Making a family tree can be as simple as writing down your parents’ and grandparents’ names on a piece of paper. It can also turn into a much bigger project when you start looking for great-grandparents, old family records, photographs, and stories.
That is why choosing free printable family tree templates is not always easy. There are plenty of free templates available online. Some are made for children and school projects, while others are designed for people who are researching their family history. The right one depends largely on what you want your finished family tree to look like and how much information you have.
For a small family project, a simple printable chart may be all you need. If you are tracing your family back through several generations, you will probably want something with considerably more space.
What Is a Family Tree Template?
Creating and printing a family tree online gives you a place to enter information about your relatives.
Instead of drawing the branches and working out how everything should fit on the page, you start with an existing design. You then fill in the names and details of your family members.
A basic template might have room for:
- Your name
- Your parents
- Your grandparents
- Your great-grandparents
- Birth and death dates
- Marriage information
- Places where family members lived
You don’t have to fill in every box. In fact, if you are just starting your research, you probably won’t know all the information yet.
What Should You Look for in a Free Family Tree Template?
Before downloading, think about how you plan to use it. If you are making a tree for a seven-year-old’s school project, you don’t need a chart covering six generations. On the other hand, a three-generation tree can feel very limiting when you are trying to document your family history.
For a physical family tree, check the page size before you begin. A simple A4 or letter-size design is convenient for printing at home.
For large family trees you may need a larger sheet of paper or have the finished chart printed professionally.
Free Printable Family Tree Templates for Different Projects
The type of family tree you need can change quite a bit depending on the project.
A simple three-generation tree
You can put yourself or your child at the center and work upward to parents and grandparents. It doesn’t take long to complete, and there is usually enough information to make the relationships clear. You can download one such template from Canva.
It works particularly well for:
- School projects
- Children’s activities
- Family introductions
- Grandparent gifts
- A simple family keepsake
You can also add photographs if the template has enough space.
A four- or five-generation tree
Creating and printing a family tree online becomes more engaging once you start researching beyond your grandparents. A larger template lets you add great-grandparents and earlier ancestors. This is where a simple decorative tree can start becoming a genuine genealogy chart.
A genealogy chart
If your main purpose is researching ancestors, look for a pedigree-style chart rather than a decorative tree.
These charts tend to concentrate on relationships and generations. They may not look as nice on the wall, but they are easier to use for large family information.
Printable or Online: Which Is Better?
There is a reason free printable family tree templates are still popular. You can sit at the table with your family, write names down, add photographs, and make the whole thing your own.
An online family tree is more practical when you expect the information to change.
For example, you might discover a previously unknown great-grandparent while looking through an old census record. With a digital tree, adding that person is relatively easy. On a handwritten chart, you might find yourself either squeezing the name into an already crowded space or having to start over.
How to Create and Print a Family Tree Online
To create and print a family tree online, begin with information you already have. After that, start filling in the gaps.
Talk to relatives who may remember details you don’t. An older family member might know your great-grandmother’s maiden name or remember the town where a particular branch of the family lived.
Once you have collected some information, check it against records where possible. Names can be surprisingly unreliable on their own. Two people can have exactly the same name and still have entirely different families.
When you are comfortable with the information, you can enter it into an online family tree or a digital template and print the finished version.
And don’t worry about leaving some spaces empty. An incomplete tree with information you have verified is better than a complete-looking tree filled with guesses.
Can You Use a Family Tree Template with a Family Tree Maker?
Free printable family tree templates are a way of presenting your family relationships on paper. Family Tree Maker is designed for maintaining a digital genealogy database and working with a much larger amount of family information.
For example, you might have hundreds of people in your Family Tree Maker file but only want to print a chart showing your direct ancestors.
You can keep the detailed research in Family Tree Maker and use a simpler family tree template when you want something that relatives can easily look at.
A printed chart also makes a nice addition to a family-history binder or album.
When Can Family Tree Makers Support Help?
Family history research is usually easy until something stops working.
Maybe your family tree isn’t syncing the way you expect. Perhaps you are trying to move a tree from Ancestry into Family Tree Maker, work with a GEDCOM file, or understand an option in your particular version of the software.
That is where Family Tree Makers Support can be useful.
Family Tree Makers Support provides information about Family Tree Maker and common tasks involving genealogy software and Ancestry. The site covers subjects such as family tree transfers, downloads, syncing, and other questions that can come up while working with your family history.
This type of support can be especially helpful if you aren’t particularly comfortable with technical software. You shouldn’t have to understand how genealogy databases work just to figure out how to move or update your family tree.
A Few Tips Before You Fill In Your Tree
Once you have found a template you like, resist the temptation to fill every blank immediately.
Start with the most facts you are aware of and then work backward.
- Ask your relatives: Family members often know things that never made it into official records.
- Keep track of sources: If you find a date or relationship in an old record, make a note of where you found it.
- Be careful with names: Surnames can have different spellings, particularly in older records.
- Look at locations. A person’s town, county, or country can help you tell two people with the same name apart.
- Don’t fill gaps with assumptions: If you aren’t sure, leave the space blank until you can confirm the information.
- Keep copies of your work. If you have spent months researching your family, don’t let one computer problem wipe it all out.
These little habits become much more important once your family tree starts getting large.
Final Thoughts
If you are making a family tree for a child or a school project, a simple three-generation template may be all you need. If you are documenting several generations of your family, create and print a family tree online with more room and consider keeping the detailed information in genealogy software.
Write down the names you know, talk to your relatives, and look through old photographs and documents. Then add to the tree as you uncover more pieces of the story.
And if you already have your research on Ancestry, you don’t necessarily have to start again.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best free family tree template?
Answer: For a simple project, a three-generation template is usually a good choice. If you are researching your ancestors, look for a larger pedigree or genealogy chart that gives you room for additional generations.
- Where can I find free printable family tree templates?
Answer: There are many free family tree templates available online. Look for a template that fits the number of generations you want to show and has enough space for the information you want to include.
- Can I Create and Print a Family Tree Online?
Answer: Yes, you can build a family tree digitally and print it once you are happy with the information. Keeping a digital copy also means you can update the tree later.
- Can I move my Ancestry tree to Family Tree Maker for free?
Answer: You may be able to export your genealogy information from Ancestry and import it into Family Tree Maker using a compatible GEDCOM file. The ability to transfer the data does not mean that the Family Tree Maker software itself is free.
- How many generations should a family tree include?
Answer: Three generations are enough for many family projects; if you are doing genealogy research, you may want to go back five, six, or even more generations.