South Africa Genealogical Records

South Africa Birth & Baptism Records

South Africa Anglican Parish Registers (1801-2004)

An index and images to registers of baptism, marriage and burial kept by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. They also cover events in what is now Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Saint Helena, South Africa and Swaziland.

South Africa Birth & Baptism Records (1700-1911)

An index to and images of over 375,000 birth and baptism records from over one hundred churches.

South Africa Methodist Parish Registers (1822-1996)

An index to and images of over 60,000 records of baptisms, marriages and deaths. They list names of family members, personal details and particulars of the event.

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.

British Nationals Born Overseas (1818-2006)

An index to births of British citizens born overseas that were registered with the British Consul or High Commissioner. Provides a reference that can be used to order a birth certificate.

South Africa Marriage & Divorce Records

South Africa Anglican Parish Registers (1801-2004)

An index and images to registers of baptism, marriage and burial kept by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. They also cover events in what is now Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Saint Helena, South Africa and Swaziland.

South African Dutch Reformed Church Registers (1660-1970)

An index to and images of registers recording over 220,000 marriages. Records contain parents' names and other details.

South Africa Methodist Parish Registers (1822-1996)

An index to and images of over 60,000 records of baptisms, marriages and deaths. They list names of family members, personal details and particulars of the event.

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.

British Nationals Married Overseas (1818-2005)

An index to marriages of British citizens overseas that were registered with the British Consul or High Commissioner Provides a reference that can be used to order a marriage certificate.

South Africa Death & Burial Records

South Africa Anglican Parish Registers (1801-2004)

An index and images to registers of baptism, marriage and burial kept by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. They also cover events in what is now Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Saint Helena, South Africa and Swaziland.

South Africa Estates Death Index (1999-2014)

Details in this index extracted from estate documents include court, name, date of birth, place and date of death, will, marital status, spouse’s name(s), and executor’s name, among others. A deceased estate comes about when a person dies and leaves property or a document purporting to be a will.

South Africa Methodist Parish Registers (1822-1996)

An index to and images of over 60,000 records of baptisms, marriages and deaths. They list names of family members, personal details and particulars of the event.

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.

Jewish Online Worldwide Burial Registry (1550-Present)

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

Newspapers Covering South Africa

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.

South Africa Wills & Probate Records

Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills (PPV) (1384-1858)

A index to testators whose will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. They principally cover those who lived in the lower two thirds of Britain, but contain wills for residents of Scotland, Ireland, British India and other countries. A copy of each will may be purchased for digital download.

South Africa Estates Death Index (1999-2014)

Details in this index extracted from estate documents include court, name, date of birth, place and date of death, will, marital status, spouse’s name(s), and executor’s name, among others. A deceased estate comes about when a person dies and leaves property or a document purporting to be a will.

Bank of England Wills Extracts Index (1717-1845)

An index to over 60,000 wills of people who died with money in public funds. Useful when researching counties where wills have been destroyed. Also contains wills for citizens of British colonies.

South Africa Immigration & Travel Records

New South Wales Convict Ship Records (1790-1849)

This database consists of ship muster lists of convicts being transported from the British Empire to New South Wales.

Jewish Transmigration Records (1939-1954)

Details of 60,000 Jews who received assisted passage from Europe to the US, South American and South Africa.

South Africa Immigration Index (1858-1986)

This database contains a collection of details extracted from various South African immigration documents. They include 1820 settler records, German immigrants, Indian indentured migrants, and other immigrants.

Devonians in the Colonies (1900-1901)

An index to records detailing the ancestry of some 300 people of Devonian descent living in British colonies and the Unite States.

South Africa Military Records

UK WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls (1914-1920)

An index to over 6.5 million medals and awards bestowed on British military personnel. The awards are the British War Medal, Allied Victory Medal, 1914 Star, Territorial War Force Medal and Allied Subjects Medal; the latter of which contains many French, Belgians and Dutch.

Thrilling Experiences in the War in South Africa (1898-1900)

A well-illustrated history of The Boer War.

War Graves Photographic Project (1815-Present)

Photographs of over 1.7 million military graves, largely of British and Commonwealth soldiers Names from monuments have been indexed.

Ireland's Memorial Record of World War I (1914-1918)

Records for over 50,000 men and women who fought with Irish regiments in World War I. Information given varies from record to record, but may contain genealogical, biographical and military service details. Contains records from people throughout the Commonwealth and wider world.

Register of the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)

Details on nearly 270,000 individuals connected to the 2nd Boer War.

South Africa Voter Indexes (1719-1996)

This index contains a wide variety of details on voters in South Africa. Along with name and residence, the index may provide spouse, maiden name, occupation, employer, gender, qualifications to vote, race, maiden name, date of birth, age, even weapons or numbers of pigs owned.

