Hungary Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Hungary

What Is in the Collection?
This collection consists of vital records from Hungary for the years 1895-1980. The original records are maintained by each individual civil registration office (anyakönyvi hivatal); copies are made and submitted to the County Archives. The copies in the County Archives were microfilmed and subsequently digitized into the images in this collection.

Civil registration was instituted in Hungary on October 1, 1895 so that the government might have a record of vital events useful in compiling statistics about the people in Hungary. The records are bound volumes of pre-printed forms with event information recorded by hand. From 1895 through 1906, the forms are one page per event; beginning with 1907 each event occupies one row in a printed table, so there are multiple events recorded per page.

The registration has two formats:


 * The pre-1907 format can be located by clicking on the Hungary Civil Registration link below.
 * The post-1907 format is located on this page.

Both formats have valuable English translation guides to the records. An extract of these records has also been created and is being moved into the wiki article: Hungary Civil Registration, Birth and Marriage Extracts (Family Search Historical Records)

Collection Content
This collection contains birth, marriage, and death records. Birth and death constitute approximately equal portions of the collection, with marriage records making up a smaller part.

Coverage Table
For a list of the localities, record types, and date ranges included in this collection, refer to Hungary Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records) Coverage Table.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The following list indicates potential information provided in these records. It must be remembered that every record may not provide all the listed information, as record-keeping practices varied greatly over time.

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before beginning a search in these records, it is best to know the full name of the individual in question, as well as an approximate time range for the desired record. When entered into the search engine on the Collection Page, this information provides the quickest, most reliable path to finding the correct person. Of course, other information can be substituted as necessary.

Search by Name by Visiting the Collection Page
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page to return a list of possible matches. Compare the individuals on the list with what is already known to find the correct family or person. This step may require examining multiple individuals before a match is located.

View Images in This Collection by Visiting the Browse Page
⇒ Select Browse through images near the bottom of the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate County ⇒ Select the Town or Registration District ⇒ Select the Record Type and Date Range to go to the images

Compare the information found on the images with what is already known determine if a particular record relates to the correct person. This process may require examining multiple records before the correct person is located.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Hungarian. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:
 * Hungary Genealogical Word List
 * Hungary Language and Languages

I Found the Person I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see below for assistance in citing this collection. Save or print a copy of the image if possible.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined.
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Check for variants of given names and surnames; simple clerical errors were always possible. In addition, spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation. Individuals could also be listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name. For women, it was not uncommon to revert to a maiden name after the death of a husband.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Alternatively, try expanding the date range.
 * Search the records of nearby locations.
 * Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description, if possible.

For additional help searching online collections see FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, plea se email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing this Collection
Citing sources correctly makes it easier to refer back to information that has already been discovered; proper citations are therefore indispensable to keeping track of genealogical research. Following established formulae in formatting citations also allows others to verify completed research by helping them find and examine records for themselves.

To be of use, citations must include information such as the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records, if available. The following examples demonstrate how to present this information for both this particular collection as well as individual records and images within the collection:

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: