Scotland - Birth - 1855-Present

Civil Registration: Birth Certificate
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths beginning 1 January 1855. In these records you may find a child's name, sex, birth date and place, father's name and occupation, mother's name and maiden name, parents' marriage date and place (from 1861), and the name, residence, and relationship of a person present at the birth. Civil registration birth records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the national index to identify and obtain a copy of a birth certificate.

Accessing the records
The general indexes, and the records for the first twenty years, are available on film at the Family History Library. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under the place of Scotland and the topic of Civil Registration. The correct record title is "Registers of births, marriages, and deaths, 1855-1875, 1881, 1891; and general index, 1855-1956." Most of the records of births for 1855-1875 are indexed in the International Genealogical Index.

Indexes and images of records are also available on the ScotlandsPeople web site (per-use fee-based).

Why go to the next record
If you do not find your ancestor in civil birth records, it may be because:


 * Your ancestor was not born in Scotland.
 * Your ancestor was born in Scotland but his/her birth was not registered.
 * They were indexed incorrectly. Look for spelling variations, including other possible first letters, such as an S instead of an L.
 * They could be indexed as simply Male or Female rather than their given name.
 * They were born before civil registration began in 1855. You should try church records.
 * There are too many possibilities in the index and you need to find a record that will give their birth place.

Census Records
A census is a count and description of the population. Government census records were taken every ten years starting in 1841. The 1841 through 1901 censuses are currently available. They are especially valuable because they list the majority of the population and are available at many repositories. In these records you may find names of the members of a household, and each person's age, gender, marital status, relationship to the head of the household, occupation, address, and place of birth. Census records can provide clues that may lead you to other records.

Accessing the records
Census records and indexes are readily available both on microfilm at the Family History Library and online. Online indexes are available through several websites including these:

ScotlandsPeople (complete 1841-1901 indexes and images; per use fee-based website) Ancestry.co.uk (1841-1901 indexes only; annual membership fee-based website) Censusfinder (free; starting in alphabetical order by county, the list is short but growing) FreeCEN Scotland (free; almost every county has some years and some parishes indexed).

Records and indexes, for 1841-1891, available at the Family History Library, are listed in the library's catalog. Do a Place search for your parish of interest and the topics of 'Census' and 'Census-Indexes.' Indexes may also be found under the county name rather than the parish.

Information about census records for a particular parish can be found in the Wiki on that parish's information page. In the search field above and to the left, type in the name of the parish and click on Search.

Why go to the next record
If you do not find your ancestor in census records, it may be because:


 * Your ancestor was not living in Scotland at the time of the census.
 * They were indexed incorrectly. Look for spelling variations, including other possible first letters, such as an S instead of an L.
 * They could be listed under another name.
 * There are too many possibilities in the census and you need to find a record that will give you a locality.

Civil Registration: Marriage Certificate
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths beginning 1 January 1855. In these records you may find the names of the bride and groom; their ages (which you can use to determine a year of birth), marriage date and place, marital status, residences, occupations, fathers' names and occupations, and mothers' names and maiden names; whether they were married according to the forms of the Church of Scotland or another church; and the names of witnesses. Civil registration marriage records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the general index to identify and obtain a copy of a marriage certificate.

Accessing the records
The general indexes, and the records for the first twenty years, are available on film at the Family History Library. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under the place of Scotland and the topic of Civil Registration. The correct record title is "Registers of births, marriages, and deaths, 1855-1875, 1881, 1891; and general index, 1855-1956." Most of the records of marriages for 1855-1875 are indexed in the International Genealogical Index.

Indexes and images of records are also available on the ScotlandsPeople web site (per-use fee-based).

A marriage record can provide an age, parents names, and a locality for your ancestor so you are better able to search for him/her in other records.

Civil registration: Death Certificate
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths beginning 1 January 1855. In these records you may find the name of the deceased; his or her cause of death, death date and place, rank or profession, marital status, sex, age (from which you can estimate a year of birth), spouse's name, father's name and rank or profession, and mother's name and maiden name; and the signature, relationship, and residence of the informant. Civil registration death records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the general index to identify and obtain a copy of a death certificate.

Accessing the records
The general indexes, and the records for the first twenty years, are available on film at the Family History Library. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under the place of Scotland and the topic of Civil Registration. The correct record title is "Registers of births, marriages, and deaths, 1855-1875, 1881, 1891; and general index, 1855-1956."

Indexes and images of records are also available on the ScotlandsPeople web site (per-use fee-based).

A death record can provide an age, parents names, and a locality for your ancestor so you are better able to search for him/her in other records.

Church records: Church of Scotland
Church records are the christenings or baptisms, marriages, and burials recorded in registers by church officials at the time of an event. Christening records usually give the name of the child, christening date, names of parents (including the mother's maiden name), place of residence, and father's occupation. Sometimes the child's birth date and the names of witnesses are recorded. Minutes of church meetings sometimes include birth information.

Accessing the records
For more information about Church of Scotland records and how to access them, click here.

Information about extant church records for a particular parish can be found in the Wiki on that parish's information page. In the search field above and to the left, type in the name of the parish and click on Search.

Church records: Nonconformist churches
Anyone who did not adhere to the teachings of the Established Church of Scotland was considered a nonconformist or a dissenter. Dissenters could also include people who belonged to religious organizations that broke from the Established church. Dissenter groups kept separate records. In these records you may find baptisms, marriages, minutes of meetings, communion rolls, and other records of value.

Accessing the records
Not many nonconformist church records are available on microfilm and therefore are not in the collection of the Family History Library. Those records that are will be listed in the library's catalog under the town or parish of interest and the topic of 'Church records.'

Information about extant Kirk session records for a particular parish can be found in the Wiki on that parish's information page. In the search field above and to the left, type in the name of the parish and click on Search.

Most nonconformist church records are held in the collection of the National Archives of Scotland or other repositories in Scotland. Other repositories can include regional archives, denominational archives, or individual churches. Contact information for other archives may be found in the directory of the Scottish Archives Network.

Return to the strategies page.