Hesse Genealogical Records

Hesse Birth & Baptism Records

Germany Births and Baptisms (1558-1898)

An index to over 37 million birth and baptism records, listing parents' names.

Miscellaneous Births & Baptisms Index (1534-1983)

A small index to several-hundred-thousand records from select countries.

Hesse Marriage & Divorce Records

Germany Marriage Index (1558-1929)

An index to over 8 million marriage records, including date and place of marriage and the names of the bride and groom.

Miscellaneous Marriage Index (1662-1945)

An index to more than 30,000 marriage records, including personal details, names of relations and particulars of marriage.

Hesse Death & Burial Records

Germany Death & Burial Index (1582-1958)

An index to over 3 million death and burial records, including ages, names of relatives and other details.

Jewish Online Worldwide Burial Registry (1550-Present)

A searchable database of over 1 million Jewish burials with photographs of the matzevot.

Newspapers Covering Hesse

Newspaper Archive: Germany (1945-1999)

Text-searchable copies of hundreds of thousands of German newspaper articles.

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.

Subject Card Index to AP Stories (1937-1985)

An index to around 500,000 Associated Press articles.

AP Stories & Newsfeatures (1937-1985)

An index to and digital images of hundreds-of-thousands of world newspaper articles.

Hesse Immigration & Travel Records

Hamburg Passenger Lists (1850-1934)

An index to and images of lists of passengers departing Hamburg, Germany. They may list name, gender, age, date and place of birth, occupation, residence, nationality, marital status, family relationships, religion, military service and more. Contains over 5 million names.

Hamburg Passenger List Index (1855-1934)

An index to over 5 million people who departed on ships from Hamburg, Germany. The index includes name, name of ship, departure date, destination port and other details.

United States Germans to America Index (1850-1897)

Transcripts of documents recording the immigration of over 4 million Germans to America. Records may include name, date and place arrived, gender, age, birthplace, occupation, literacy, departure port and more.

Germany to Australia & New Zealand Emigration (1850-1879)

An index to over 40,000 people who sailed from Hamburg to Australia and New Zealand. It contains: name, former place of residence, age, occupation, ship and more.

Swedish Emigration Records (1783-1951)

Abstracts of details found in passenger lists, passport records, correspondence and seaman records, which may list name, age, gender, birthplace, occupation, residence, destination, emigration date and more. Most passengers were traveling to North America.

Hesse Military Records

Germany World War I Casualty Lists (1914-1917)

An index to and images of World War I casualty lists for the German army. The lists include over 5 million soldiers who died, were injured, or went missing during the war.

Flossenburg Entry Registers (1941-1945)

Registers recording the arrival of over 75,000 prisoners of war, political prisoners and those deemed as undesirable by the Nazi regime.

Dachau Entry Registers (1933-1945)

Registers recording the arrival of around 175,000 political prisoners and those deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime.

Hellfire Corner (1897-1919)

A collection of fascinating diaries and remembrances of WWI soldiers.

Prisoners of War (1715-1945)

An index to and images records detailing the incarceration of 1.34 million military personnel, civilians, diplomats, missionaries & merchant seamen who were held as prisoners of war. The records cover British prisoners held by foreign powers and non-British prisoners held by Britain.

Flossenburg Entry Registers (1941-1945)

Registers recording the arrival of over 75,000 prisoners of war, political prisoners and those deemed as undesirable by the Nazi regime.

Nazi Death Camp Records (1939-1945)

A collection of various camp records, transport lists, medical data cards, inmate cards, death lists, and strength reports salvaged by the United States.

Dachau Entry Registers (1933-1945)

Registers recording the arrival of around 175,000 political prisoners and those deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime.

Dachau Concentration Camp Records (1945)

A database of over 165,000 Dachau prisoners who were included on a survivors list prepared after the end of the war.

Jewish Holocaust Survivors (1944-1946)

The names of over 33,000 Jews who survived the holocaust and ended up in displaced persons camps.

Hesse Directories & Gazetteers

CIA World Factbook (1994)

A statistic and descriptive gazetteer of nations.

Germany State Government Directories (1802-1929)

Books recording the names of military officers and civil servants.

