One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, baptism, and/or christening information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, a great number of indexes to birth and baptism collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific birth, baptism, or christening information, and sometimes scanned images of the actual birth documents themselves. These free online collections have millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth information that is not included in the lists below. These different types can be found in 32 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information
If you are interested in baptism indexes that may include the birth date as well as baptism information, make sure and check out Church Records.
The lists below are specific birth, baptism, and christening indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state.
Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
(Updated June 2022)
- Alameda City, Births, 1985-2007
- Alameda County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Alpine County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Amador County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Antioch Ledger Newspaper Vital Records, 2 Apr 1870-17, Mar 1877
- Butte County Vital Records 1854-1897
- Butte County, Birth Index, ca. 1853-1950
- Butte County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Calaveras County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Calaveras County, Newspaper File Index, 1860-1950
- California Birth Index, 1905-1995
- California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988
- California Cemeteries Vital Records to 1962
- California Mother Lode Birth Records 1856-1915
- California State Library, Vital Statistics Index ca. 1800’s-1920
- California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994
- Colusa County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Contra Costa County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Del Norte County Birth Indexes
- Del Norte County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- El Dorado County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- El Dorado County, Births, 1902-1982, Marriages, 1859-1932, Deaths, 1909-1928; and Indexes, 1904-1987
- Fresno County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Fresno County, Index to Births 1893-1975
- Glenn County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Grass Valley Birth (1890-1894) and Death Records (1857-1905)
- Humboldt County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Imperial County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Inyo County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Kern County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Kings County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Lake County Birth Index
- Lake County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Lassen County Births
- Lassen County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Lodi, Certificates of Birth, 1915-1922
- Lompoc Vital Records 1915-1919
- Long Beach, Birth Records, 1920-1930
- Long Beach, Report of Births, Deaths and Index, 1904-1917
- Los Angeles City, Birth Records 1906-1930
- Los Angeles County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Los Angeles County, Birth Records 1906-1930
- Los Angeles County, Original Birth (1849-1901) and Death Records (1874-1901)
- Los Angeles Daily Times Births, Marriages and Deaths 1881-1886
- Madera County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Marin County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Mariposa County Births, Marriages, and Transcribed Obituaries
- Mendocino County Birth Certificates, 1909-1919
- Mendocino County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Mendocino County Index Births 1861-1924
- Merced County Vital Records Indexes
- Merced County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Modesto Sextons Records, 1902-1918
- Modoc County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Mono County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Monterey County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Monterey County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Nevada County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Oakland Births, Marriages, Deaths and Obituary Clippings 1985-2011
- Oakland Family History Center Newspaper Record Collection, 1980-2011
- Orange County Miscellaneous Newspaper Birth, Marriage, and Death Announcements
- Orange County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Petaluma Registers of Births and Deaths, 1885-1920
- Placer County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Placer, Shasta and Yuba Counties Early California Wills and Vital Statistics 1849-1900
- Plumas County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Riverside County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Sacramento County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- San Andreas, Groom and Bride Index 1854-1905; Marriage, Death and Birth Indexes 1856-1994
- San Benito County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- San Bernardino County Birth Records, 1872-1905, 1872-1905
- San Bernardino County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- San Bernardino County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- San Diego County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- San Diego County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- San Francisco Call Index
- San Francisco County Records, 1824-1997
- San Francisco County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- San Francisco Vital Indexes and Records
- San Francisco Vital Records from the Daily Alta California Newspaper 1854
- San Francisco Vital Records from the Daily Evening Bulletin Newspaper 1856, 1857
- San Francisco Vital Records Indexes
- San Joaquin County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- San Luis Obispo County Birth. Marriage, and Death Indexes
- San Luis Obispo County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- San Mateo County Birth, Death, and Marriages Indexes, 1853-1948
- San Mateo County Records, 1851-1991
- San Mateo County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Santa Barbara Birth Records (1910-1920) and Death Records (1911-1922)
- Santa Barbara County Birth and Death Indexes
- Santa Barbara County Births
- Santa Barbara County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Santa Clara County Early Vitals Indexes
- Santa Clara County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Santa Cruz County Births & Deaths from Early Newspapers
- Santa Cruz County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Santa Maria, Birth (1915-1918) and Death (1910-1918) Records
- Santa Rosa Record of Births and Deaths, 1871-1926
- Sebastopol Register of Births and Deaths, 1915-1920
- Sierra County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Siskiyou County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Solano County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Sonoma County Birth Records 1858-1919
- Sonoma County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Sonoma, Register of Births and Deaths, 1915-1920
- Stockton Vital Records from Newspapers, 1850-1852
- Stockton, Certificates of Birth, 1903-1929
- Sutter County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Tehama County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Tracy, Certificates of Birth, 1915-1928
- Trinity County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Tulare County Vital Records Indexes
- Tulare County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Tuolumne County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- United States Births and Christenings, 1867-1931
- Ventura County Birth Records
- Ventura County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Yolo County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
- Yuba County, Birth Indexes and Birth Notices
For other Free California Links, click on the category of interest:
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