Abbreviations used in Genealogy
There are many abbreviations used in family history. Below is simply a selection of the most common ones. There are many others, particularly in connection with transcripts of censuses but most of these have been omitted here.
| UK county codes | Chapman codes and a map of the historical counties of the UK |
|---|---|
| [--?--] | Unknown: usually used for surnames |
| = | Married or marriage |
| abt | about |
| admon. | Administration Act (will) |
| aff. | Affidavit |
| ag. lab. | Agricultural labourer |
| appr | Apprentice |
| b. | Born |
| b. | Bachelor |
| bach. | Bachelor |
| bapt. | Baptised |
| BD | Administration Bond |
| bord | Boarder (census) |
| botp | Both of this parish (parish registers) |
| BTs | Bishop's Transcripts |
| bur. | Buried |
| BVRI | British Vital Records Index 1998 (Mormons) |
| BVRI v2 | British Vital Records Index 2002 - Version 2 (Mormons) |
| c | circa - about |
| c. | Christened or Baptised |
| c.q. | Correct quote (sic = as written) |
| cert. | Certificate |
| cem. | Cemetery |
| cod | Codicil |
| d. | Died |
| d. | Daughter of |
| d/o | Daughter of |
| exor. | Executor |
| extrix. | Executrix |
| f. | folio (census) |
| fa | of full age |
| FHL | Family History Library (Mormons) |
| FHS | Family History Society |
| FS | FamilySearch On Line (IGI) |
| FFHS | Federation of Family History Societies |
| F/B | Female birth (IGI) |
| F/C | Female christening (IGI) |
| FS | Female servant (census) |
| FreeBMD | Free Births, Marriages and Deaths (online database at RootsWeb) |
| Gedcom | GEnealogical Data COMmunications |
| gen lab | General labourer |
| gent. | Gentleman |
| GRO | General Register Office (Births, Marriages and Deaths) |
| H | Head of household (census) |
| husb. | Husbandman |
| I | Inventory |
| illeg | Illegitimate |
| inft | Infant |
| IGI | International Genealogical Index |
| lab. | labourer |
| LDS | Latter Day Saints (Mormons) |
| lic. | Marriage by license |
| m. | Married or marriage |
| marr | Married |
| M/B | Male Birth (IGI) |
| M/C | Male christening (IGI) |
| MS | Male servant (census) |
| MSS | Manuscript |
| mem. | Memorial |
| MI | Monumental inscriptions (Mon Insc) |
| ni. | No issue |
| NK | Not known |
| NTH | Northamptonshire |
| occ. | Occupation |
| OPR | Old Parochial Registers (Scotland) |
| otp | of this parish |
| OXF | Oxfordshire |
| PCC | Prerogative Court of Canterbury |
| Pec. | Peculiars |
| PR | Parish Register |
| PRO | Public Records Office |
| RD | Registration District |
| RO | Records Office |
| SCH | St. Catherine's House (now GRO) |
| serv | Servant |
| S | Single (Census) |
| sic | As in the original; thus so |
| s/o | Son of |
| s. | Son of |
| sp. | Spinster |
| sp. | Spouse |
| UNK | Unknown |
| unm | Unmarried |
| vr | Visitor (census) |
| w. | widow or widower |
| WAR | Warwickshire |
| wid. | Widow or widower |
| wit. | Witness |
| x | Signed by making a mark |
| yeo. | Yeoman |