‘The Simpsons’ Family Tree Explained

The Simpsons is about as deep and rich of a text as you’ll ever find. Think I’m kidding? Well, where do you think 759 episodes, 35 seasons, and decades of being on the air will get you? Across all of that time, Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and the rest of the show’s creative team have had tons of room to explore the vast corners of Springfield, tell stories on both a large and small scale, and deepen the trees of many of the town’s families. Given The Simpsons is named after the Simpson family, which family on this show do you think has the greatest family tree of all? I know, it’s a tough guess.

The Simpsons

The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Main Genre

Comedy

Rating

TV-14

Seasons

36

Studio

Fox

The Simpsons family tree goes about as wide as many of our own. It stretches far into the past, bloats into the details of their present-day relatives, and even takes a pretty good gander into the future of our central family. If you’re not too familiar with The Simpsons, you’d probably enter this show expecting to get the five main Simpsons well. That, you definitely do. You’d be surprised how far this show goes to introduce us to other aspects of the family, but that’s what you get when you’re the longest-running animated comedy of all time. The Simpsons introduces us to grandparents, half-siblings, aunts, uncles, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie’s kids, and even takes peeks at the family’s ancestors! You might think that you know the Simpson family well… but do you?

‘The Simpsons’ Continues to Resonate With Audiences Because We Love the Titular Family

Few shows are as culturally resonant as The Simpsons. It has run through several generations of fans, ever since it first premiered in 1989, and is sure to continue picking up new admirers in the years to come. People can’t get enough of the Simpson family’s antics, nor their sneakily emotionally resonant moments that find themselves trickling into every other episode. It’s an “adult’s animated comedy” on paper, but unlike shows like Family Guy and South Park, you could actually introduce your kids to The Simpsons and probably walk away just fine. In the series’ best seasons, you’ll find yourself laughing almost as much as you feel your heart warming up. You don’t get that without having wonderful character dynamics, or a lousy titular family.

What’s not to love about the Simpsons? Everyone knows these five yellow goofballs. You have Homer Simpson, the buffoonish-yet-sincere husband and father in the family. If it weren’t for Marge Simpson, his wife, and the mother of their children, the family would have fallen apart long ago. If you can maintain a towering pillar of blue hair like that, you can probably hold anything together. Marge and Homer have three children; the devilish Bart Simpson, the wise and loving Lisa Simpson, and the binky-dependant Maggie Simpson. These five have had just about every aspect of their individual characters explored over the years. There wouldn’t be a Simpsons show without any of them.

The Simpson and Bouvier Family Trees

Homer, in particular, obviously comes from the Simpson branch of their family tree. His father, Abraham Simpson (aka Grandpa), was married for a time to a woman named Mona Simpson. Mona eventually became Homer’s long-lost mother, but they reconnect in his adulthood. Abraham also had Homer’s brother Herb in a relationship with a woman simply known as Gaby. Herb is much more passionate, successful, and personable than Homer, but also leads a lonelier life. The Simpson family tree even extends so far back as to Abraham’s parents, Orville and Yuma Simpson, as well as his siblings, Hubert, Tyrone, Cyrus, Hortense, Bill, and Chet. Abraham also had a brief affair with a woman named Edwina while stationed in England during WWII, which gave way to another child, Abbey Simpson. Abbey resembles her half-brother, Homer, in both her physicality and personality.

Over on Marge’s side of things, her parents were Jackie and Clancy Bouvier. Jackie resembles a much older Marge, whereas Clancy carries a lot of the traits of Marge’s twin sisters, Patty and Selma (even down to being a chain smoker). Clancy died before Bart was born after a battle with lung cancer, whereas Jackie is still around. There’s also Marge’s brother Arthur, who is only ever mentioned once in season 5’s episode “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”. One of Marge’s twin sisters, Selma, adopted a child, Ling Bouvier.

If you thought the Simpson family tree was well-detailed, then strap yourself in. The Bouvier family tree goes back multiple generations! Yes, seven generations! We’ll start in 1755 with Victor Bouvier, who was married to Florette DuChamps. Together, they had Victor Bouvier II, who married Gabrielle Gateu. This marriage produced three children; Honoré, Didi, and Yves Bouvier. Yves married Marie Trousseau, a lovely bond that led the way to four children; Cléo, Théo, René, and Marcel. The latter would find love with Angelique Marceau, and together, they would put in the work. That’s right, we’re talking about eight kids together, including Lance, Alfred, Erique, Georgette, Babette, Etienne, Charlemagne, and Jacques Bouvier. Don’t worry, we’re almost done. Jacques would marry Françoise Billout, and they would put in a little less work but still have a whopping five kids. This included Coquette, Fifi, Lalique, Monique, and Pépé Bouvier. Finally, Pépé would marry Bambi Petitbois, and the two of them would have four children; Chester, Jojo, Charlene, and Clancy Bouvier — Marge’s father. Did I say The Simpsons was a rich text? Yeah, that’s because it is.

Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Go On to Have Kids of Their Own!

As for future generations, Bart goes on to have four ex-wives, three of whom are unnamed, but one being formerly known as Jenda Simpson. He would also have two sons, Skippy and Jiff, both of whom look identical to Bart if he was a bit more book-smart. Lisa goes on to marry Bart’s best friend, Milhouse Van Houten, and together, they have a child, Zia Simpson. Zia looks exactly like her mom, just with a single blue lock that hangs from her otherwise very Lisa Simpson haircut and is a much more arrogant figure than her mother. Zia is even shown to have a daughter in the episode “It’s a Blunderful Life.” That child is never given a name, but she does resemble both her mother and grandmother. Maggie, on the other hand, marries Gerald Samson and has a daughter, Maggie Simpson Jr. Are you surprised to learn that Jr. uses a binky just like her mother did? No, didn’t think so.

Given how long The Simpsons has been on the air, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the titular family’s extended relations have been explored at length. Still, it’s impressive to note how much was drummed up over the years. Who knows how much more of their lineage we’ll know by the time the show is canceled. Given this series will probably come to an end about 300 years from now, the Simpson and Bouvier family trees will probably eventually need a significant overhaul. That’s fine, bring on more Simpsons!

The Simpsons is streaming on Hulu.

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