Cape Verde Genealogy

Africa Cape Verde

Guide to Cape Verde ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Getting started with Cape Verde research
Cape Verde was probably discovered in 1456 by Luigi da Cadamosto, who at that time was in service to Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (Henrique o Navegador); the islands showed no signs of any previous human settlement. In 1462, São Tiago was the first island to receive settlers. Plantation agriculture was established by the Portuguese community and worked by African slaves, who were brought in from the adjacent Guinea coast. Read more...

Jurisdictions
The nine inhabited islands of Cape Verde are divided into two geographical groups, the Barlavento (windward) Islands (Boa Vista, Sal, Santa Luzia, Santo Antão, São Nicolau, and São Vicente) and the Sotavento (leeward) Islands (Brava, Fogo, Santiago, and Maio). Each of these islands is hosts one or more municipalities, plus towns and parishes; all but towns are as follows:

Barlavento Islands (island group)
Santo Antão (island)

Ribeira Grande (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora do Rosário (parish)
 * Nossa Senhora do Livramento (parish)
 * Santo Crucifixo (parish)
 * São Pedro Apóstolo (parish)

Paul (municipality)


 * Santo António das Pombas (parish)

Porto Novo (municipality)


 * São João Baptista (parish)
 * Santo André (parish)

São Vicente and Santa Luzia (islands)

São Vicente (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora da Luz (parish)

São Nicolau (island)

Ribeira Brava (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora da Lapa (parish)
 * Nossa Senhora do Rosário (parish)

Tarrafal de São Nicolau (municipality)


 * São Francisco (parish)

Sal (island)



Sal (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora das Dores (parish)

Boa Vista (island)

Boa Vista (municipality)


 * Santa Isabel (parish)
 * Sao João Baptista (parish)

Sotovento Islands (island group)
Maio (island)

Maio (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora da Luz (parish)

Santiago (island)

Praia (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora da Graça (parish)

São Domingos (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora da Luz (parish)
 * São Nicolau Tolentino (parish)

Santa Catarina (municipality)


 * Santa Catarina (parish)

São Salvador do Mundo (municipality)


 * São Salvador do Mundo (parish)

Santa Cruz (municipality)


 * Santiago Maior (parish)

São Lourenço dos Órgãos (municipality)


 * São Lourenço dos Órgãos (parish)

Ribeira Grande de Santiago (municipality)


 * Santíssimo Nome de Jesus (parish)
 * São João Baptista (parish)

São Miguel (municipality)


 * São Miguel Arcanjo (parish)

Tarrafal (municipality)


 * Santo Amaro Abade (parish)

Fogo (island)

São Filipe (municipality)


 * São Lourenço (parish)
 * Nossa Senhora da Conceição (parish)
 * Santa Catarina do Fogo (municipality)


 * Santa Catarina do Fogo (parish)

Mosteiros (municipality)


 * Nossa Senhora da Ajuda (parish)

Brava (island)

Brava (municipality)


 * São João Baptista (parish)
 * Nossa Senhora do Monte (parish)

Research Tools

 * Cape Verde Genealogy Queries
 * Cape Verde Genealogy