researched their family tree or come across one another through DNA testing. Nevertheless, fourth cousins are still part of your family, and it can be interesting to learn more about them and your shared ancestry.