Birth Records

What are BMDs?

'BMD' stands for Births, Marriages & Deaths. These records are kept by the General Register Office (GRO) of England & Wales. These records have been kept by law since 1837, detailing every birth, marriage and death recorded in England & Wales since that date. These records are also used to issue copies birth, marriage and death certificates.

What information can I expect to find on a birth record?

A birth record is a certificate that states the date and place an individual was born. These records are available from 1837 onwards as published by the GRO. You can also order a copy of a birth certificate if you need to, which can show you more information about the birth.

Birth Records: 1837 - 2005

Birth records can be found at BMDindex.co.uk and TheGenealogist.

Above: An example of a birth record from 1969

Above: An example of a birth record from 1984

Information you can find on a birth record is as follows:

Full Name of child
Mother's Maiden Name
Date of registration
Registration district
Volume number and Page number

If you want more information, then you can order a full birth certificate, which can give you the following:

Full Name of child
Sex of child
Date & Place of birth
Mother's maiden name
Informant's name/address/relationship to child
Full name and occupation of the father (if married to mother, if attended with the mother, if signed registration entry - from 1969)
Place of birth of both parents

For records before 1837, you would usually turn to Parish Registers, which incluce Baptism Records.