World Foreign Gazetteer (1998)

Useful for locating places, this searchable gazetteer gives brief details, latitude and longitude for more than 1.5 million features, places and regions throughout the world.

German Phone Directories (1915-1981)

An index to and images of telephone directories for Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich.

Crane's Directory & Buyer's Guide (1899-1900)

A directory listing manufactures in Britain, Europe and Australasia.

Hesse Cemeteries

Billion Graves (1200-Present)

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

Hesse Obituaries

Germans from Russia Obituaries (1899-2012)

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

Hesse Histories & Books

Ancestry Member Stories (6000 BC-Present)

Over 7 million remembrances and historic details submitted by Ancestry members. Useful for local historians.

Ancestry Member Photos & Documents (6000 BC-Present)

Over 60 million historic photographs and documents submitted to Ancestry. This rich collection contains many rare sources of interest to local historians and will be relevant to most genealogical research.

Nazi Death Camp Records (1939-1945)

A collection of various camp records, transport lists, medical data cards, inmate cards, death lists, and strength reports salvaged by the United States.

Dachau Concentration Camp Records (1945)

A database of over 165,000 Dachau prisoners who were included on a survivors list prepared after the end of the war.

Germany & Austria Historical Postcards (1890-1950)

A collection of over 25,000 photographic postcards, depicting life and scenes in Germany and Austria. Each postcard caption has been indexed and may be searched by keyword or location.

Hesse School & Education Records

British University Women Holocaust Records (1938-1951)

An index to minutes concerning meetings helping Jewish women immigrate to the UK.

Hesse Occupation & Business Records

Germany State Government Directories (1802-1929)

Books recording the names of military officers and civil servants.

Crane's Directory & Buyer's Guide (1899-1900)

A directory listing manufactures in Britain, Europe and Australasia.

Cricket Archive (1844-Present)

A database of cricket scores and players.

Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Hesse

Monarch and Nobles of Medieval Germany (514-1600)

The lineages of German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Czech and Austrian royalty and nobility, with biographical details and extracts from historic documents.

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.

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.

Lineages of Medieval Pomeranian Nobility (1100-1637)

The lineages of Pomeranian royalty and nobility, with biographical details and extracts from historic documents.

Genealogics (1400 BC-Present)

A searchable database of linked families. It largely covers royalty and nobility, but also contains actors, footballers and American presidents.

Hesse Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records

Monarch and Nobles of Medieval Germany (514-1600)

The lineages of German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Czech and Austrian royalty and nobility, with biographical details and extracts from historic documents.

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.

Heraldry Clipart (1189-Present)

A growing collection of heraldic and related clip art that can be used to reconstruct a families' arms. Includes packs for British, German, Austrian, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, French, Swiss and Dutch arms. Images are available in a variety of formats including vectors.

Lineages of Medieval Pomeranian Nobility (1100-1637)

The lineages of Pomeranian royalty and nobility, with biographical details and extracts from historic documents.

Genealogics (1400 BC-Present)

A searchable database of linked families. It largely covers royalty and nobility, but also contains actors, footballers and American presidents.

Hesse Maps

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.

Hesse Reference Works

Heraldry Clipart (1189-Present)

A growing collection of heraldic and related clip art that can be used to reconstruct a families' arms. Includes packs for British, German, Austrian, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, French, Swiss and Dutch arms. Images are available in a variety of formats including vectors.

Jewish Name Database (1400-Present)

A database containing variants of 100,000s of given names used by Jews.

