Toronto Genealogical Records

Toronto Birth & Baptism Records

Ontario Birth Registers & Certificates (1869-1913)

An index to and images of over 2 million birth records, which may include name, date and place of birth, parents' names and more.

Ontario Birth Index (1869-1912)

An index to over 2 million births recorded by the state, including date and place of birth and parents' names.

Ontario Catholic Church Records (1747-1967)

An index to and images of registers recording around 1.75 million baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, dispensations, censuses and statements of readmission to the church.

Ontario Birth & Baptism Index (1779-1899)

An index to over 450,000 birth and baptism records, listing parents' names.

Canada Birth & Baptism Index (1661-1959)

A collection of various collated birth and baptism records, totaling around 1.5 million births.

Toronto Marriage & Divorce Records

Ontario Marriages (1801-1928)

An index to and images of around 3.2 million state and church marriages.

Ontario Marriages (1869-1927)

An index to marriage records, which may include the names, ages, birthplaces and parents' names of brides and groom; as well as the date and place of marriage.

Ontario Catholic Church Records (1747-1967)

An index to and images of registers recording around 1.75 million baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, dispensations, censuses and statements of readmission to the church.

Ontario County Marriage Registers (1858-1869)

An index to over 75,000 marriages. The index may include name, age, residence, and birthplace of each spouse, names of parents, marriage date, location, and source information.

Ontario Civil Marriage Index (1869-1873)

This database is a collection of Roman Catholic and Protestant Marriages for all districts in the province of Ontario, Canada, between 1869 and 1873, including late registrations. This valuable database includes more than 77,000 entries. This index, which includes name, year of marriage, county of marriage, and source information.

Toronto Death & Burial Records

Ontario Death Registers & Certificates (1869-1938)

An index to and images of over 2 million death records, which may list name, date and place of death, gender, age and more.

Ontario Death Index (1869-1937)

An index to over 2 million deaths recorded by the state, including name, age, place of birth, gender, date and place of death, spouse, parents' names and more.

Ontario Catholic Church Records (1747-1967)

An index to and images of registers recording around 1.75 million baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, dispensations, censuses and statements of readmission to the church.

Canadian Genealogy Index (1604-1980)

This database contains over two million records referencing individuals from all regions of Canada and early Alaska. Entries have been extracted from city directories, marriage records, land records, census records, and more.

Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects (1627-1965)

Registers of births/baptisms, marriages and deaths/burials containing over 160,000 entries from over 30 countries. These largely relate to British subjects.

Toronto Census & Population Lists

1842 Upper Canada Census (1842)

An index to and images of registers recording around 20,000 inhabitants of Quebec, their occupations and other details.

1861 Ontario Census (1861)

An index to 1.7 million inhabitants of the state, including details such as religion. Includes agricultural censuses.

Canada Voters Lists (1935-1980)

An index to and images of registers that list the name, address and occupation of those registered to vote. Contains over 95 million entries.

1921 Census of Canada (1921)

This database contains an index to close to 9 million individuals living in Canada. The records contain a wealth of details, including gender, relationships, marital status, age, place of birth, race, immigration particulars, languages and literacy, occupation and more.

1911 Census of Canada (1911)

This database contains an index to around 7.2 million individuals living in Canada. The records contain a wealth of details, including gender, relationships, marital status, age, place of birth, race, immigration particulars, languages and literacy, occupation and more.

Newspapers Covering Toronto

Newspaper Archive: Canada (1872-Present)

Text-searchable copies of over 6.6 million Canadian newspaper pages.

Name Card Index to AP Stories (1905-1990)

An index to over 2.1 million people mentioned in Associated Press stories, including name, subject, location, date and a reference to the article.

April 1916 Canada Illustrated Journal (1916)

Searchable editions of a newspaper covering Canadian and British-Canadian military news.

May 1916 Canada Illustrated Journal (1916)

Searchable editions of a newspaper covering Canadian and British-Canadian military news.

June 1916 Canada Illustrated Journal (1916)

Searchable editions of a newspaper covering Canadian and British-Canadian military news.

Toronto Immigration & Travel Records

Canada-US Border Crossings (1895-1956)

This database contains an index of aliens and citizens crossing into the U.S. from Canada via various ports of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border. It may include name, age, date and place of birth, gender, ethnicity/nationality, names of friends and relatives and more.

Canada Passenger Lists (1881-1922)

An index to an images of lists of passengers traveling to and from Quebec City, Halifax, Saint John, North Sydney, Vancouver, Victoria and some US ports.

