Belgian genealogy involves tracing one’s ancestors living in Belgium or in the territories that are now Belgian.
A brief geo-political history of Belgium
Belgium shares a border with France, The Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg.
It’s a rather small country (30,688 km²) but has a rich and ancient history. In the previous centuries, it was ruled by the kingdom of Burgundy, the French, the Austrians, and the Dutch before becoming an independent state in 1830. In 1920, a small part of Germany was added to the territory of Belgium in the east.
However, the history of Belgium is also one of political turmoil. Divided into two, then three communities (French, Flemish, and German), it’s important to remember this about Belgium:
- For genealogy research, two levels of administration are important to consider: the local and the federal authorities
- There are records for all periods, and births, marriages, and death records are all kept in Belgium no matter the period; however, some are linked to foreign occupations (France, Austria, the Netherlands, etc.)
Although an independent state since 1830, Belgium has been divided into three distinct communities since the 1960s: the French-speaking community in the south, the Flemish (Belgian Dutch) speaking community in the north, and a small German-speaking community in the east of the country. There are 6 levels of government in Belgium from the highest level (federal) to the local level. Belgium was occupied by Germany during WWI and WWII. During each of the wars, one million Belgians fled abroad.
When researching Belgian records, it is important to remember that Belgium is a land of immigration. Since Belgium is a young country, gaining it’s independence in 1830, your ancestor's country of origin may be shown in some records as Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, or even France.
Civil registration
The French Revolutionary period brought civil status to Belgian territory.
Access to vital records varies according to the type of record, restrictions are as follows:
- 100 years for birth records
- 75 years for marriage records
- 50 years for death records
Records created earlier may be available online, although this may not be the case for more recent records which are still in the process of digitalization.
One can expect to find basic information regarding births, marriages and deaths in civil registration records in Belgium.
Birth records
- Date and place of the birth registration
- Name of the civil officer
- Name of the child
- Names, ages, and occupations of the parents (or just the mother if she was unmarried)
- Names, ages, occupations, and places of residence of the witnesses
Marriage records
- Date and where the marriage took place
- Identity of the civil office
- Full identity of the groom: name, age, occupation, residence, whether the groom has complied with possible military duties
- Full identity of the bride: name, age, occupation, legal residence
- Identities of the parents of the bride: occupation and full residence. If one or several parents are already deceased by the time the marriage took place, there could be information regarding the identity of one or more grandparents, occupation, legal residence, and possible information about the place and time of death of one or two of the parents if the fate of the parent is the unknown
- Names, ages, occupations, and places of residence of the witnesses
From the middle of the 19th century, it became mandatory for the couple to mention whether they had signed a prenuptial agreement including the name and place of residence of the notary as well as the date the contract was signed. This is very important because it allows the researcher to retrieve the record (usually kept at the state archives).
Bear in mind that marriages often took place in the place of residence of the bride, but with the advent of the industrial revolution, this became less and less common.
Pay attention to the identity of the witness, since they are often either family members or close family friends who sometimes are found to marry into the family later!
FamilySearch has digitized a collection of documents that both bride and groom provided in preparation for their weddings. Sometimes included were letters of approval of one or two of the parents of the couple and proof that the couple didn't have the means to pay the requested marriage tax.
Death records
- Full identity of the deceased, when known (when unknown, a physical description of the body may be written)
- Date and place of death
- Full identity, age, and occupation of the witness and their possible link to the deceased. This is important because they may be family. Just like for weddings, it’s also important to note the names of the witnesses when they are not family because they may become family members later on or give crucial information to the family history in other archives.
Note that unlike in the U.K. or the U.S., there’s no mention of the cause of death. Some hints might be given regarding foul play, such as policemen being witnesses to the death.
Parish Registers
Before civil registration, births, marriages, and deaths were registered by the Catholic Church, as the majority of Belgians belonged to this institution. The registers can be in French, Latin, or Flemish. The further back in time you go, the more continuous the information in the registers.
Belgian surnames
Belgian surnames can reveal indications about the origin of family members, such as place names, occupations, physical characteristics, or personal qualities of former ancestors. However, a Flemish-sounding surname doesn’t necessarily mean that your ancestor was from the Flemish-speaking region, at least not directly.
Be aware that in Belgium, as in France, wives do not usually take their husband's name. So be careful to always research a woman by her maiden name, even in cemeteries.
Many surnames in Belgium start with "Van", which means "from" (Van Laeken, Van Dilbeek, Van Ranst...)
