GuidedResearch:Why Can't I Find the Record - Sweden Births

This page will give you additional guidance and resources to find birth information for your ancestor. Use this page after first completing the birth section of the Sweden Guided Research page.

Additional Databases and Online Resources
If you know your ancestor's parish, use the Sweden map to navigate to the Wiki page for the parish to find more localized information.
 *  Church Records  at ArkivDigital ($)
 * 1611-1920:  Sweden Baptisms  at FindMyPast ($); also at MyHeritage ($)
 * 1859-1946: Sweden, Indexed Birth Records  at Ancestry ($)
 * 1451-1943: Sweden, Church Records  at Ancestry ($)
 * 1901-2006: Sweden, Births from the Swedish Death Index  at Ancestry ($)

Additional Records with Birth Information
Substitute records may contain information about more than one event and are used when records for an event are not available. Records that are used to substitute for birth events may not have been created at the time of the birth. The accuracy of the record is contingent upon when the information was recorded. Search for information in multiple substitute records to confirm the accuracy of these records.

Virtual Genealogy Consultations
Schedule a free online consultation with a research specialist:

Ask the Community
Select a community research group where you can ask questions and receive free genealogy help.

Tips for finding births
Success with finding birth records in online databases depends on a few key points:
 * Your ancestor's name may misspelled. Try the following search tactics:
 * Try searching for the parents if known, instead of the child.
 * Try different spelling variations of the first and last name of your ancestor (e.g. Niels, Nils).
 * Try a given name search (leave out the last names).
 * The use of patronymic surnames in Sweden declined in the early 1900s, and family surnames became more permanent through generations. (See the following article for more information: Naming Customs.)
 * Women began adopting their husband's surname in documents in the late 1800s/early 1900s, and adoption of their husband's surname became law in 1920.


 * Expand the date range of the search.
 * Try searching with the county name only instead of by parish.
 * If your ancestor's name is common, try adding more information to narrow the search, such as relationships.

Known Record Gaps
Records Start Most churches began keeping baptism records (the most important source of birth information) in the late 1600s. Beginning in 1686, the clergy was required to keep baptism records, which included the name of the child and the father. Record availability before that time period is inconsistent.

Records Published by FamilySearch Collection coverage tables show the places and time periods of original records published by FamilySearch. For any FamilySearch collections you did not find your ancestor in, check the coverage table for gaps in the online collection. If the time period or location your ancestor lived in is missing from the collection, it may require searches in records found at original repository or finding substitute records for the event.

Records Destroyed Any known record loss will be mentioned on the parish page. Locate your parish by navigating to the parish page starting here.
 * Sweden Baptisms Coverage Table