Palmistry signs for number of children: what the tradition says
Palmistry signs for number of children: old books count small lines above the marriage line. See where that idea comes from and why no hand can say.
Palmistry signs for number of children can't tell you how many children you'll have, or whether you'll have any. We'd rather say that plainly in the first line than make you read to the bottom. Many pages promise a count. The old books really did claim one, and the rest of this page shows where that came from and why it doesn't hold up.
This can be an idle question and it can be a very tender one. People arrive here while trying for a baby, after losing one, or having decided against it. Whichever it is for you, nothing on your hand has an opinion about it.
Where the idea comes from
The main source in English is Cheiro's Palmistry for All, from 1916. His chapter describes "those finely marked upright lines found immediately above the Line of Marriage", on the edge of the hand under the little finger. He told readers to press the spot with their fingertips and see which stood out, and he adds that "in many cases it is necessary to employ a magnifying glass in order to see them". Then he tells them to count "from the outside of the hand in towards the palm".
So the method depends on how hard you press and how much you magnify. Two readers with different lenses would get different answers. That's our observation, not his, and you'll find it's hard to unsee.
The books don't agree on where to look
Choose a book below and the ring moves. This little tool only shows where each author pointed. It doesn't count, on purpose, and the reason is the point of this page.
On the edge of the hand under the little finger: fine upright marks "immediately above the Line of Marriage". He suggests pressing the skin, or a magnifying glass.
Cheiro, Palmistry for All, chapter IX
This only shows where the old books pointed. It doesn't count anything and it doesn't read anything, and neither does our scan, because no line on a hand can tell you this.
Scan your hand to see your main lines.
| Book | Where to look | In what voice |
|---|---|---|
| Dale, 1895 | The outer ridge of the hand, below the heart line. Separately, small upright lines on the middle joint of the forefinger. | Flat entries, compiled from older writers |
| Cheiro, 1916 | The edge of the hand under the little finger, "immediately above the Line of Marriage". | Certain, from his own practice |
| Markun, 1927 | "Above the Marriage Line and running into it", the lines "traditionally taken" to mean this. | Doubtful: "we are told" |
Below the heart line for one author and above the marriage line, which sits above the heart line, for another: those are different parts of the hand, and the forefinger is somewhere else again. A sign that could really do what it claimed wouldn't need to move around like that.
The rules for who has these lines shift as well. Cheiro says they're "as a rule much more" marked on a woman's hand than a man's. Markun's books say to seek them on women's hands, and add that they may be found on a man "if the man is fond of children or if it happens that he possesses them". A sign that shows up when a reader already knows the answer isn't telling the reader anything.
Why these marks can't be a count
Physically, they're very fine creases on a part of the hand that folds and stretches every time you close your fist. Liu and Zhang, who study palm lines for identifying people, set marks like these apart from the three main lines as wrinkles, "much thinner than principal lines and much more irregular". We looked for any study linking them to family size and found none, which fits with the fact that nobody in the old books offered numbers of their own.
When doctors do look at a hand for a reason, as with a single palmar crease, they treat what they see as one small clue at most. MedlinePlus is clear that a diagnosis rests on "a family history, medical history, and complete physical exam". There's no version of this, medical or otherwise, where a crease tells you about your future family. If a page offers you a count, twins, or the sex of a child, it's making that up, whatever it cites. For the wider picture, our guide to whether palm reading is real sets out the evidence.
If this question matters to you right now
If you're trying to conceive, or wondering whether you can, a doctor can give you real information, and it's worth asking sooner rather than later if you've been worrying. No line can stand in for that, and you shouldn't have to read your hand for reassurance.
If you've lost a pregnancy or a child, we're sorry. Please don't let a chart on the internet tell you what those marks on your hand mean. They don't mean anything about that. If it would help to talk to someone, a doctor can point you to people who do this with care.
And if you don't have children and aren't looking to, none of this has anything to say to you except that your hand is complete as it is.
What the tradition was reaching for
Old palm books were written for clients with old questions: whom will I marry, will I be provided for, who will come after me. Family sits at the center of those because it sat at the center of how people's lives went. It's easy to see why a reader would look for it on a hand, and why people still ask.
You can keep the theme and drop the counting. A few questions that don't assume anything about you:
- Who do you look after, and who looks after you?
- Who would you call family, whether or not the word applies on paper?
- What would you like to pass on, and to whom? It might be a skill or a joke, or just a way of treating people.
The marks near these, on the same part of the hand, have their own page: the marriage lines get the same honest treatment, and the old books fight over those as well. If you came because you were told to read a particular hand, our page on which hand to read shows that nobody agrees about that either. The palm lines overview has the whole hand on one map, and when you're ready for something lighter, the scanner and the free reading work from your main lines.
Sources
Questions people ask
- Which lines show how many children you'll have?
- None. The old books named some small lines near the little finger as children lines, but no line on your hand can tell you this, and nobody has ever shown otherwise. The books couldn't even agree on where to look.
- Can your palm tell you if you'll have kids?
- No. Whether someone has children depends on a life and on many things a body can't show on its skin. A palm can't tell you yes, and it can't tell you no.
- Where are the children lines?
- According to Cheiro and Markun, fine upright marks at the edge of the palm just above the marriage lines, under the little finger. Dale points to two other places. They're tiny, and Cheiro suggests a magnifying glass.
- Do children lines show boys or girls?
- No. Some old books sorted these marks by sex, and many pages still repeat it. There's nothing behind it. Nothing on a parent's hand shows the sex of a child.
- What if I have no children lines?
- Then you have a smooth patch of skin at the edge of your hand, as many people do. It says nothing about you or about your family, now or later.
- Can palm lines show fertility or pregnancy?
- No. If you have questions about fertility or pregnancy, a doctor or midwife can actually help. Please don't look for the answer here or on any palm reading page.
Look at the lines that are there to be seen.
Scan your hand to see your main lines traced on your own photo.