Find your family's birth records

Explore millions of online birth records from Britain and beyond at Findmypast. Along with marriage and death records, birth records form the building blocks of your family tree.

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Official government birth records (1837-2006)

Civil birth records have been registered by the British government since 1837. All birth records on Findmypast are fully name-indexed, which makes searching birth records by parent name quick and simple. Birth records contain the key details recorded on our birth certificates. They reveal where and when your ancestor was born, as well as their parents' names. If you've found the records that you were looking for, you may wish to order a copy of the original birth certificates from the General Register Office to discover even more.

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Church parish baptism records (1538- 2010)

Parish registers were first introduced in Britain in 1538. Details of family milestones, like baptisms, banns, marriages and burials, are hidden in handwritten volumes, digitised and published on Findmypast. Like birth records, parish baptism registers can reveal your ancestor's birth date, where they were born and who their parents were. What's more, the power of parish records could help you take your family story all the way back to medieval times.

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3 top tips for making the most of birth records

Start or upload your family tree

Built using a combination of birth, marriage and death records, your family tree is the best place to store your discoveries.

Build your family tree

Order original birth certificates

While online marriage indexes give you all the details you need, birth certificates can reveal even more.

Church or government birth record?

Civil records began in 1837 while parish registers can date back to 1538. Check out our blog to learn the must-know info about birth records.

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Places covered by our British birth records

From Liverpool to London, births in England or Wales can typically be found within this set, with baptisms here. Scottish civil birth records are in this record set, while you may want to also search our Scotland parish baptisms. To trace your Irish genealogy, our Irish Births 1864-1958 record set is a good place to start.

Millions of records at your fingertips...

Browse births and baptisms

Our civil birth records span back to the early 19th century, while you can search parish baptism records from as early as 1538.

Birth records

Search marriages

Can you find your ancestors' marriage within our vast collection of marriage records, stretching back as early as 1538?

Marriage records

Discover deaths and burials

Glean key details about a person's death using our death and burial records, which cover over 500 years of Britain's history.

Death records

From cradle to grave...

After years of trying to trace my great grandfather's birth and parents on other sites, I tried on Findmypast and found it all. Thank you.

Susan

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FAQs

Still got unanswered questions about our birth and baptism records?

Can I view birth records online?keyboard_arrow_down

Findmypast has millions of records of births from across Britain, spanning back as far as the 16th century. To begin exploring our collection, you can carry out a simple birth records search - input the name and birthdate of an ancestor, and you can narrow your search results down from there. Some of our English births, deaths and marriages are even free to view.

Where are birth records kept in the UK?keyboard_arrow_down

Along with marriage and death records, English and Welsh birth records are held by the General Register Office (the GRO), situated within London's Somerset House. You can access an index of these records online, but to view full birth certificates, you can order them from the GRO. Scottish birth records are held by the National Records of Scotland, while in Northern Ireland, it's the General Register Office for Northern Ireland that is responsible.

How do I access public records in the UK?keyboard_arrow_down

In England and Wales, birth, marriage and death records are public. You can access millions of these public records via Findmypast - simply carry out a name search, and narrow down your search results with the relevant categories and information.

Can you search births deaths and marriages in the UK?keyboard_arrow_down

In the world of family history, birth, marriage and death records are grouped and known as BMD records. With Findmypast, it couldn't be easier to search for the BMD records of your family members. Why not begin by exploring the different available record sets, and determining the type of record that you're looking for? To carry out a simple birth records search, use this page for government births, and this page for church parish baptisms.