Free Pedigree Diagram Maker for Genetics and Family Trees
- What this is
- A free, embeddable, animated pedigree diagram for genetics education and family-history visualization on any website.
- Who uses it
- Biology teachers, genetics educators, science bloggers, genetic counseling students, and medical education writers.
- How to embed
- Copy one line of HTML. No signup. No watermark. Works in WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Substack, plain HTML.
- File size
- ~25 KB per diagram.
- License
- Free forever. Editorial explainer text included; updated centrally over time.
- URL
- scrollchart.com/pedigree-diagram-maker
Animated pedigree diagram
The animated pedigree diagram is in the build queue for Phase 8. It will show a three-generation pedigree with configurable affected status, carrier status, and relationship lines, animating generation by generation as the reader scrolls.
Placeholder embed code (becomes live in Phase 8):
<div data-scrollchart="pedigree-chart"></div>
<script src="https://scrollchart.com/embed.js" async></script>This slug will be live at launch. Copy it now and it will start rendering once Phase 8 ships.
Browse available diagrams →Pedigree diagram conventions
Pedigree diagrams use a standardized notation developed by the genetics and clinical genetics community over the past century. The conventions below are those published by Bennett et al. (2008) in the Journal of Genetic Counseling, which represents current consensus usage.
- Square: male individual
- Circle: female individual
- Diamond (or unlabeled shape): individual of unspecified or unknown sex
- Filled shape: affected individual (expresses the trait or condition being tracked)
- Unfilled shape: unaffected individual
- Half-filled shape: carrier (heterozygous for a recessive allele; does not express the condition but can pass it to offspring)
- Horizontal line between shapes: mating pair (parents)
- Vertical line descending from horizontal line: offspring connection
- Diagonal line through a shape: deceased individual
- Dotted horizontal line between shapes: consanguineous mating (related individuals)
How generations are numbered in pedigrees
Generations are numbered with Roman numerals (I, II, III) from top to bottom. Individual I-1 is the first individual in generation I, typically on the left. Individuals within a generation are numbered sequentially left to right (I-1, I-2, II-1, II-2, etc.). This numbering system allows precise reference to any individual when discussing the pedigree in text.
Autosomal dominant inheritance pattern
In an autosomal dominant pattern, the trait appears in every generation. Affected offspring always have at least one affected parent. The trait affects males and females in roughly equal proportion. If an affected parent passes the dominant allele to 50% of offspring on average, the pedigree will show approximately half of each affected parent's children as affected.
Autosomal recessive inheritance pattern
In an autosomal recessive pattern, the trait can skip generations. Two unaffected carrier parents can produce an affected child (probability 25% per pregnancy). The trait affects males and females equally. Consanguinity (related parents) increases the probability of both parents being carriers of the same rare recessive allele.
X-linked recessive inheritance pattern
In an X-linked recessive pattern, the trait affects males much more frequently than females because males have only one X chromosome. Carrier females (one normal X, one affected X) are usually unaffected. An affected father passes the trait to none of his sons (sons get the Y chromosome) but to all of his daughters as carriers. An affected mother passes the trait to all of her sons.
Free forever
The diagram and explainer text are served from scrollchart.com so the content can be updated over time to reflect new research or to link to relevant sources within the explainer. No subscription, no ads, no tracking pixels served to your readers.
Frequently asked
How do I make a pedigree diagram for genetics?
A pedigree diagram uses standard symbols: squares for males, circles for females, filled shapes for affected individuals, and horizontal lines for mating pairs. Vertical lines connect parents to offspring. Half-filled shapes represent carriers of a recessive trait. For an embeddable animated version, Scrollchart is building a pedigree diagram component (launching in Phase 8). For immediate use, SmartDraw, Edraw, and Visual Paradigm offer pedigree diagram templates.
What do the symbols in a pedigree diagram mean?
Standard pedigree notation uses squares for males and circles for females. A filled (solid) shape indicates an affected individual. An unfilled shape indicates an unaffected individual. A half-filled shape indicates a carrier (typically used for X-linked or autosomal recessive conditions). A horizontal line between a square and circle represents a mating pair. A vertical line descending from the horizontal line connects to offspring.
What is the difference between a pedigree diagram and a family tree?
A family tree records lineage and relationships (who is related to whom). A pedigree diagram records lineage and additionally tracks the expression or inheritance of a specific trait or genetic condition across generations. Pedigree diagrams use standardized symbols from genetics notation; family trees use names, dates, and photographs.
How do I read a pedigree diagram to determine inheritance pattern?
To determine whether a trait is dominant or recessive, check whether affected offspring always have at least one affected parent (dominant) or can appear in a generation with no affected parents (recessive). To determine whether it is autosomal or X-linked, check whether the trait affects males and females equally (autosomal) or predominantly affects males (X-linked recessive). Pedigree analysis is a standard topic in introductory genetics courses.
Is there a free online pedigree diagram maker?
Scrollchart is building a free animated pedigree diagram for web embedding, launching in Phase 8. For existing free tools, SmartDraw offers a free trial with pedigree templates, and several genetics education sites (Genetics Science Learning Center at University of Utah, for example) offer static pedigree builders.
Can I make a pedigree diagram in another language?
Yes. The Scrollchart pedigree diagram maker, like the rest of the catalogue and the AI generator, supports every major language. Type your generation names, relationship labels, and headings in English, French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese, Portuguese, and more — the rendered SVG uses your language unchanged.
Browse available animated diagrams
Over 100 animated, embeddable diagrams live now across statistics, science, and more.
Browse the free catalog →More than pedigree charts — explore the catalogue
Free AI chart generator
Paste your data, a finding, or a URL. The generator picks the right chart type and produces an animated, embeddable diagram in seconds.
Open the generator →100+ animated diagrams
Hand-built across 17 subjects: science, finance, fitness, law, engineering, and more. Filter by topic, copy one line of HTML, done.
Browse the catalogue →Now available in every major language: prompt in English, French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese, Portuguese, and more — the diagram labels render in the language you ask for.