Finding Birth Information for Swedish Family History Research

A person’s birth day, month, and year are key to correctly identifying an ancestor. Usually people find the birth information (or age) in other records first, such as the Household Examination records. In Swedish research, the entry in the parish birth and christening record is considered the primary source for this information. To find the birth records, you must know 2 things:


 * 1. The birthday or at least an approximate birth year


 * 2. The name of the parish where the mother (or parents) were residing at the time of the birth or christening.

Sometimes finding the estimated year or parish where the birth is recorded can be a challenge. In situations like this, you must turn to other records for clues. Then after you find enough clues (or just the right clues) you can verify the actual birth and christening entry.

The good news is, the entire kingdom of Sweden was organized into parishes long before birth and christening records were being written. This means the majority of births were recorded when they started recording that info. Unfortunately there are some gaps in the records, but the vast majority of births are recorded. So unless there is a gap, it’s not IF a person’s birth was recorded, it’s WHERE was it recorded.

The table below is a list of Swedish records that show birth information. The records have been ranked with the best source at the top, followed by others that might help.

If you find a possible match in a record, but need help to read or interpret the entry, go to the FamilySearch Sweden Genealogy Research page in facebook for assistance.