Iraq Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Iraq, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites
'''Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969, index ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Iraq, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Iraq, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background
In Iraq, Christians numbered about 1,500,000 in 2003, representing just over 6% of the population of 26 million (from 1.4 million or 8.5% of 16.5 million in 1987; and down from 12% in 1948 in a population of 4.8 million). Since then, it has been estimated that the number of Christians in Iraq have dropped to 500,000+. However, due to a lack of an official census, the number is difficult to estimate. The most widely followed denomination among Iraq Christians is the Chaldean Catholic Church. However, the Assyrian Church of the East plays a bold role in the demographics. Christians live primarily in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Erbil, Dohuk, Zakho and Kirkuk and in Assyrian towns and regions such as the Nineveh Plains in the north. There are about 60,000 Iraqi-Armenians who follow either Armenian Orthodox or Armenian Catholics. There are also several thousand Arab Christians who are either Greek Orthodox or Melkite Catholic, and they are largely concentrated in Baghdad.

During the period from 2013–2017, with ISIS rapidly sweeping through Iraq's western lands, Christians fled as they feared persecution by the terrorist organization, as they were to ‘execute’ any person who did not believe in their Sunni sect. Thousands of Iraqi Christians fled to the nation's capital where they found refuge and adequate housing. Some have chosen to make Baghdad their new permanent home following the full defeat of ISIS in Iraq. Thousands have also fled to other parts of southern Iraq, such as the Shia-majority city of Najaf which housed thousands of Christians in holy Islamic shrines once they fled from ISIS. A large population have also returned to their homes en masse following the defeat of ISIS and were able to celebrate Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter in safety with the protection of the NPU and its allies.

The majority of the Iraqi Christians belong to the branches of Syriac Christianity whose followers are mostly ethnic Assyrians adhering to both the East Syriac Rite and West Syriac Rite: Syriac Orthodox Church Assyrian Church of the East Ancient Church of the East Syriac Catholic Church Chaldean Catholic Church Assyrian Evangelical Church Assyrian Pentecostal Church Churches of the Armenian rite Followers of these churches are exclusively ethnic Armenians, using Armenian Rite: Armenian Apostolic Church Armenian Catholic Church Churches of the Byzantine rite Followers of these churches are an ethnic mix known as Melkites: Melkite Orthodox Church under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baghdad Melkite Catholic Church under Patriarchal Exarchate of Iraq Other churches and communities Roman Catholic Church (Roman rite) Protestant churches

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Iraq.
 * b. Click on Places within Iraq and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. Use Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Then,use an Arabic translation service.
 * Maps.me Church Listings for Iraq

Writing to a Local Parish
Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Iraq
 * Google Maps search results for Chaldean Catholic churches in Iraq

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Syriac rite churches in Iraq

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Armenian rite churches in Iraq