Canadian Passenger Lists (1865-1935)

Digital images of passenger lists of ships arriving in various Canadian ports as well as some eastern US ports. They may list name, age, gender, marital status, place of intended residence, birth country, race, occupation, religion, port of departure and more. Searchable by a index of over 7.25 million names.

Irish Famine Immigrants (1846-1851)

A record of over 600,000 immigrants arriving in the United States; being predominantly those escaping the Irish famine. Records may contain numerous useful details, such as age or year of birth, native county and intended destination.

US to Canada Border Crossings (1908-1935)

An index to and images to lists recording the entry of 1.64 million people into Canada from the US. They may contain name, age, gender, country of citizenship, birthplace, marriage particulars, occupation, purpose of travel to Canada, languages spoken and more.

Toronto Military Records

University of Toronto Roll of Service (1914-1918)

A complete list of men and women who were associated with the University of Toronto and who served in the Great War. This includes present and former staff, graduates, undergraduates, former students and those attending the Faculty of Education.

Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)

An index to Canadian soldiers of WWI, linked to digital images of their attestation papers.

WWI Commonwealth Casualty Lists (1914-1920)

A list of over 1.3 million British and Commonwealth servicemen who were injured during World War One.

1861 British Army Census (1861)

An index listing the rank and regiment of over 245,000 British Army soldiers serving in June 1861. Compiled from paylists, this essential work can help locate further records for military men whose regiment is not otherwise known.

Canada Volunteer Militia Nominal Rolls & Paylists (1857-1922)

An index to and images of registers detailing over 1.6 million payments made to militia volunteers.

Ontario Voter Lists (1867-1900)

An index to and images of lists of registered voters. They record name, town, year of registration, address and occupation.

Canada Voters Lists (1935-1980)

An index to and images of registers that list the name, address and occupation of those registered to vote. Contains over 95 million entries.

Patents of Canada (1824-1849)

Descriptions of patents granted by the Canadian government.

Lectric Law Dictionary (1066-Present)

A dictionary of law terminology from earliest times.

Provincial Government Personnel List (1919)

Lists of elected representatives and civil servants of the provincial governments of Canada.

Toronto Land & Property Records

Land Settlement in Upper Canada (1783-1840)

A history of land settlement, land sales etc.

Ontario Land Gazetteer (1875-1881)

This database lists the name, and sometimes the birth year, of more than 17,000 individuals extracted from Atlases of Ontario Canada, from 1875 to 1881.

Historic Land Ownership and Reference Atlases (1507-2000)

This database is a collection of maps and atlases detailing land areas that comprise the present-day United States and Canada, as well as various other parts of the world.

Soldier Homestead Grant Registers in Canada (1918-1931)

An index to and images of documents recording grants of lands to veterans of World War I.

Toronto Directories & Gazetteers

Toronto & The Home District Directory (1837)

A directory to over 9,000 people living in the Toronto area.

Toronto Directory (1837-1900)

Searchable books containing information relating to the area, its residents and businesses.

Toronto, Hamilton & London Society Blue Book (1912)

A directory of over 3,000 of the 'elite' families of the region.

Toronto, Hamilton & London Society Blue Book (1911)

A directory of over 3,000 of the 'elite' families of the region.

Toronto, Hamilton & London Society Blue Book (1910)

A directory of over 3,000 of the 'elite' families of the region.

Toronto Cemeteries

Toronto Cemetery Records (1826-1989)

An index to and images of cemetery registers recording the burial of around 150,000 people in Toronto.

Billion Graves (1200-Present)

Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.

Canadian Headstones (1720-Present)

A growing collection of over 1 million photographs of graves in Canada. Graves can be searched by a name index.

Canada War Graves Registers (1914-1948)

This database contains death and burial information for Canadian military personnel who died during and as a result of the world wars.

Toronto Obituaries

Toronto Star Obituaries (1999-2001)

An index to close to 100,000 names found in obituaries published in the newspaper.

Canada Obituary Collection (2006-Present)

A growing index, regularly updated, containing abstracts of over 1 million obituaries, including names of relatives.

Germans from Russia Obituaries (1899-2012)

Indexed images of over 400,000 obituaries of Germans from Russia who died in North America.

Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs Obituaries (1906)

A small number of short obituaries of notable Canadians.

Toronto Histories & Books

History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario (1885)

A history of the city of Toronto and the county of York, with the townships, towns, villages, churches, schools, general and local statistics, biographical sketches, etc.

Toronto's 100 Years (1793-1934)

A well-illustrated history of the city.

Recollections & Records of Toronto of Old (1750-1880)

An account of the city's progress, its fire, immigrants, businesses, schools, religion and more.

