Everything you need to know about Genghis Khan children

Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, is believed to have had many children, but the exact number is uncertain due to limited historical records and the vast number of descendants he is purported to have.

From his principal wife, Börte, he had the following known children:

Jochi (c. 1181-1227)
Chagatai (c. 1183-1241)
Ögedei (c. 1186-1241)
Tolui (c. 1190-1232)
Genghis Khan also had daughters with Börte, though their roles and numbers are less documented. Some well-recognized daughters include:

Alakhai Bekhi
Tümelün
Jochi Khasar
Apart from Börte, Genghis Khan had many other wives and consorts. With them, he fathered numerous other children. However, many of these children were not considered potential heirs to his empire, and as such, they’re not as prominently recorded in history.

Moreover, due to the vastness of the Mongol Empire and Genghis Khan’s numerous descendants, a significant portion of the population in the former Mongol territories can potentially trace some ancestry back to him. A well-publicized genetic study from 2003 estimated that as many as 8% of men in a large region of Asia (about 0.5% of the global male population) share a Y-chromosome lineage that goes back to a single individual from the time of Genghis Khan. While this doesn’t prove they’re all directly descended from him, it suggests a single prolific male ancestor from the Mongol Empire era.