A 

gene family is a set of several similar genes, formed by duplication of a single

original gene, and generally with similar biochemical functions. One such family are
the genes for human hemoglobin subunits; the ten genes are in two clusters on
different chromosomes, called the α-globin and β-globin loci. These two gene
clusters are thought to have arisen as a result of a precursor gene being duplicated
approximately 500 million years ago.[1]
Genes are categorized into families based on shared nucleotide or protein
sequences. Phylogenetic techniques can be used as a more rigorous test. The
positions of exons within the coding sequence can be used to infer common
ancestry. Knowing the sequence of the protein encoded by a gene can allow
researchers to apply methods that find similarities among protein sequences that
provide more information than similarities or differences among DNA sequences.
If the genes of a gene family encode proteins, the term protein family is often used in
an analogous manner to gene family.
The expansion or contraction of gene families along a specific lineage can be due to
chance, or can be the result of natural selection.[2] To distinguish between these two
cases is often difficult in practice. Recent work uses a combination of statistical
models and algorithmic techniques to detect gene families that are under the effect
of natural selection.[3]

Example:

Evolution of a Gene Family: Unequal crossing over generates gene families. The
left side illustrates an unequal crossing over event and the two products that are
generated. One product is deleted and the other is duplicated for the same region.
In this example, the duplicated region contains a second complete copy of a single
gene (B). The right side illustrates a second round of unequal crossing over that can
occur in a genome that is homozygous of the original duplicated chromosome. In
this case, the crossover event has occurred between the two copies of the original
gene. Only the duplicated product generated by this event is shown. Over time, the
three copies of the B gene can diverge into three distinct functional units (B1, B2,
and B3) of a gene family cluster.

These methods often rely upon predictions based upon the DNA sequence. If the
genes of a gene family encode proteins, the term protein family is often used in an
analogous manner to gene family. The expansion or contraction of gene families
along a specific lineage can be due to chance or can be the result of natural
selection. To distinguish between these two cases is often difficult in practice.
Recent work uses a combination of statistical models and algorithmic techniques to
detect gene families that are under the effect of natural selection.

In contrast, gene complexes are simply tightly linked groups of genes, often created
via gene duplication (sometimes called segmental duplication if the duplicates
remain side-by-side). Here, each gene has a similar though slightly diverged
function.