The most common surnames in the north of the country are:
The most common surnames in the south are:
In Brussels, there are also many family names of foreign origin reflecting the colorful immigration present in the capital since the 19th century.
Population registers
The various registers can be consulted either in physical form at the municipalities, digitized (as in Antwerp and Mechelen), or in the form of microfilms in the state archives and may include:
- Lists of inhabitants during the old regime
- General population statistics from the 19th century onwards
- Population registers from 1846 onwards and censuses
- Various almanacs, directories and telephone books
The lists of inhabitants of the Ancien Régime were drawn up, firstly by the seigneuries and parishes for tax and/or charity purposes, then for purely statistical purposes. Statistical registers from the 19th century onwards contain general information (gender, residence, occupation) but are not nominative and therefore of very limited use to genealogists. However, it is interesting to have an overview of the situation in a village or town as part of the study of the social history of our ancestors.
Population registers, on the other hand, contain more detailed information such as:
- addresses
- exact names
- occupations
- marital status
- previous addresses
- departure addresses as well as the mention of foreigners if applicable, which may give an indication of the existence of a file of the Aliens Police (from the second half of the 19th century onwards) which will also give you valuable information about the foreign residence of your ancestors.
The population registers started in 1846 and are open to the public after 120 years. Please note that a period not yet open to the public but shown in the register may also contain valuable information. Details regarding family composition can tell you more about the existence of brothers and sisters of your ancestors. This will allow you to trace them from population register to population register to their possible descendants, who can be traced in the same way.
It’s also important to consider internal migration. During the 19th century, many Flemish people moved to the city to find work and established themselves there. Others, later in the same century, left for the United States where they are mostly to be found in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Belgian newspapers
Newspapers are a goldmine for genealogists, and Belgium is no exception. As with all searchable databases it’s important to be flexible in your requests: you can try the “exact match” research or broaden your research based on, for example, a surname only.
Belgian handwriting and languages
In Belgium, records will be either in French, Flemish, or German, depending on the period.
Parish registers would be in Latin, French and ancient Flemish (Belgian Dutch). Sometimes, the use of several languages will be present in the same register.
The older the record the more scarce the information provided.
Calendar differences
It is important to note that during the French period from September 22, 1792 onwards, the Republican calendar was in force, and it does not function like the Gregorian calendar. Firstly, the year is composed of 12 months of 30 days versus the Gregorian. Moreover, the names of the months and days are replaced by names evoking nature, animals, or philosophy, which does not make it easy for researchers. If very few people use the names of the days, it is important to at least know the names of the months, as the revolutionary year always began in the month of Vendémiaire (recalling the grape harvest). The months of the Republican calendar are organized seasonally as follows:
- Autumn months (ending in -aire, from Latin -arius, adjectival suffix)
- Vendémiaire (22/23/24 September ~ 21/22/23 October) - Harvest period C 1
- Brumaire (22/23/24 October ~ 20/21/22 November) - Period of mists and fogs C 2
- Frimaire (November 21/22/23 ~ December 20/21/22) - Period of cold weather (frimas) C 3
- Winter months (originally ending in -ose, later misspelled ôse, from Latin -osus, "endowed with")
- Nivôse (21/22/23 December ~ 19/20/21 January) - Snow period C 4
- Pluviôse (20/21/22 January ~ 18/19/20 February) - Period of rains C 5
- Ventôse (19/20/21 February ~ 20/21 March) - Windy period C 6
- Spring months (ending in -al, from Latin -alis, adjectival suffix)
- Germinal (21/22 March ~ 19/20 April) - Germination period C 7
- Floréal (20/21 April ~ 19/20 May) - Period of flowering C 8
- Prairial (20/21 May ~ 18/19 June) - Harvesting period for grassland C 9
- Summer months (ending in -idor, from Greek dôron, gift)
- Messidor (19/20 June ~ 18/19 July) - Harvest period C 10
- Thermidor (19/20 July ~ 17/18 August) - Heat period C 11
- Fructidor (18/19 August ~ 16/17 September) - Fruit time C 12
The Republican calendar officially ends in 1805, even if most communes finished using it before then, and the Gregorian calendar has been used in Belgium ever since.
Research Belgian records on MyHeritage
See also
Explore more about Belgian genealogy
- Belgium civil registration record collection at MyHeritage
- Research Belgian surnames at MyHeritage
- Black, Yellow, Red: Find Your Belgian Ancestors!at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Beneluxury Archives! How to get the best out of Belgian, Dutch and Lux Archives!at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Search the newspaper collection at the Royal Library of Belgium
- Explore historical Dutch newspapers, books and magazines at Delpher