Successive generations of Gokenin families were divided into 3 classes: 'fudai' (heredity daimyo), nihanba (the middle rank between fudai and kakaeseki), or kakaeseki (hereditary daimyo who were promoted in the periods of the fifth shogun and the succeeding shogun).
御家人の家格は譜代（ふだい）、二半場（にはんば）、抱席（かかえせき）の3つにわかれる。