Family tree templates: which shape to use
Searching for a family tree template usually returns a decoratively drawn tree. But the shape is chosen by how many generations and how many people you need to show, not by how it looks.
The tree shape — for 3 to 4 generations
The most familiar form: you at the bottom, parents above, grandparents above them. Ideal for a wall or a school assignment.
The limit is hard: each generation doubles the number of people. The fourth generation is 16 boxes, the fifth is 32, and at that point it no longer reads on A3 paper.
The table — for working like a document
One person per row: name, year of birth, year of death, father’s name, notes.
Not decorative, but the most dependable: it can be searched and sorted, and adding a person does not mean redrawing anything. This is the form people actually work in while searching archives.
The fan chart — for fitting many generations on one sheet
You at the centre, each ring a generation. The only convenient shape that fits seven generations onto a single page.
The drawback: siblings do not appear, only direct-line ancestors.
The interactive tree — for a family filling it in together
Paper forms share one problem: they show a finished state, and a family tree is never finished. Every new name means redrawing.
In a digital tree the layout rearranges itself, search works, photos and notes attach to each person, and you print whichever form you need when you need it.
Which to choose
For a school assignment or a wall, the tree shape. If you are working through archives, the table. To show seven generations, the fan. To fill it in with family over years, an interactive tree that you print from.
Questions & answers
Are women recorded in a family tree?
Yes. Traditional forms often showed only the male line, but a complete tree includes both sides — otherwise half of the ancestors disappear.
Does a spouse belong in the tree?
Yes, but as a separate branch: they are not your blood relative, though they are your children’s.