Lectric Law Dictionary (1066-Present)

A dictionary of law terminology from earliest times.

South Africa Directories & Gazetteers

CIA World Factbook (1994)

A statistic and descriptive gazetteer of nations.

South Africa City & Area Directories (1813-1962)

Several-hundred-thousand details extracted from business directories, telephone books, local almanacs, and court calendars. It largely comprises of names, addresses and occupations.

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.

South Africa Cemeteries

Billion Graves (1200-Present)

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

South Africa 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.

South Africa Occupation & Business Records

Cape of Good Hope Civil Service List (1908)

Contains details of individuals working in South Africa as part of the civil service in the military, government and parliament, etc. Information such as office, name, dates of appointment, salary and allowances can be found. Also includes several colour maps.

Crockford's Clerical Directory (1929)

A directory listing Anglican parishes and other divisions of the Church or England hierarchy and their various religious officers. The directory covers the UK and Anglican churches throughout the world.

Cricket Archive (1844-Present)

A database of cricket scores and players.

Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering South Africa

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.

Genealogics (1400 BC-Present)

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

Ancestry World Tree (6000 BC-1997)

A collection of legacy trees submitted by Ancestry users containing nearly 400 million individuals.

South Africa 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.

Genealogics (1400 BC-Present)

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

South Africa Church Records

South Africa Anglican Parish Registers (1801-2004)

An index and images to registers of baptism, marriage and burial kept by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. They also cover events in what is now Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Saint Helena, South Africa and Swaziland.

Crockford's Clerical Directory (1929)

A directory listing Anglican parishes and other divisions of the Church or England hierarchy and their various religious officers. The directory covers the UK and Anglican churches throughout the world.

South Africa Methodist Parish Registers (1822-1996)

An index to and images of over 60,000 records of baptisms, marriages and deaths. They list names of family members, personal details and particulars of the event.

Primitive Methodist Locations (1800-1970)

Profiles of places connected with Primitive Methodism throughout the British Empire.

South Africa 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.

South Africa Reference Works

Lectric Law Dictionary (1066-Present)

A dictionary of law terminology from earliest times.

Archaic Medical Terms (1066-Present)

A dictionary of largely defunct medical terms.

