Acronyms and Abbreviations

There are many abbreviated words related to genealogy and family history research. Some are not easily found in many glossaries that are available. Here is a list of a few of these:


 * AF
 * Ancestral File; patron-contributed lineage-linked family information submitted to FamilySearch.org prior to 1991.


 * bap / chr
 * Baptized / Christened


 * BMD / BDM
 * Births, Marriages, and Deaths


 * c / ca. / circa
 * approximately (ex. "ca. 1535" means "in about 1535")


 * CNBL
 * Cannot Be Located


 * dob
 * Date of Birth


 * FHC
 * Family History Center (to find a Family History Center near you, click here)


 * FHL
 * Family History Library, largest genealogical library in the world. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah and sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


 * FHLC
 * Family History Library Catalog; searchable catalog of microfilm, fiche, books and periodicals available through FamilySearch.org.


 * GEDCOM
 * GEnealogical Data COMmunications (a file format for transferring family history data)


 * ill.
 * Illegitimate (often recorded on birth certificates and other birth records)


 * IGI
 * Inernational Genealogical Index


 * LDS
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * LOC
 * Library of Congress; Research arm of the US Congress. Digital collections include historic newspapers, photographs, family genealogies, biographies and other items of interest to family history researchers.


 * NARA
 * National Archives Records Administration; repository of official US government records including census, military, immigration, and other documents of interest to family history researchers.


 * PAF
 * Personal Ancestral File; freeware genealogy software available at FamilySearch.org.


 * PRF
 * Pedigree Resource File (a database within FamilySearch.org)


 * PRO
 * Public Records Office; National Archives repository for official public records (birth, marriage, death, census, etc.) for the United Kingdom.


 * SSDI
 * Social Security Death Index; master file of US death records reported to the Social Security Administartion available for free on-line through FamilySearch.org, ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com, genealogybank.com and other web sites.

Family History Library Resources

 * There are also books which give the definitions of many abbreviated words. One such book is "Abbreviations &amp; Acronyms: a guide for family historians" compiled by Kip Sperry (FHL book US/Can 929.103Sp37a.)


 * Use a Title search for "abbreviations" in the Family History Library Catalog found on the www.familysearch.org website for other books which define abbreviations and acronyms such as: Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations Dictionary: a guide to acronyms, abbreviations, contractions, alphabetic symbols, and similar condensed appellations by Jennifer Mossman (FHL book US/Can 428.1 M855a v.1 pt.1 1995.)