Philippines Genealogy

Asia

Philippines

Guide to Philippines ancestry, family history and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Philippines Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Research Strategies Record Finder Finding Town of Origin
Record Types
Adoption Cemeteries Census Chinese Voluntary Association Records Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Directories Emigration & Immigration	Compiled Genealogies Land & Property Military Records Newspapers Notarial Records Occupations Online Records Periodicals Probate Records Religious Records For Further Reading
Philippines Background
Biography Church History Cultural Groups Gazetteers History Jurisdictions	Languages Maps Personal Names Spanish Word List
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies Family History Centers

Country Information

The Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It was formerly a colony of Spain. The United States acquired the Philippines as a result of the 1898 Spanish-American War. The Philippines gained independence on 4 July 1946. The official languages are Filipino and English.

Getting Started

Getting Started with Philippines Research Links to articles on getting started with Philippines research. Philippines Genealogy Research Using the Wiki - Video Series - Seven 5-6 minute videos

Philippines Research Tools Links to articles and websites that assist in Philippines research. Reading Spanish Handwriting Spanish Genealogical Word List Latin Genealogical Word List Spanish Records Extraction Manual. Practice reading documents BYU Spanish Documents Script Tutorial Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy Gazetteer of the Philippines : names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Volume 1 (A-L) Gazetteer of the Philippines : names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Volume 2 (M-Z) National Archives of the Philippines Chinese in the Philippines See More Research Tools

Philippines Online Genealogy Records

Ask the Community

Finding Your Ancestors' Town in Philippines

• Genealogical records are organized by geographical locality. Civil registration (government birth, marriage, and death records) and church records (christenings/baptisms, marriages, and burials) were kept at the local level. To search these records, you must know the town where your ancestors lived.
• If you do not know your ancestors' town, follow the advice in the Wiki article, Philippines Finding Town of Origin, to search a variety of records that might provide that information.

Finding Your Ancestors' Province in the Philippines

Once you know the town your Filipino ancestors lived in, you will need to determine which province the town belongs to. For this you will use this gazetteer:

• Gazetteer of the Philippines : names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Volime 1 (A-L)
• Gazetteer of the Philippines : names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Volume 2 (M-Z)

Illustration of Philippines Gazetteer

Gazetteer Instructions Abbreviations are defined beginning on page x of Volume 1. The RP under the title AREA number is a code for the province. On page xiv an xv (Volume 1), you will find a chart giving a key to the RP codes.

Philippines Clickable Map

The following map provides the locations of the many provinces in the Philippines, many of which have their own language:

Provinces

• Abra
• Agusan del Norte
• Agusan del Sur
• Aklan
• Albay
• Antique
• Apayao
• Aurora
• Basilan
• Bataan
• Batanes
• Batangas
• Benguet
• Biliran
• Bohol
• Bukidnon
• Bulacan
• Cagayan
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur
• Camiguin
• Capiz
• Catanduanes
• Cavite
• Cebu
• Compostela Valley
• Cotabato
• Davao del Norte
• Davao del Sur
• Davao Occidental
• Davao Oriental
• Dinagat Islands
• Eastern Samar
• Guimaras Province
• Ifugao
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• Iloilo
• Isabela
• Kalinga
• La Union
• Laguna
• Lanao del Norte
• Lanao del Sur
• Leyte
• Maguindanao
• Metropolitan Manila
• Marinduque
• Masbate
• Misamis Occidental
• Misamis Oriental
• Mountain
• Negros Occidental
• Negros Oriental
• Northern Samar
• Nueva Ecija
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Occidental Mindoro
• Oriental Mindoro
• Palawan
• Pampanga
• Pangasinan
• Quezon
• Quirino
• Rizal
• Romblon
• Samar
• Sarangani
• Siquijor
• Sorsogon
• South Cotabato
• Southern Leyte
• Sultan Kudarat
• Sulu
• Surigao del Norte
• Surigao del Sur
• Tarlac
• Tawi-Tawi
• Zambales
• Zamboanga City
• Zamboanga del Norte
• Zamboanga del Sur
• Zamboanga Sibugay

More Philippines Research Tools

Research tools can include resources that assist in locating correct records to search and determining the correct locality to search in. Below are links and Wiki articles to research tools for Philippines.

• Detailed instructions for reading Spanish records, examples of common documents, and practice exercises for developing skills in translating them can be found in the Spanish Records Extraction Manual.
• National Archives Government Website
• Catalog of Filipino Names
• Filipino Ancestors
• Obits Philippines freepages
• Families of the Philippines
• Resources for genealogy in the Philippines
• Philippine Army and Guerrilla Records

FamilySearch Resources

Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.

• Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
• Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
• Historical Records
• Images
• Family History Center locator map