🇬🇧 United Kingdom · English
United Kingdom Family Tree
British genealogy benefits from excellent record-keeping, with civil registration starting in 1837 and parish records going back centuries. The UK has some of the most accessible genealogical records in the world.
United Kingdom naming patterns
English surnames became fixed in the 13th-14th centuries. Common types include occupational (Smith, Taylor, Baker), locational (Hill, Wood, Brook), patronymic (Johnson, Williams), and descriptive (Brown, Young, Long).
Common United Kingdom surnames
Where to find United Kingdom records
- General Register Office (GRO)
- The National Archives (TNA)
- FindMyPast
- Ancestry UK
- FreeReg & FreeBMD (free)
- ScotlandsPeople
Migration history
The British Empire led to massive emigration to North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Great Famine era saw particularly large Irish emigration.
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