Ancestry is the world's largest online family history resource, with billions of historical records from around the world—this article gives you tips to help you search them.
 

Contents

• Understanding search results
• General searching
  • Improving search results
    • Adding names
    • Adding dates
    • Adding places
• Advanced searching
  • Exact searching
  • Wildcard searching
  • Phrase searching
• Finding a specific collection

Understanding search results

When you search on Ancestry, we look through all of the records in our collections to give you results.

Search results are listed based on how well they match the search criteria you entered, with the best results being shown first. The higher a result is in the list of search results, the more likely it is to be about your ancestor, while lower results may be less relevant or less likely to be about your ancestor.

To find the best matches, we look at everything you entered (like names, dates, and places) and rank the results based on how well all those details work together, not just one part like the name or location.

General searching

When searching on Ancestry, you can:

• Search all collections to see the widest range of results.
• Search based on content type, like specific Historical Records and Public Member trees.
• Search a specific collection or database to focus your search and narrow down the results.
  
  

To search all collections:

1. From any Ancestry page, click the Search tab and choose All collections. 
   This takes you to the main Search page.
2. Enter your search criteria and click Search.
   We’ll search all records and collections for content and sources that match.
   
   

To search based on content type:

1. From any Ancestry page, click the Search tab and choose your desired content type, like Public Member Trees.
   This will take you to the Search page for that content type.
2. Enter your search criteria and click Search.
   We’ll search and return any matching results within that content type.
   
   

To search within a specific collection or database:

Use the Card Catalog to find and then search within that collection or database.

Improving search results

To get the most out of searching, enter as much information as you can. The more details you give our search engine to match, the more likely it is to provide results about your ancestors.

For the best results:

• Enter as much information as you can.
• Add known names.
• Add important dates, like birth and/or death years.
• Add important places, like birth and/or death locations.
• List places they lived. 

Not sure about something? Take an educated guess—being close can still help.

After searching, you can narrow down the results by:

• Using filters on the left side
• Choosing a specific record collection or database—toggle the Browse by collection switch above your results to view results by collection. 

As you narrow your search results, some search options or filters may disappear if that information isn’t available in those records. For example, census records don’t have death dates, so you can’t search or filter by them.

You can update your search anytime by changing the details under Your search on the left and clicking Search again. You can also add or remove filters at any time.

Adding names

Adding names to your search can improve your results. For example, when searching for people with common names like John Smith, finding the right John Smith can be tough, but adding a middle name like Ebenezer makes it easier since fewer people have that exact name.

When entering names, include:

• Full names (first, middle, and last)
• Multiple last names (separated by a space)
  • Married and unmarried names
  • Compound names (use a hyphen only if there is one)
• Other names used, like
  • Legal name changes
  • Adoption names
  • Preferred/chosen names

We’ll automatically search for:

• Exactly what you entered
• Phonetic matches (names that sound similar)
• Names with similar spellings or meanings
• Initials that match what you typed (only for first names)

We'll also check for common nicknames, abbreviations, and spelling variations. For example, if you search for Bill Smith, we might also find William Smith, Wm Smith, Bill Smyth, or B. Smith. Exact matches appear first, followed by variations like misspellings and nicknames. Since records may contain errors or misspellings and can be mistranscribed, checking alternate spellings can help.

For married people, adding their birth or unmarried (maiden/bachelor) name can help find records under both names. You can also try searching for each name separately.

Example searches:

• Mary Elizabeth Williams Smith
• Mary Elizabeth Williams
• Mary Elizabeth Smith

If someone legally changed their name, was adopted, or used a preferred/chosen name, try searching for those names too.

To find records with even more name variations, try searching with wildcards. They can help when names have different spellings or may have been entered incorrectly in historical records.

Adding dates

Adding important dates, like birth and death, to your search can improve your results. It’s much easier to find Elizabeth Smith, born in 1872, than just Elizabeth Smith. It’s even better to add both birth and death dates as it’s easier to find Elizabeth Smith, who was born in 1872 and died in 1937.

Not sure about an exact date? That’s okay! Take an educated guess. As long as you’re close, you’ll get better results than if you were to leave a date blank. We’ll also look for close dates in case the record is wrong, or your guess is a little off.

When entering dates, include: 

• Dates of important events, like birth and death
• Estimated dates if you’re not sure about the exact date.
  
  

Adding places

Adding places to your search can improve your results. For example, if you only know your ancestor was born in Ohio, it can be hard to find the right person. However, if you add the city or county, it becomes much easier to narrow down the results.