Ontario County: A Short Sketch (1907)

A history of the county's settlement, geography, resources, settlements and more.

History of the Settlement of Upper Canada (1869)

A history covering the French influence, British settlement, travel routes, religion, education and more.

Toronto School & Education Records

Saint Michaels College Year Books (1915-1926)

Digital images of books recording the details of pupils and faculty, including photographs.

University of Toronto Yearbooks (1898-1966)

An annual review of the university's affairs, listing pupils and staff.

Roll of Pupils of Upper Canada College (1830-1916)

Brief biographies of several-thousand students.

University of Toronto Program & Honours List (1947)

The program lists all those who have earned degrees during the 1946-47 year, and were due to receive them during this ceremony.

University of Toronto Yearbook (1936)

A review of the last year, naming some of the university's pupils and staff.

Toronto Occupation & Business Records

Crockford's Clerical Directories (1868-1914)

Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.

1871 Canada Census (1871)

An index to a list of all inhabitants of Canada; nominal returns of the deaths within last twelve months; returns of public institutions, real estate, vehicles and implements; returns of cultivated land, of field products, plants, fruits, live stock, animal products, home-made fabrics, furs; returns of industrial establishments; returns of products of the forest; returns of shipping and fisheries; and returns of mineral products.

Canada Officials (1853-1894)

Lists of civil servants, government employees and military officers. Some include their place of origin.

Biographical of Architects in Canada (1800-1950)

Biographies of over 2,200 architects who worked in Canada.

Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Toronto

FamilySearch Community Trees (6000 BC-Present)

A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.

Colonial Gentry: Genealogical & Heraldic History 1 (1891)

Genealogies of land-owning families in the British colonies, including biographies.

Colonial Gentry: Genealogical & Heraldic History 2 (1891)

Genealogies of land-owning families in the British colonies, including biographies.

Ancestry Member Family Trees (6000 BC-Present)

A compilation of lineage-linked family trees submitted by Ancestry users. The database contains over 2 billion individuals and is searchable by numerous metrics.

Debrett's Baronetage of England (1835)

An alphabetical list of baronetcies as have merged in the peerage, or have become extinct, and also of the existing baronets of Nova Scotia and Ireland.

Toronto Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records

FamilySearch Community Trees (6000 BC-Present)

A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.

Colonial Gentry: Genealogical & Heraldic History 1 (1891)

Genealogies of land-owning families in the British colonies, including biographies.

Colonial Gentry: Genealogical & Heraldic History 2 (1891)

Genealogies of land-owning families in the British colonies, including biographies.

Debrett's Baronetage of England (1835)

An alphabetical list of baronetcies as have merged in the peerage, or have become extinct, and also of the existing baronets of Nova Scotia and Ireland.

Toronto Church Records

Ontario Catholic Church Records (1747-1967)

An index to and images of registers recording around 1.75 million baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, dispensations, censuses and statements of readmission to the church.

Crockford's Clerical Directories (1868-1914)

Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.

US & Canada Quaker Annual Reports (1808-1930)

Digital images of records from the highest bodies in the Quaker church. The minutes contain names of representatives and committee members, memorials and obituary notices, along with business news.

Presbyterian Pioneer Missionaries in Canada (1790-1900)

A history of missionaries in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Colombia, including information on the origins of the church in Canada, interactions with Indians and the missionaries themselves.

Canada Quaker Meeting Records (1786-1988)

An index to and images of membership registers, marriage records, meeting minutes, certificates of removal, death registers, disciplinary records, and other records for The Society of Friends.

Biographical Directories Covering Toronto

History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario (1885)

A history of the city of Toronto and the county of York, with the townships, towns, villages, churches, schools, general and local statistics, biographical sketches, etc.

The Canadian Biographical Dictionary: Ontario (1880)

Biographies and portraits of hundreds on notable Ontarians.

Canadian Cyclopedia of Names (1894)

A large tome containing biographies of Canadian men and women.

Crockford's Clerical Directories (1868-1914)

Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.

Biographical of Architects in Canada (1800-1950)

Biographies of over 2,200 architects who worked in Canada.

Toronto Maps

Historic Land Ownership and Reference Atlases (1507-2000)

This database is a collection of maps and atlases detailing land areas that comprise the present-day United States and Canada, as well as various other parts of the world.

Old Maps Online (1497-2010)

An interactive index to thousands of maps covering the world, continents, countries and regions. The majority of maps cover Britain and Ireland.

Toronto Reference Works

Lectric Law Dictionary (1066-Present)

A dictionary of law terminology from earliest times.

Researching a Medical Ancestor (1505-Present)

A guide to tracing ancestors who practiced medicine in several English-speaking countries.

