U.S. Virgin Islands Family History Research

Researching family history in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is complicated by the territory's history. Over centuries the USVI has seen original settlement by indigenous tribes, conflict between and colonisation by competing European powers, economic development powered by slavery, sugar and cotton, a period of Danish rule and finally transfer of the territory to the United States. Today's USVI reflects this distinctive Afro-Caribbean and Danish heritage.

As with other U.S. Unincorporated Territories (Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa) the family historian has to deal with the reality that some important records are lost, destroyed or reside in some difficult-to-access repositories. This article aims to assist the family historian with information, strategies and sources with their USVI genealogical research. A separate overview article on How To Research Family History In United States Unincorporated Territories provides further, more generalised guidance.

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History of the U.S. Virgin IslandsHistory of the U.S. Virgin Islands

The USVI, located in the Caribbean, were first inhabited by the Ciboney, Arawak, and Kalinago peoples who migrated from South America. Christopher Columbus was the first European to sight the islands in 1493. He named them after the early Christian legend of St. Ursula and her martyred maiden (virgin) followers^[1]. The USVI comprise three main islands—St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas—plus around 50 smaller islets and keys.

Over the next two hundred years the islands were fought over and then settled by various European powers including Spain, England, France, Denmark and the Netherlands. During the period 1672-1733 the Danish West India Company progressively acquired control of all three main islands to form what became known as the Danish West Indies^[2]. The Danes established a prosperous plantation economy centred on sugar and cotton. It was heavily reliant on the forced labor of imported African slaves.

Slavery was abolished in 1848 after a major uprising, leading to the collapse of the plantation economy. Facing economic decline and mounting deficits, Denmark repeatedly attempted to sell the Islands. Driven by strategic concerns during World War I, the United States eventually purchased the Islands for $25 million in gold in 1917 (about $633 million in 2025 dollars) out of concern that they might otherwise fall under German control.

The islands officially became an unincorporated U.S. territory and residents were granted U.S. citizenship in 1927. Since then the Islands have evolved a degree of self-government, including electing its first local governor in 1970. However since U.S. Virgin Islanders reside in an unincorporated territory, only certain parts of the U.S. Constitution apply to them, as determined by Congress and court rulings. They cannot vote in presidential elections but do have a non‑voting delegate in Congress. Tourism is now USVI's primary industry^[3].

Popular surnames in the U.S. Virgin Islands and their meaningsPopular surnames in the U.S. Virgin Islands and their meanings

The most common surnames in the USVI are English or Scandinavian (mainly Danish) in form even when they belong to people of Afro‑Caribbean heritage. Most English surnames were brought to USVI by planters, overseers, soldiers, and administrators. Enslaved Africans were often assigned or later adopted these names. The names became entrenched in Afro‑Caribbean communities after emancipation. The origin of such surnames may be work-related (for example, Smith); of biblical origin; a last name based on an ancestor's given name (Thomas, James, Joseph, Samuel)^[4].

Scandinavian names derive from Danish and Norwegian patronymic traditions and reflect the islands’ Danish colonial period. Many Virgin Islanders still clearly reflect this origin, especially for names ending in “‑sen.” These usually trace back to Danish soldiers, officials, merchants or settlers. These men often fathered mixed‑heritage descendants who retained a Danish surname. But to complicate matters sometimes such surnames were anglicised after the Island's acquisition by the United States last century, obscuring their Scandinavian origins.

According to popular surname websites such as Forebears.io and HouseofNames the surnames below are among the most common in the modern USVI:

Williams; Patronymic surname derived from the forename William. Its early origins are in medieval England.
Smith: Common occupational surname, denoting a blacksmith.
Thomas: Named after an ancestor's forename, "son of Tom”.
Joseph: Latin from Josephus, ultimately Hebrew origin.
Francis: Derived from Francigena and appeared in old England to denote a foreigner.
George: Derived from the forename of the father and was typically denoted as "the son of George." The personal name George was originally derived from the Greek, "someone who was a farmer or someone who worked the land".
Petersen / Pedersen: Scandinavian form of Peterson, derived from the Greek "petros" (rock).
Hansen: Patronymic, derived from the German forename Johannes and ultimately from the Hebrew, Yochanan.
Christian, Daniel, Roberts: More examples of a surname reflective of an ancestor's forename. For example Christian derives from "son of Christian". In turn the family name "Christian" comes from the Latin given name Christianus (belonging to Christ).