Most Common Surnames in Hesse

RankSurnameIncidenceFrequencyPercent of ParentRank in Germany
1Müller81,7001:758.64%1
2Schmidt73,0061:8410.24%2
3Schneider49,5631:12311.32%3
4Schäfer43,6081:14019.58%14
5Becker38,3861:15913.69%8
6Weber35,4691:17210.84%5
7Wagner34,3081:17811.44%7
8Fischer29,4081:2087.86%4
9Schmitt26,1721:23417.67%30
10Hofmann25,2531:24215.80%22
11Koch24,2821:25210.54%11
12Wolf20,6041:29710.56%16
13Klein18,0051:3398.99%15
14Jung17,7341:34516.63%47
15Hartmann17,2721:35411.09%24
16Bauer15,8801:3857.04%13
17Hoffmann15,8381:3865.74%10
18Richter14,6231:4186.37%12
19Werner14,2711:4289.79%31
20Möller14,0651:43512.38%44
21Roth13,9051:44014.42%56
22Schwarz13,4291:4558.05%19
23Braun13,2271:4627.99%20
24Schulz13,1041:4664.70%9
25Meyer12,3531:4953.81%6
26Köhler12,0471:5079.60%37
27Kaiser11,8451:5169.68%41
28Neumann11,7341:5216.51%18
29Walter11,6251:5269.28%38
30Zimmermann11,5491:5297.07%21
31Lang11,1061:5509.82%45
32Hahn11,0301:55410.62%49
33Jäger10,7371:56914.41%74
34Keller10,5081:58210.31%50
35Friedrich9,8151:6239.90%54
36Simon9,7471:62712.04%66
37Fuchs9,6091:6368.12%43
38Stein9,2151:66312.19%73
39Schröder9,0571:6754.80%17
40Diehl8,9161:68639.40%383
41Kraft8,8701:68918.18%136
42Sauer8,8321:69214.80%102
43Herrmann8,6701:7056.64%35
44Beck8,6001:7119.05%58
45Michel8,5931:71118.10%141
46Winter8,5001:71910.46%65
47König8,4821:7216.78%39
48Krämer8,4731:72111.47%76
49Ludwig8,4441:72410.38%64
50Bender8,4101:72721.47%174
51Günther8,3831:7298.84%59
52Frank8,3761:7308.63%55
53Vogel8,2061:7458.19%52
54Kraus8,0361:76110.12%69
55Lange7,9591:7684.99%23
56Pfeiffer7,9491:76913.67%108
57Arnold7,9481:76913.28%101
58Engel7,9241:77111.97%87
59Haas7,8871:77511.26%82
60Heil7,8631:77738.28%436
61Martin7,8381:78010.26%72
62Krause7,5731:8075.01%26
63Wiegand7,5401:81131.84%363
64Peter7,3641:83013.50%114
65Böhm7,3621:8309.36%70
66Mohr7,3311:83414.41%131
67Göbel6,9611:87820.29%216
68Scholz6,9531:8796.19%46
69Mayer6,9261:8835.47%36
70Wenzel6,9131:88412.32%109
71Dietz6,7481:90618.39%189
72Dietrich6,6481:9199.91%86
73Lotz6,5261:93746.31%688
74Hohmann6,4861:94227.82%370
74Schreiber6,4861:9429.43%84
76Horn6,4051:95410.09%89
77Lenz6,3331:96512.16%124
78Otto6,2831:9738.67%78
79Wilhelm6,2511:97812.24%130
80Lehmann6,1881:9884.13%27
81Kunz6,1831:98914.51%161
82Sommer6,1611:9928.29%75
83Franz6,1521:99411.08%110
84Schütz6,1201:99914.26%160
85Weiß6,0631:1,0085.78%48
86Winkler5,9051:1,0356.17%57
87Schubert5,8921:1,0375.88%53
88Groß5,8631:1,0438.58%85
89Lorenz5,8581:1,0436.26%60
90Ziegler5,8001:1,0548.90%88
91Baumann5,7491:1,0636.53%61
92Krüger5,7431:1,0643.71%25
93Paul5,6901:1,07410.53%116
94Vogt5,6241:1,0877.27%71
95Berger5,6181:1,0885.57%51
96Reinhardt5,5751:1,09612.39%151
97Keil5,5661:1,09818.67%270
98Reuter5,5401:1,10312.27%150
99Krug5,5321:1,10520.67%307
100Thomas5,5051:1,1109.07%98
101Kern5,5011:1,11110.00%112
102Bachmann5,4531:1,12114.03%177
103Kuhn5,4431:1,1238.69%92
104Noll5,4301:1,12629.60%506