Work of The Canadian Archives (1908-1913)

Details of some records held in Canada.

Most Common Surnames in Toronto

RankSurnameIncidenceFrequencyPercent of ParentRank in Ontario
1Lee13,5901:20834.17%4
2Smith13,4431:21015.12%1
3Wong10,4981:26941.96%16
4Li9,8031:28846.81%26
5Patel9,7521:28941.96%20
6Chan9,4731:29841.22%22
7Singh8,5211:33127.29%8
8Brown8,2981:34015.79%2
9Wang8,1701:34546.94%34
10Chen7,9551:35548.49%43
11Khan7,3391:38534.67%25
12Zhang6,9481:40648.02%56
13Liu6,3181:44745.40%60
14Kim6,2761:45046.79%65
15Williams5,9671:47320.39%11
16Wilson5,9561:47414.43%3
17Campbell5,0021:56415.98%7
18Jones4,9641:56815.90%9
19Taylor4,8971:57614.50%6
20Lam4,5531:62040.68%87
21Nguyen4,4751:63131.79%58
22Johnson4,4321:63715.77%12
23Thompson4,2911:65813.79%10
24Martin4,2221:66811.99%5
25Wu4,2021:67246.91%115
26Leung4,1711:67741.66%102
27MacDonald4,0061:70414.57%13
28Miller3,9811:70915.17%14
29Ng3,8641:73043.19%116
30Ali3,8471:73436.67%96
31Young3,8211:73916.24%18
32Yu3,8151:74047.53%133
33Anderson3,7491:75315.08%17
34Yang3,7151:76046.50%136
35Thomas3,6401:77520.48%33
36Huang3,6351:77647.73%144
37Tran3,5391:79735.79%105
38White3,5071:80513.94%15
39Ho3,5011:80639.97%123
40Cheung3,4101:82843.61%140
41Lin3,3871:83351.23%177
42Robinson3,3131:85214.30%21
43Clarke3,3101:85319.35%36
44Scott3,3071:85314.08%19
45Ahmed3,2951:85636.95%118
46Stewart3,2541:86714.63%24
47Lewis3,2031:88120.11%44
48Reid3,1551:89415.89%28
49Lau3,0851:91543.12%156
50Wright2,9651:95214.98%29
51Walker2,9531:95614.99%30
52Moore2,9341:96212.77%23
53Chung2,9211:96643.62%171
54King2,9011:97316.00%32
55Shah2,8341:99638.35%150
56Tang2,8251:99942.32%172
57Cheng2,8151:1,00244.50%188
58James2,7291:1,03424.49%88
59Davis2,7181:1,03816.17%38
60Ross2,7041:1,04417.66%49
61Park2,6941:1,04734.68%141
62Mitchell2,6581:1,06215.97%41
63Chow2,6221:1,07644.03%203
64Xu2,6161:1,07948.03%225
65Green2,6061:1,08317.64%54
66Harris2,5841:1,09217.52%55
67Sharma2,5681:1,09928.79%117
68Jackson2,5431:1,11015.14%39
69Edwards2,5211:1,11918.29%62
70Graham2,4571:1,14814.27%35
71Grant2,4531:1,15019.61%72
72Johnston2,4481:1,15312.09%27
73Allen2,4421:1,15617.47%59
74McDonald2,3991:1,17614.32%40
75Murphy2,3901:1,18115.23%46
76Clark2,3811:1,18512.60%31
77Kelly2,3671:1,19214.02%37
78Murray2,3581:1,19714.82%45
79Fernandes2,3521:1,20035.34%174
80Persaud2,3481:1,20241.32%214
81Hall2,3461:1,20315.02%47
82Zhou2,3391:1,20649.00%260
83Chang2,3141:1,21943.33%228
84Bell2,2991:1,22715.15%50
85Ma2,2951:1,23044.13%236
86Roberts2,2861:1,23416.65%63
87Lu2,2801:1,23845.81%250
88Zhao2,2441:1,25849.88%285
89Pereira2,2261:1,26829.19%143
90Gordon2,2151:1,27420.85%94
91Gill2,2071:1,27919.47%86
92Watson2,2031:1,28114.16%48
93Cooper2,1741:1,29817.11%69
94Sun2,1241:1,32948.19%293
95Morris2,1051:1,34117.94%79
96Hamilton2,0881:1,35115.11%61
97Kennedy2,0851:1,35314.77%57
98Evans2,0761:1,35916.83%74
99Marshall2,0731:1,36116.43%70
100Choi2,0541:1,37444.73%275
101Robertson2,0481:1,37814.96%64
102Baker2,0311:1,38913.53%51