When entering places:

• Include locations of key events, like birth and death.
• Add places they lived for a long time.
• Be as specific as you can.
  • If you know the city, start there.
  • If you don’t know the city, try the county, state, or country.

We'll provide a list of places as you type. Choose from the list for the best results.

Note: Place names can change over time or exist in different areas. For example, Vermont could mean the state or a town in Illinois. Double-check you’re searching in the right place.

We’ll automatically search nearby areas, like neighboring counties or states. For example, if you enter Appomattox County, Virginia, we’ll include nearby counties and states in your results to help improve your search results.

Advanced searching

Exact searching

Exact searching can help you get more relevant results by only returning results that match the fields you select exactly. For example, if you search for Harold Jones, born in California in 1922, and check “Exact” for California and 1922, you’ll only get results that match those details exactly. If you leave the “Exact” box unchecked for the name, you’ll get results with close names, like Harry Jones, as long as the other details match.

To use exact searching: 

1. Enter someone’s information in the search form.
2. Check the Exact box under any search field you want results to match exactly. Then, select any other advanced options for that field. Each search field has its own advanced options. For example:
   • Names:
     • Exact: Only returns results that match the name you entered exactly.
     • Sounds like: Includes records with names that sound similar to the name you entered.  
     • Initials (first and middle names only): Includes records where the first or middle name is just an initial, like “M” for “Mary.”
     • Soundex (last names only): Includes records with alternate spellings of the last name.   
   • Locations:
     • Exact to this place: Only returns results that match the place entered exactly. If you enter Oakland, Alameda, California, USA, a record with just Alameda, California, USA won’t appear.
     • County: Includes records from the county you entered. For example, if you chose Oakland, California, it will include records with Alameda County.
     • State: Includes records from the state you entered. If a smaller area, like a city or county, also matches, those results will appear higher in search results.
     • Country: Includes records from the country you entered.
     Note: Location filters only show when you select a place from the list that appears as you enter it into the search form. They’re based on the location you choose and are automatically adjusted to fit that location. For example, if you select a county in England, you’ll see filter options for the county, country, and UK level.
   • Dates: Exact to this year, +/-1 year, +/-2 years, +/-5 years, +/-10 years. 
   If you don’t see advanced options like these, click Exact again under a search field to show them.
3. Adjust which “Exact” boxes you have checked and unchecked until you get the results you want.
   
   

Exact searching tips:

• Start broad, checking only one or two “Exact” boxes in your search criteria.
• If you get too many results, check more “Exact” boxes to narrow your search.
• To match everything exactly, check the “Match all terms exactly” box. If you don't see this, click “Show more options.”
• If you get too few results, uncheck some “Exact” checkboxes to expand the search.
   

Wildcard searching

Wildcard searching helps find records when names are misspelled, mistranscribed, abbreviated, or have alternate spellings.  Wildcards are symbols used in place of unknown letters in a word. We use the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?) as wildcards.

• A question mark (?) replaces 1 letter. For example, searching for “Sm?th” could find "Smith" and/or "Smyth.”
• An asterisk (*) replaces 1 or more letters. For example, searching for “John*” could find “John,” “Johnson,” “Johnsen,” “Johnathon,” and more.

Wildcard rules: 

• ? and * can be used anywhere, but you need at least 1 letter in a search (*n works, but * doesn’t).
• Wildcards can be used with exact matches. 
• Wild cards don't work with Soundex searches.

Be strategic with wildcards depending on what you need.

• Use ? when only one letter might change (like Sm?th to find Smith and Smyth).
• Use * when several letters might change (like Greenbla* to find Greenblat, Greenblatt, and Greenblatte).
• Be careful: broad searches like Sm* could pull in unrelated names like "Smathers."
  
  

Phrase searching

Ancestry lets you search for exact phrases in records using quotation marks. For example, if you search for the keywords "Flying Tigers" in quotes, you'll only get results where those two words appear in records together.  Without quotes, you'll get results where "Flying" and "Tigers" appear anywhere on the page, together or separately.

Finding specific collections

Ancestry is the world's largest online family history resource, with billions of historical records from around the globe in its databases you can explore.

To find a specific collection:

1. On Ancestry, in the top navigation bar, click Search and choose Card catalog.
2. Use the Filters on the left to narrow the list and find the collection you want. You can also search by popularity, title, or keyword.
3. Select a collection to view its description and search form, and search only within that collection’s records.