Acronyms and Abbreviations

AD……………………………………..Anno Domini

Admon(s)…………………………..Letters of administration: the legal authority to administer a dead person’s estate

Ag Lab……………………………….Agricultural Labourer

Aka…………………………………….Also known as

Anon………………………………….Anonymous

Appr………………………………….Apprentice

ANZAC………………………………Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day is a day of national commemoration in Australia and New Zealand

AT……………………………………..Archdeacons’ Transcripts. Contemporary copies of parish registers sent to the diocesan authorities.



b; bo…………………………………..Born

bach; batch………………………...Bachelor

bap; bapt…………………………….Baptised; baptism

BL………………………………………The British Library, London

BMD…………………………………..Births, Marriages and Deaths

Botp…………………………………...Both of this parish

Bp………………………………………Baptised

bro(s)………………………………….Brother(s)

BT………………………………………Bishops’ Transcripts. Contemporary copies of parish registers sent to the Bishop of a diocese.

Bur……………………………………..Buried





c………………………………………….Century e.g. c19 means 19th century

c; ca…………………………………….Circa (Latin) - around, about. Usually used in conjunction with dates e.g. c1850

cert……………………………………..Certificate

ch; chn………………………………..Child; children

chr; chris……………………………..Christened

C of E…………………………………..Church of England

Co………………………………………..County; company

CRO……………………………………..County Record Office

CWGC………………………………….Commonwealth War Graves Commission





d………………………………………….Died; daughter; day; pre-decimal currency penny

Dau(s)………………………………….Daughter(s)

dec; dec'd……………………………..Deceased

div……………………………………….Divorced

do………………………………………..Ditto

doc………………………………………Document

Dom…………………………………….Domestic (as in Domestic servant)

Dsp……………………………………..Died without issue (Latin: Decessit sine prole)

Dy……………………………………….Died young





ED………………………………………Enumeration District

Educ……………………………………Educated; education

Eng……………………………………..England

exec; exor…………………………….Executor of a will





f…………………………………………..Female; folio; father;

FFHS…………………………………...Federation of Family History Societies

FHC……………………………………..LDS Family History Centre

FHF……………………………………..Family History Fair

FHS……………………………………..Family History Society

FMP………………………………….….Find My Past: a commercial online family history database

fo; fol………………………………….…Folio

FOIA ………………………………..Freedom of Information Act

FS………………………………….….Female servant





G………………………………………….Grand; great (as in GGrandfather)

GEDCOM……………………………..GEnealogical Data COMmunication

Gent……………………………………..Gentleman

GENUKI ………………………………Online Genealogical Information Service for the UK & Ireland

GOONS..……………………………….Guild of One-Name Studies

Gr………………………………………….Great; granted

GRO………………………………………General Register Office





IGI………………………………………….International Genealogical Index

ILL…………………………………………Inter Library Loan (a loan between 2 different libraries)

Inf………………………………………….Infant; infancy





lab; labr……………………………………Labourer

Lat…………………………………………..Latin

Lb……………………………………………Pound (unit of weight)

LDS………………………………………...Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

Lib…………………………………………..Library

Lic…………………………………………..Licence

LMA………………………………………..London Metropolitan Archives

£.s.d………………………………………..Pounds, shillings and pence (the pre-decimal currency of the UK)





m…………………………………………….Male; married; marriage; mother; month

marr……………………………………….Married; marriage

MI(s)………………………………………Monumental (or memorial) inscription(s) on gravestones and other memorials

Min…………………………………………Minor

Mo………………………………………….Month; mother

Moth………………………………………Mother

MS………………………………………….Male servant

ms(s)………………………………………Manuscript(s)





NBI………………………………………….National Burial Index

Nd……………………………………………No date

Neph………………………………………..Nephew

NS……………………………………………New Style calendar





Obit………………………………………….Dead; death: obituary

Occ…………………………………………..Occupation

Op……………………………………………Out of print

OS……………………………………………Old Style calendar

Otp…………………………………………..Of this parish





p……………………………………………….Page; penny; pence; parish

par…………………………………………….Parish

PCC…………………………………………..Prerogative Court of Canterbury

pp……………………………………………..Pages

pr; pro……………………………………….Probate; proved

PPR…………………………………………..Principal Probate Registry

PRO…………………………………………..Public Record Office

PRs…………………………………………...Parish registers

Psh…………………………………………...Parish

Pub…………………………………………...Published





RC……………………………………………..Roman Catholic

RD……………………………………………..Registration District

Rec…………………………………………….Record

RO…………………………………………….Record Office. A Record Office collects, administers and preserves archives relating to the history of a particular area.

Reg…………………………………………...Register

RIP……………………………………………Rest in Peace (Latin: Requiescat in pace)





s………………………………………………..Son; spinster; shilling

serv; servt……………………………….…Servant

sis……………………………………………..Sister

SoG…………………………………………..Society of Genealogists

SOUNDEX…………………………………A system which groups together surnames which sound similar butwhich are spelled differently

sp; spr……………………………………….Spinster

St………………………………………………Saint; street





TNA………………………………………….The National Archives, Kew, London

Transcr……………………………………..Transcribed





Unm………………………………………….Unmarried

Ux…………………………………………….Wife (Latin uxor)





Viz…………………………………………….Namely

vol(s)………………………………………...Volume(s)





w……………………………………………….Wife; widow

wd……………………………………………..Widow

WH……………………………………………Workhouse

Wid…………………………………………...Widow

Widr………………………………………….Widower

Wit…………………………………………….Witness

wk(s)………………………………………….Week(s)

WW1.................................................World War One (1914-1918)

WW2.................................................World War Two (1939-1945)





x………………………………………………..A mark made by a person instead of a signature; also used as an abbreviation for Christ in some names e.g. Xopher (Christopher).

Xped………………………………………….Christened



y........................................................Year

Yr......................................................Year, younger





(Compiled by Malcolm Lewis)