California Birth Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States California

What Is in the Collection?
The collection consists of a name index to birth records created by the California Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Section in Sacramento. The collection covers the years 1905 to 1995.

The event locations in this collection are listed by county and state and not by city and state. For example, Los Angeles, Kern, San Diego, etc. refer to counties not cities or towns. Burbank, California, is in Los Angeles County as an example.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

 * Name
 * Date and place of birth
 * Sex
 * Mother's surname

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search, it is helpful to know at least some of the following:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate place and date of birth.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?
*Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses were usually family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.


 * Collection Citation:
 * Record (or Index) Citation:

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