Most Common Surnames in South Africa

RankSurnameIncidenceFrequency
1Dlamini310,0941:175
2Nkosi300,9291:180
3Ndlovu281,6561:192
4Khumalo273,2171:198
5Sithole216,3581:250
6Mahlangu215,5281:251
7Mokoena209,7621:258
8Mkhize173,3261:313
9Mthembu171,7931:315
10Zulu165,5681:327
11Ngcobo163,8021:331
12Gumede163,2651:332
13Naidoo153,8871:352
14Buthelezi149,1291:363
15Khoza143,4941:378
16Sibiya133,4611:406
17Jacobs130,3641:416
18Govender129,7711:417
19Mofokeng129,3291:419
20Botha128,0081:423
21Mhlongo126,6481:428
22Smith125,5341:432
23Baloyi124,6021:435
24Mbatha121,5671:446
25Pillay121,4241:446
26Radebe119,9661:452
27Mathebula114,4161:474
28Ntuli113,7661:476
29Zwane112,6991:481
30Mazibuko111,2431:487
31Tshabalala110,3091:491
32Nxumalo107,7761:503
33van Wyk106,9851:506
34Williams106,8851:507
35Chauke103,8121:522
36Ngwenya103,4361:524
37Cele102,3461:529
38van der Merwe100,8251:537
39Mthethwa99,1311:547
40Dube95,9741:565
41Ngobeni93,6511:579
42Pretorius89,3591:606
43Ngubane89,1121:608
44Maluleke89,0021:609
45Maseko87,5601:619
46Du Plessis86,0801:629
47Molefe85,7001:632
48Mtshali85,1461:636
49Mabaso84,5331:641
50Nel84,0161:645
51Coetzee83,8141:646
52Venter78,9881:686
53Mkhwanazi77,9711:695
54Fourie77,7401:697
55Mnisi77,6701:698
56Adams75,6971:716
57Zondi73,9321:733
58Moloi73,3211:739
59Smit72,7761:744
60Mchunu71,3751:759
61Motaung71,3511:759
62Louw70,9661:763
63Hlongwane68,7821:788
64van Zyl68,5291:791
65Zungu68,3991:792
66Mnguni68,1301:795
67Nkuna67,2551:806
68Hlatshwayo67,2251:806
69Moodley66,0991:820
70Kruger65,2201:831
71Shabangu64,6921:837
72Vilakazi64,4861:840
73Xaba64,2201:844
74Shabalala63,9141:848
75Malatji63,6111:852
76Dladla62,9711:860
77Du Toit60,7111:892
78Erasmus60,6801:893
79van Niekerk60,3611:898
80Meyer60,3061:898
81Hadebe59,1761:916
82Skosana58,6711:923
83Abrahams57,4181:944
84Singh57,3001:946
85Majola55,3821:978
86Mohlala53,8421:1,006
87Davids53,8291:1,006
88Kekana53,7111:1,009
89Kunene53,2661:1,017
90Xulu53,2481:1,017
91Khanyile53,0811:1,021
92Cloete52,9741:1,023
93Zuma52,8551:1,025
94Simelane52,2611:1,037
95van Rooyen52,1971:1,038
96Booysen52,0091:1,042
97Mudau51,1511:1,059
98Langa50,9521:1,063
99Nhlapo50,8741:1,065
100Modise50,4111:1,075
101Chetty50,3731:1,076
102Steyn50,3471:1,076
103Joubert50,2741:1,078
104Mokwena50,2521:1,078
105Shongwe50,1401:1,081
106Mdluli50,0321:1,083
107Mabuza49,3691:1,097
108Mlambo48,9121:1,108
109Shezi48,7881:1,110
110Le Roux48,4351:1,119
111Engelbrecht47,9531:1,130
112Mashaba47,8851:1,131
113Sibisi47,6711:1,136
114Hendricks47,5021:1,141
115Ntombela47,4391:1,142
116Dhlamini47,2111:1,148
117Swanepoel47,2011:1,148
118Ndaba47,1831:1,148
119Ngema46,9741:1,153
120Marais46,9361:1,154
121Mngomezulu46,9311:1,154
122Masango46,5931:1,163
123Potgieter46,5531:1,164
124Swart46,1041:1,175
125Viljoen45,6061:1,188
126van der Westhuizen45,5531:1,189
127Ntshangase44,8531:1,208
128Tsotetsi44,6571:1,213
129Ndhlovu44,2121:1,225
130Mhlanga43,8401:1,236
131Petersen43,7031:1,240
132Jansen43,4781:1,246
133Masuku43,1391:1,256
134Phiri42,9571:1,261
135Mabunda42,9001:1,263
136Muller42,6951:1,269
137Oosthuizen42,5311:1,274
138Strydom42,3201:1,280
139Matlala42,0281:1,289
140Msomi41,9301:1,292
141Olivier41,9061:1,293
142Magagula41,7221:1,299
143Mbele41,5361:1,304
144Nene41,3501:1,310
145Masilela41,2661:1,313
146Sibanyoni40,8221:1,327
147Madonsela40,6461:1,333
148de Beer40,2181:1,347
149Mabena40,1121:1,351
150Khuzwayo39,9901:1,355
151Thwala39,9071:1,358
152Du Preez39,8391:1,360
153Kubheka39,7191:1,364
154Mthombeni39,6151:1,368
155Zondo39,5251:1,371
156Khan39,5171:1,371
157Bezuidenhout39,3081:1,378
158Mbhele38,8651:1,394
159Pienaar38,3551:1,413
160Mabasa38,0141:1,425
161Duma37,9261:1,429
162Msibi37,9021:1,429
163Daniels37,7611:1,435
164Visser37,7451:1,435
165Biyela37,5681:1,442
166Johnson37,4841:1,445
167Motloung37,3801:1,449
168Mulaudzi37,3441:1,451
169Barnard37,3291:1,451
170Ndou37,0541:1,462
171Pieterse37,0501:1,462
172van Heerden37,0081:1,464
173Myeni36,7151:1,476
174Madlala36,5541:1,482
175Mashego36,3161:1,492
176Bhengu36,0141:1,504
177Sibeko36,0111:1,504
178Nkabinde35,9591:1,507
179Jordaan35,9321:1,508
180Ndlela35,7271:1,516
181van der Walt35,5591:1,524
182Mathe35,4101:1,530
183Naicker35,2421:1,537
184Mogale35,0371:1,546
185Ngobese34,9511:1,550
186Mdletshe34,7751:1,558
187Janse van Rensburg34,7221:1,560
188Prinsloo34,4131:1,574
189Brown34,3811:1,576
190Mashele34,3791:1,576
191Reddy34,3461:1,577
192Grobler34,3091:1,579
193Shange33,9741:1,595
194Mpanza33,9671:1,595
195Malinga33,8851:1,599
196Ncube33,6851:1,608
197Luthuli33,5741:1,614
198Mkhabela33,0521:1,639
199Nzimande32,9531:1,644
200Makhubela32,8161:1,651