Some prominent U.S. Virgin Islanders or people associated with the USVISome prominent U.S. Virgin Islanders or people associated with the USVI

Political and civic leaders

David Hamilton Jackson (1884–1946): Crucial labour leader, newspaper editor, and advocate for civil rights under Danish rule and early U.S. administration, central to workers’ and voting reforms.
Ron de Lugo (1930–2020): First elected Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the U.S. Virgin Islands annd influential in shaping the territory’s modern political status.
Juan Francisco Luis (1940–2011): Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands (1978–1987), overseeing a period of institutional development after the push in the 1960s and 1070s for greater self‑government.

Athletes

Tim Duncan (b. 1976, St. Croix): Hall of Fame NBA player, five‑time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs; widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards in basketball history.
“Sugar” Ray Seales (b. 1952, St. Croix): Boxer who won the light‑middleweight gold medal for the United States at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Peter Holmberg (b. 1960, St. Thomas): Sailor who won a silver medal in the Finn class at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, USVI’s first Olympic medal.

Arts and entertainment

Kelsey Grammer (b. 1955, St. Thomas): Emmy‑winning actor best known for the character Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier.
Iyaz (born Keidran Kenmore Jones, b. 1987, Tortola with USVI family connections): R&B and pop singer.

Historical figures with strong USVI ties

Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804): Spent key childhood years on St. Croix, where experiences of Caribbean plantation slavery and trade shaped his later views as a U.S. Founding Father and first Treasury Secretary.
Camille Pissarro (1830–1903): Impressionist painter born on St. Thomas to a merchant family of French and Sephardic Jewish descent, gaining early exposure to Caribbean light and landscape before moving to Europe.
William Alexander Leidesdorff Jr. (1810–1848): Businessman born in the Danish West Indies who became a pioneering Black entrepreneur and, later, an official in early San Francisco and California history.

Explore more about U.S. Virgin Islands family history researchExplore more about U.S. Virgin Islands family history research

Researching U.S. Virgin Islands family history usually requires combining local civil and church records with more general U.S. territorial genealogical sources. The first step is to collate and record as much information as possible about names and locations associated with persons of interest. This will help you match people in fragmented records and navigate surname shifts that may have occurred over time or as the result of colonisation. For some historical records spanning the period of Danish colonial rule even more diverse sources may contain information of value, but family historian may need patience and/or access to specialist knowledge^[5].

For general research on the U.S. Virgin Islands you can start with MyHeritage, which offers around almost 15 million U.S. records spread across around 3,600 individual collections. In particular, the 1940 United States Federal Census and 1950 United States Federal Census contain over 15,000 records of individuals with a life event in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is also possible to explore the most common last names in Virgin Islands.

For more specific U.S. Virgin Island records and information sources here are some online guides and indexes to consult:

The 2020 Census of the U.S. Virgin Islands undertaken by the U.S. Census Bureau collected detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing characteristics of the Islands. This can be used to locate USVI households by surname, island and occupation.
USVI civil registration for births, marriages and deaths (vital records) are held by the Virgin Islands Department of Health.
USVI Parish registers of different religions (Lutheran, Moravian, Catholic, Anglican) may hold birth, marriage, death and burial information which bridge gaps in USVI civil records. The U.S. Library of Congress provides a useful guide on how to access these registers.
Local court records (accessible via the USVI Judiciary Public Portal can contain useful family information. Note that modern court records often are subject to restricted access.
The Danish National Archives has digitised archival records of Islanders from the period of the Danish West Indies. These are divided into different population groups (enslaved people, ‘the free coloured’ and labourers; European civilians; and military personnel). Records may include probate, land, and notarial records (such as wills, estate inventories, manumission papers and land sales). These can be used to identify family groups, enslaved persons on particular plantations and name changes.
An E-book is available online, A list of The names of INHABITANTS, The Danish West Indian Islands (The VIRGIN ISLANDS) from 1650 – ca. 1825, compiled by Hugo Ryberg from the sources in The Royal Danish State Archive. As the title suggests this provides a roll call of surnames for this period of the Virgin Islands history.

References

[1] The legend of st ursula and the 11,000 British virgins. Historic UK. (2023, November 24).

[2] The Danish West Indies. National Museum of Denmark. (n.d.).

[3] Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, December 18). United States Virgin Islands. Wikipedia.

[4] Organization. (2025, November 15). U.S. Virgin Island surnames - most common family names from U.S. Virgin Islands. 2025. surnam.es.

[5] MorrisAdmin. (2018, May 24). Black Heritage can be found even in Denmark. Virgin Islands This Week.

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