105Pfeifer5,4281:1,12616.77%238
106Siebert5,4251:1,12717.78%257
106Walther5,4251:1,12711.52%143
108Ott5,4211:1,12810.27%120
109Henkel5,3681:1,13919.64%300
110Röder5,3591:1,14120.31%316
111Rühl5,3541:1,14243.41%798
112Gärtner5,3311:1,14714.19%187
113Ernst5,3031:1,1539.09%107
114Dörr5,3001:1,15324.99%417
115Schuster5,2921:1,1556.56%67
116Grimm5,2181:1,17110.10%125
117Reitz5,2031:1,17542.05%794
118Bernhardt5,1791:1,18020.67%338
119Jost5,1611:1,18421.03%351
120Schulze5,1181:1,1943.73%33
121Gerlach5,0811:1,20313.43%184
122Eckhardt5,0511:1,21032.47%620
123Jakob4,9651:1,23115.24%236
124Heinz4,9321:1,23913.90%203
125Kaufmann4,8781:1,2539.82%135
125Nickel4,8781:1,25316.33%268
127Götz4,8161:1,2698.84%115
128Meier4,8111:1,2713.24%29
129Graf4,8041:1,2726.82%81
130Ullrich4,8011:1,27312.63%183
131Blum4,7931:1,27513.53%205
131Maier4,7931:1,2753.54%34
133Langer4,7881:1,2779.19%123
134Eckert4,7841:1,27810.31%147
135Fritz4,6851:1,30510.08%146
136Schwab4,6501:1,31513.36%211
137Ebert4,6401:1,31710.68%157
138Appel4,5801:1,33523.15%456
139Bergmann4,4911:1,3617.12%90
140Barth4,4531:1,3738.12%113
141Franke4,4451:1,3755.17%62
142Berg4,4331:1,3799.10%138
143Rudolph4,4251:1,38110.53%164
144Naumann4,3921:1,39212.07%193
145Will4,3651:1,40015.10%280
146Pohl4,3261:1,4136.90%91
147Ritter4,3091:1,4198.48%132
148Christ4,2281:1,44618.36%374
149Döring4,2161:1,45012.44%221
150Kremer4,2131:1,45114.20%272
151Fröhlich4,2061:1,45310.28%169
152Kühn4,1961:1,4576.80%95
153Fink4,1851:1,46110.94%180
154Busch4,1711:1,4656.85%97
155Maurer4,1631:1,46810.46%173
156Kramer4,1101:1,4876.91%103
157Kohl4,0721:1,50113.39%259
158Bock4,0661:1,5037.94%127
159Seitz4,0621:1,50510.40%175
160Kirchner4,0491:1,51010.63%181
161Lauer3,9981:1,52919.23%430
162Stahl3,9881:1,53310.49%182
163Miller3,9731:1,5398.23%140
164Peters3,9241:1,5583.22%42
165Albrecht3,9191:1,5604.61%63
166Metz3,9081:1,56417.86%399
167Seibert3,8941:1,57032.20%819
168Hermann3,8751:1,5777.19%117
169Schumacher3,8651:1,5824.83%68
170Pfaff3,8601:1,58422.49%559
171Schilling3,8591:1,5848.71%153
172Adam3,8261:1,5989.88%178
173Seifert3,8191:1,6016.51%105
174Schmid3,8041:1,6072.67%32
175Scherer3,7641:1,62410.29%190
176Weil3,7401:1,63446.29%1,248
177Jahn3,7361:1,6367.31%129
178Heller3,7281:1,64010.88%217
179Schmitz3,7031:1,6512.49%28
180Link3,7001:1,65211.10%225
181Marx3,6861:1,6587.79%142
182Faust3,6831:1,66021.38%553
183Kurz3,6611:1,67010.04%192
184Euler3,6521:1,67451.81%1,462
185Lutz3,6511:1,6747.77%144
186Seidel3,6381:1,6805.20%83
187Heck3,6361:1,68116.22%389
188Heinrich3,5751:1,7105.03%79
189Hübner3,5741:1,7106.10%106
190Beyer3,5461:1,7245.82%96
191Thiel3,5431:1,7257.28%139
192Henrich3,5191:1,73734.72%991
193Huber3,5111:1,7412.82%40
194Baier3,5001:1,74611.71%267
195Muth3,4991:1,74727.75%781
196Ackermann3,4881:1,75210.78%239
197Funk3,4591:1,76711.59%269
198Ruppert3,4551:1,76925.55%724
199Schaub3,4281:1,78331.12%914
200Gerhardt3,4241:1,78519.16%525