Fictional Family Tree Maker
Royal lines, clans, and secret heirs
A fictional family tree maker for novelists, OC creators, and worldbuilders. Real genealogy software expects birth records; your story has adoptions, rival houses, a missing heir, and a cousin who is secretly a half-sibling. Start from a three-generation family template, label every line in your own words, and export a clean PNG for your story bible.
Works on phone & desktop · Auto-saves in your browser · Nothing uploaded until you share it
Why fictional families need a different kind of tree
Fictional families are rarely tidy. A succession plot needs to show who stands next in line. A fantasy saga has two houses joined by a political marriage. A mystery hinges on a parent nobody knows about. Rigid genealogy charts only allow one kind of line, so these stories end up squeezed into the wrong shape.
Here every connection is a labeled line you write yourself: married, betrothed, adopted, half-siblings, ward of, disowned, heir to. Characters can carry a portrait and a short note for titles, ages, or which book they first appear in.
The family template
The template opens with three generations already connected: grandparents, parents, the main character ("Me"), and a sibling, linked by marriage, parent, and sibling lines. Rename them to your characters and add branches from there.
Generation by row
Keep each generation on its own horizontal row: grandparents at the top, children below. Readers find their way down the tree without following every line.
Color by house
Give each family, clan, or dynasty one color. Marriages between houses stand out immediately as lines that cross colors.
Notes for titles
Put titles, birth order, or "deceased before book one" in each character's note instead of in the line labels, so the lines stay short.
Build your fictional family tree in 4 steps
Start with the oldest generation
Rename the grandparents to your founders, rulers, or matriarch, and place them across the top.
Add marriages, then children
Connect spouses first, then draw parent lines down to each child. Use arrows from parent to child so the direction of descent is clear.
Mark the complications
Label adoptions, step-relations, estrangements, and claims to a throne in plain words. Frame each house so rival branches are easy to compare.
Export for your story bible
Save a PNG for your notes, wiki, or readers. Your tree also auto-saves in the browser for the next book.
Ideas for different genres
Fantasy dynasties
Royal lines, bastard heirs, and succession wars. Frame each house and draw the claims that cross between them.
Family sagas
Multi-generation literary novels where the same names repeat. Notes keep "the elder" and "the younger" apart.
Mysteries
Inheritance plots and hidden parentage. Keep the reveal in a spoiler tab until the last chapter.
OC families
Your original characters' parents, siblings, and found family, with portraits for every member.
Game campaigns
Noble houses and NPC families your players will meet, ready to share with the table.
Fan works
Next-generation fics and AUs that extend a canon family beyond the original story.
Beyond the family tree
Family is only one kind of relationship. When you need friends, rivals, and romances in the same picture, switch to the OC relationship chart template or the general relationship chart maker. For a walkthrough with real-world examples, read how to make a family relationship chart.
If your lore already lists who married whom, paste it into the AI Relationship Chart Generator. It turns the names and relations in your text into an editable tree, so you only adjust the layout.
FAQ
Is the fictional family tree maker free?
Yes. The family template opens in the free editor with no sign-up, and you can export the tree as a PNG at no cost.
Can I use it for a real family tree?
You can, but it is designed for stories: free-form labels, character art, and notes. For detailed genealogy with dates and records, a dedicated genealogy service is a better fit.
How many generations can I fit?
There is no fixed limit on generations. The free plan covers smaller casts; Premium is for trees with seven or more people.
Can I hide a secret parent until the reveal?
Yes. Keep a spoiler-free version and a full version in separate tabs, and mark the full one as a spoiler. Share the safe tab and keep the reveal for yourself.
Give your dynasty a tree
Free, no sign-up, ready in your browser. Three generations are already in place.
Open the family template