103Chu2,0161:1,40045.12%287
103Fraser2,0161:1,40016.16%73
105Phillips2,0021:1,41016.23%74
106Hill1,9911:1,41712.08%42
107Adams1,9691:1,43315.39%66
108Armstrong1,9501:1,44713.06%52
109Gray1,9391:1,45516.06%77
110Lo1,9331:1,46043.53%290
111Morrison1,9311:1,46115.14%67
112Simpson1,9141:1,47415.04%68
113Morgan1,9051:1,48120.89%113
114Tam1,9041:1,48241.19%272
115Wood1,8981:1,48712.83%53
116Bennett1,8831:1,49916.59%84
117Shaw1,8821:1,49917.10%89
118Zhu1,8151:1,55550.61%398
119Silva1,8131:1,55632.98%221
119Turner1,8131:1,55615.97%83
121Francis1,7851:1,58125.59%162
122Collins1,7611:1,60215.42%81
123Lai1,7521:1,61141.19%312
124Cohen1,7301:1,63144.70%358
125Carter1,7261:1,63516.72%101
126Rahman1,7011:1,65954.15%487
127Ferguson1,6931:1,66713.52%71
128Henry1,6921:1,66819.93%127
128Joseph1,6921:1,66833.80%245
128Mohamed1,6921:1,66844.62%364
131Russell1,6861:1,67416.31%100
132Alexander1,6721:1,68822.15%146
133Cook1,6581:1,70213.59%76
134Cameron1,6571:1,70314.36%80
135Gibson1,6481:1,71215.14%90
136Black1,6351:1,72617.04%108
137McLean1,6341:1,72713.91%78
138Bailey1,6071:1,75616.12%104
139Harrison1,5841:1,78115.18%98
140Garcia1,5771:1,78934.83%281
141Liang1,5751:1,79249.83%482
142Davidson1,5711:1,79614.77%92
143Hunter1,5691:1,79914.76%93
144Ellis1,5611:1,80817.75%122
145Richardson1,5591:1,81014.44%91
146Yeung1,5501:1,82141.81%377
147Chiu1,5491:1,82244.35%426
148Mohammed1,5361:1,83739.19%350
149Ward1,5291:1,84614.68%99
150Hu1,5261:1,84947.82%475
150Tan1,5261:1,84940.02%363
152Rose1,5241:1,85218.56%130
153Kumar1,5171:1,86032.68%269
154He1,5151:1,86351.13%522
155Kwan1,5141:1,86446.56%465
156Le1,5041:1,87635.03%303
157Kaur1,4921:1,89131.75%268
158Parker1,4891:1,89515.15%107
159Henderson1,4581:1,93513.77%95
160Wallace1,4391:1,96117.94%134
161Fung1,4381:1,96241.05%423
162Paul1,4351:1,96623.68%201
163Foster1,4321:1,97113.67%97
164Richards1,4281:1,97619.69%152
165Hussain1,4251:1,98034.35%320
166Rogers1,4221:1,98416.49%125
167Hughes1,4161:1,99314.32%106
168Ferreira1,4131:1,99729.82%262
169Malik1,4121:1,99833.15%311
170Jiang1,4091:2,00349.23%547
170Kerr1,4091:2,00315.87%119
172Elliott1,3991:2,01712.34%85
173Patterson1,3871:2,03413.89%103
174Fisher1,3741:2,05415.06%112
175George1,3661:2,06621.74%189
176Lim1,3611:2,07339.94%436
177Zheng1,3551:2,08349.22%582
178Lawrence1,3451:2,09818.72%155
179Walsh1,3341:2,11515.15%121
180Thomson1,3301:2,12214.43%109
181Han1,3181:2,14147.26%570
182Chin1,3171:2,14342.36%492
183Mills1,3071:2,15914.51%114
184Chong1,3041:2,16445.45%546
185D'Souza1,2951:2,17936.65%412
186Davies1,2931:2,18216.28%137
187Brooks1,2921:2,18415.20%126
188Mason1,2911:2,18616.30%138
189Hassan1,2821:2,20138.84%453
189Nelson1,2821:2,20115.71%131
189Song1,2821:2,20145.79%567
192Crawford1,2751:2,21314.41%120
192Ryan1,2751:2,21314.60%124
194Huynh1,2571:2,24535.87%422
195Peters1,2531:2,25214.87%129
196Gomes1,2511:2,25636.49%432
197Douglas1,2451:2,26717.49%157
198Cole1,2411:2,27415.73%139
199Hong1,2371:2,28147.18%630
199McKenzie1,2371:2,28120.39%200