Maiden name
A woman's maiden name can usually be found on any of the documents listed below. If you have the minimum information required to find one of these documents, select the name of that document. The items in the list are ordered from most to least important. If you do not have the minimum information required, read the paragraph below this list.
Make sure to check photo albums, scrapbooks, diaries, and family Bibles at home. See the topic Finding information at home for more information. Also check for local histories. See the topic Finding previous research.
You can look to a woman's children's names for clues to her maiden name. Do any of them have unusual first names or middle names? Unusual middle names may be the woman's maiden name.
Finding a maiden name with a marriage certificate
A marriage certificate is the best place to find a woman's maiden name. Marriage certificates are available from either the county or the state where the marriage took place, depending on the year of the marriage. If the marriage certificate is not available, many counties and states have similar vital records, such as marriage banns, marriage intentions, marriage bonds, marriage applications, marriage licenses, consent papers for marriage, marriage contracts, marriage returns, and marriage registers. In addition, you may find the maiden name on other vital records, such as a death certificate or a divorce certificate. To get the address where you must write to obtain any of these vital records, see the topic Resources by state.
When looking for marriage records, many people use computerized marriage records indexes to help them find the record that they need. Some libraries have computerized marriage records indexes.
Finding the minimum information for a marriage certificate
To find a marriage certificate, you must at least know the full name of the groom, the first name of the bride, the approximate date of the marriage, and the state or county of the marriage, depending on when the marriage took place.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
Even if you don't have the minimum information required to find the original records, you're not completely out of luck. Indexes to vital records, including marriage records, have been made for some states and counties. These indexes provide you with the information you need to access the original record. Check with libraries and genealogy societies in the area -- they may know if any indexes exist for the records that you need.
Ancestry also has marriage records.
Finding a maiden name with church records
You can usually find a woman's maiden name on church marriage records. In addition, baptism and christening records often record the maiden name of a child's mother. So, if you know the child's name and can locate the child's baptism or christening records, you may be able to locate the maiden name you are looking for.
The books listed below can help you locate your ancestors' church records by telling you who currently has the records belonging to your ancestors' church. You can find these books in a public or genealogical library. Depending on the book that you use, you can look up either the name of your ancestors' church or the name of the clergyman and find out who currently has the records belonging to your ancestors' church. Of course, if you live close to your ancestors' church, you should go directly to the church and ask the staff for assistance in locating the records that you need.
- The Handbook of American Denominations, by Frank Mead
- The Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches and Reformed Churches , edited by the National Council of Churches
- List of Historical Records Survey Publications , by the Works Projects Administration
- State Historical Records Surveys , by the Works Projects Administration
Once you locate the records that belong to your ancestors' church, the current custodian of the records should be able to direct you in your search for the marriage, baptism, or christening record that you need.
Another good place to look for both American and foreign church records is among the microfilm records at the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their church records are organized first by state, then county, and then town. Unless the town that you are searching for had very few churches, knowing a denomination will make your search easier.
Finding the minimum information for a church record
To find a woman's maiden name in church marriage, baptism, or christening records, you must at least know the individual's name, and either the name of the church where the ceremony was performed or the name of the clergyman that appears on the certificate.
Get help finding the minimum information for:
If you can find out the denomination of your ancestor's religion, you can try contacting all of the churches of that denomination in the area where you believe your ancestor lived. If they have records from the corresponding time period, they should be able to tell you whether or not your ancestor was a church member. If their records do not go back far enough, they may be able to tell you if any other churches of that denomination existed in the area at the time and where their records may be.
The International Genealogical Index (IGI) , available through the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on both microfilm and the FamilySearch computer, contains references to some church records. To search through the IGI, you only need to know your ancestor's name, although knowing approximate birth and death dates and the area where your ancestor lived will help you narrow your search. When you find the name of an ancestor in the IGI, you can order microfilm copies of the records through the Family History Library.
Finding a maiden name with newspapers
Both wedding announcements and obituaries normally list a woman's maiden name. The most interesting part about looking up obituaries and wedding announcements is that you may also find a picture of the individual.
The directories listed below will help you find the current owners of old newspapers from the time and place when the wedding announcement or obituary was published. If the individual spoke a foreign language, check to see if there was a newspaper in that language, too. Once you have located the current owners, you can request to search the appropriate copies. The current owners should be able to direct you in your search.
- Ayer Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals, available at most community libraries.
- Winifred Gregory's American Newspaper, available at community and genealogical libraries
The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) microfiche. The OCLC has a database of the U.S. Newspaper Program National Union List. You can access the OCLC at most university libraries and some community libraries.
Finding the minimum information for newspapers
To find a woman's maiden name in a wedding announcement or obituary, you must at least know the approximate date of the event, the name of groom for wedding announcements or the full name of the deceased for obituaries, and the state and city or town where the event took place (or where the announcement or obituary was likely to have been published).
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
Finding a maiden name with Bible records
Family Bibles often include the maiden names of women who marry into the family. Make sure that you have asked your family members whether or not they are aware of any old Bibles that are still in the family. When you find information in actual Bibles, check the publication date of the Bible.
When you have a woman's full married name and cannot find family Bibles among your own family members, check with genealogical societies in the area where the family lived. They may have or be aware of the location of local Bible records.
Next, search through the transcribed Bible records belonging to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). These transcribed Bible records are available at the DAR library in Washington, D.C., local DAR chapters, and on microfilm through the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See the topic Libraries with a National Focus, Including LDS for information about these two libraries.
Finding the minimum information for Bible records
To find a woman's maiden name in Bible records that are no longer in the family's possession, you must at least know the woman's full married name, as well as the state and county in which she lived.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
Finding a maiden name with military records
Veteran's Benefit Records may show a woman's maiden name if either she or her spouse served in the military. To get the address where you must write to obtain a military record, go to the topic Researching through military records, and see the category "Veterans' Records."
Finding minimum information for military records
To find a woman's maiden name in a military pension record, you must at least know the veteran's name, the branch of service, such as Army, Navy, or Marine Corps, the state from which the veteran entered the service, and the war in which the veteran served. If the period of service was after 1916, you must also know entry and release dates, military ID number, Social Security number, whether an officer or enlisted, and date of birth.
Get help finding the minimum information for:
If you aren't sure of the military branch or of the approximate time when the veteran served, look for military memorabilia an photos taken in uniform. These items can give you the information you need.
Finding a maiden name with probate records
Probate records are records disposing of a deceased individual's property and may include an individual's last will and testament if one was made. Probate records often list an individual's maiden name. You can usually find probate records in the county where the person lived at the time of their death.
If you have some guesses as to what her maiden name may be, you could also try looking up wills that may have belonged to her father. Often you can find lines such as "to my daughter Jane, wife of Henry Smith." This may help you verify her maiden name. However, if the supposed maiden name is common, this method may not be practical.
To get a copy of an individual's probate packet or probate estate papers, contact the county clerk, town clerk, or probate clerk where the individual lived at the time of death. For county courthouse phone numbers and addresses, see our Resources by county . The Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has a large collection of probate records on microfilm, both from the United States and from foreign countries.
For more information about court records, see the topic Court records.
Finding minimum information for probate records
Probate records are records disposing of a deceased individual's property and may include an individual's last will and testament if one was made. To find a woman's maiden name in probate records, you must at least know the woman's full married name, the approximate date of her death, and the county or town in which she lived at the time of her death.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
Probate record indexes and abstracts have been created in many counties. These indexes can provide you with the information you need to access the record, even if you don't have the minimum information required to find the original records. Check with libraries and genealogy societies in the area -- they may know if any indexes exist for the records that you need.